At first glance, few materials would seem to have less in common than metals and textiles. And yet, by manufacturing nickel-titanium alloys as a highly deformable, interwoven material, more similar to fabric than a typical metal component, researchers from IMDEA Materials Institute and the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) have unlocked previously unachievable properties.
By applying a design-focused methodology, the research team were able to dramatically increase the deformability of woven superelastic nitinol metamaterials in a recent study. The results, highlighted in Virtual and Physical Prototyping, hold promise for the development of high-performance actuators in robotics, aerospace, and health care, among others.
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