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posted by martyb on Friday May 29 2015, @08:49PM   Printer-friendly
from the amnesiac-neuromorphic-chips-rejoice dept.

Engineers have produced an alloy that springs back into shape even after it is bent more than 10 million times. "Memory shape alloys" like this have many potential uses, but present incarnations are prone to wearing out. The new material - made from nickel, titanium and copper - shatters previous records and is so resilient it could be useful in artificial heart valves, aircraft components or a new generation of solid-state refrigerators. The work appears in Science Magazine.

Memory alloys are already used in some situations, including surgical operations. A stent, for example, might be squashed into a small space and then spring into its designed shape to prop open a blood vessel. But the alloys have never entirely fulfilled their promise and entered the world of "high cycle fatigue" applications.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32886000


[Original Submission - Ed.]

 
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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by anubi on Saturday May 30 2015, @01:10AM

    by anubi (2828) on Saturday May 30 2015, @01:10AM (#189928) Journal

    "So instead of that liquid, you could use this alloy."

    Interesting. All this time I thought the heat transfer was the result of the refrigerant going through phase changes.

    Not just changing shape.

    Has the good professor Wuttig had any courses in Thermodynamics?

    Or, is my understanding of the thermodynamics of phase changes and heat transfer way outdated?

    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2015, @10:05PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2015, @10:05PM (#190229)

    Interesting. All this time I thought the heat transfer was the result of the refrigerant going through phase changes.

    Thermoacustic Heat Engine [wikipedia.org], I guess it could be for a better loudspeaker's membrane and cone, but could be jus my wild imagination.

    Has the good professor Wuttig had any courses in Thermodynamics?

    Or, is my understanding of the thermodynamics of phase changes and heat transfer way outdated?

    I am not qualified to judge that.