Abstract

Shape Memory Alloy Hybrid Composites (SMAHCs) are promising for morphing structures. However, their transition from laboratory laminates to reliable actuators is hindered by interfacial delamination and the complexity of running real-time control modelling. We address both challenges with a single device and model. We manufactured an elastomer-interfaced SMAHC (E-SMAHC) in a two-step autoclave process that co-cures a rubber-like interface to relieve interfacial shear and embeds a Pt100 sensor adjacent to the wire. We modelled the laminate with a single Timoshenko bimetallic formulation combined with Turner’s effective coefficient of thermal expansion, which lumps the wire’s transformation into a single temperature-dependent coefficient, and added a Euler–Bernoulli contribution for the tip load. We actuated the cantilever by localised Joule heating at three power levels, both unloaded and under a tip load. We calibrated the model coefficients using the unloaded tests. With only the Euler–Bernoulli contribution for the tip load added, the model predicted the loaded tip position with an NRMSE of 6.2–11.7%. An a posteriori refit of the temperature shift using the loaded test data reduced the error to 5.8–6.4%. A preliminary diagnostic further indicates that the wire resistance contains an actuation-related signal, motivating its future evaluation as a possible feedback coordinate. The results provide a proof-of-concept demonstration of an elastomer-interfaced SMAHC actuator and a compact modelling approach under the investigated loading and heating conditions.

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