Calculation of pseudoelastic elements using a non-symmetrical thermomechanical transformation criterion and associated rule

There are relatively few applications in the market that utilize SMA consid ering the large number of patents filed. This can be partly explained by th e lack of design tools able to correctly predict SMA behavior. Due to the h ighly non-linear behavior of SMA, classical methods of design are inefficie nt. Furthermore. SMA behavior is strongly temperature dependent and exhibit s hysteresis. The aim of this study is to give a method of measurement adap ted to SMA. The definition of a constitutive equation describing the supere lastic behavior and its application to structure calculation based on the c lassical beam theory assumptions is presented. Numerical results obtained i n this way are compared with experimental measurements performed on Cu-base d alloys.