General Motors Company, Research and Development Center, Mound Road, Warren, MI 48090‐9055, USA
Abstract:
The impact of the deformation conditions, specifically the temperature, on the shape‐memory behavior and characteristics of epoxy SMPs is studied. By simply varying the temperature during deformation (i.e., the programming step of the SM effect), the ultimate strain of the formulated epoxy was improved three‐ to five‐fold, thereby providing for an increased range of reachable deformation strains during SM thermo‐mechanical cycling. This research unveils newly developed epoxy‐based SMPs with improved deformability range and high strength with intrinsically good thermal and chemical stability.