Thermally-active material assemblies including phase change materials

A thermally-activated material assembly, transformable between an actuated condition and a non-actuated condition, comprising:

• an actuator element having actuator material defined by an actuation temperature and a reset temperature, wherein the actuator material:
• in response to being heated to or above the actuation temperature, causes the actuator element to actuate from a non-actuated shape, wherein the assembly is in the non-actuated condition, to an actuated shape transforming the assembly to the actuated condition in response to being heated to the actuation temperature;
• and
• in response to cooling to or below the reset temperature, causes the actuator element to actuate from the actuated shape back to the non-actuated shape;
• and
• a phase-change material (PCM) bath arranged in the assembly adjacent the actuator element so that the actuator element is selectively moved out of, into, and back out of thermal contact with the PCM bath as the actuator element transitions from the actuated condition, to the non-actuated condition, and back to the actuated condition, respectively, wherein:
• the PCM bath is defined by a phase-change temperature;
• the PCM bath transitions from a first state to a second state in response to being heated to or above the phase-change temperature;
• and
• the PCM bath is configured so that the phase-change temperature is lower than the actuation temperature of the actuator element.

A thermally-activated material assembly, transformable between an actuated condition and a non-actuated condition, comprising:

• a thermally-sensitive actuator element having thermally-sensitive actuator material defined by an actuation temperature and a reset temperature, wherein:
• in response to being heated to the actuation temperature, the thermally-sensitive actuator material causes the thermally-sensitive actuator element to actuate from a non actuated shape, wherein the assembly is in the non-actuated condition, to an actuated shape, transforming the assembly to the actuated condition;
• and
• in response to being cooled to the reset temperature, the actuator material causes the thermally-sensitive actuator element to actuate from the actuated shape back to the non-actuated shape;
• and
• a phase-change material (PCM) composite connected to the thermally-sensitive actuator element, the PCM composite including:
• a PCM component defined by a phase-change temperature and causing the PCM component to transition from a first state to a second state in response to being heated to the phase-change temperature;
• and
• a non-PCM component distributed with the PCM component, the non-PCM component having a higher conductivity than the PCM component, thereby promoting transfer of heat introduced to a proximal region of the PCM composite to a distal region of the PCM composite;
• wherein the PCM component is configured so that the phase-change temperature is lower than the actuation temperature of the thermally-sensitive actuator element and higher than an ambient temperature to which the assembly is expected to be exposed during operation of the assembly.

A thermally-activated material assembly, transformable between an actuated condition and a non-actuated condition, comprising:

• a thermally-sensitive actuator element having thermally-sensitive actuator material defined by an actuation temperature and a reset temperature, wherein:
• in response to being heated to the actuation temperature, the thermally-sensitive actuator material causes the thermally-sensitive actuator element to actuate from a non-actuated shape, wherein the assembly is in the non-actuated condition, to an actuated shape, transforming the assembly to the actuated condition;
• and
• in response to being cooled to the reset temperature, the actuator material causes the thermally-sensitive actuator element to actuate from the actuated shape back to the non-actuated shape;
• a phase-change material (PCM) composite connected to the thermally-sensitive actuator element, the PCM composite including:
• a PCM component defined by a phase-change temperature and causing the PCM component to transition from a first state to a second state in response to being heated to the phase-change temperature;
• and
• a non-PCM component distributed with the PCM component, the non-PCM, component having a higher conductivity than the PCM component, thereby promoting transfer of heat introduced to a proximal region of the PCM component to a distal region of the PCM component;
• and
• a sheath surrounding at least a portion of the PCM composite so as to contain material of the PCM component when the PCM component is in the second state.