NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators have gained much attention in recent years because of their ability to combine high actuation forces to a significantly smaller component size. Binary SMAs containing Ni and Ti, however, suffer from relatively poor functional and structural fatigue, which requires training. Binary NiTi SMAs also possess a relatively wide hysteresis gap between the austenite final and martensite final temperatures (ΔTMfAf), which demands more energy to produce each actuation stroke. Zarnetta et al. have shown that small additions of substitutional elements to the NiTi-based SMA can significantly improve those conditions by increasing the coherency between the two transforming crystal structures. Two quaternary NiTiCuPd SMAs were selected based on combinatorial studies from X-ray diffraction data and their results were analyzed concerning their hysteresis width and thermal-mechanical stability.

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