Operational element comprising magnetic shape memory alloy and a method for manufacturing it
AssigneeTikomat Oy
InventorKari Ullakko
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to an operational element and a method for manufacturing the operational element that comprises magnetic shape memory alloy. in the method at least a part of the magnetic shape memory alloy is arranged as an active region that is responsive to a magnetic field and at least one other part of the magnetic shape memory alloy is arranged as an inactive region that is unresponsive to a magnetic field.
Claims33
A method for manufacturing an operational element for using alone or as a part of an apparatus, which operational element comprises as a source piece a magnetic shape memory alloy with a twin variant structure having a boundary between the variants, characterized in that
- a) prior to manufacturing the operational element from the source piece, and prior to creating active and inactive regions into the source piece, such a predetermined twin variant structure is created to the source piece of the magnetic shape memory (MSM) alloy that the active region to be created or a part of it produces magnetic-field-induced shape change required for performing its function in the operational element,
- b) at least a part of the source piece, from which the operational element is manufactured, is arranged as an active region that is responsive to a magnetic field for carrying out functions in the operational element which functions require producing of shape changes, and
- c) at least one other part of the same source piece is arranged as an inactive region by treating the part in such a way that the twin boundaries between the twin variants do not move when a magnetic field is applied to those inactive regions in the operational element.
An operational element for using alone or as a part of an apparatus, which operational element comprises a magnetic shape memory alloy with a twin variant structure having a boundary between the variants, characterized in that
- a) at least a part of the operational element is an active region that is responsive to a magnetic field for carrying out functions in the operational element which functions require producing of shape changes,
- b) at least one other part of the operational element is an inactive region that is unresponsive to a magnetic field for carrying out other functions in the operational element, and
- c) the operational element has a predetermined twin variant structure where the mobility of twin boundaries between the variants has been arranged so that in the active regions the twin boundaries move for producing a desired shape change of the active region and in the inactive regions the twin boundaries do not move when a magnetic field is applied to those regions in the operational element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.