JPH05118272A - Thermal-mechanical energy converting type actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve thermal energy collecting performance from a low temperature difference resource medium by using a shape memory material obtained through the quench-solidification of alloy-based molten metal showing a shape memory phenomenon as a shape memory raw material forming a part of the composing member of a thermal-mechanical energy converting type actuator. CONSTITUTION:A thermal-mechanical energy converting type actuator suitable for a robot, a manipulator or the like has a shape memory raw material which previously remembers a required shape and is attached to a skeleton, and this shape memory raw material is heated or cooled by a heating or a cooling means to generate power against the energizing action of a biasing means. In this case, the actuator shows shape memory phenomenon as the shape memory raw material, and the raw material obtained by quench-solidifying the molten metal of alloy of Ti-Ni system or Ti-Ni-Cu system is used for the actuator, and in quench-solidifying the molten metal, cooling speed 15 set up to be 10<2>-10<6> deg.C/sec. In the case where the molten metal 3 is quench-solidified through a rotary roll method, the rotating speed of a rotary copper roll 2, namely cooling speed, is set up to be 1-50m/sec.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat / mechanical energy conversion type actuator having a shape memory material attached to its skeleton.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a robot, a manipulator, an automatic machine, an environment-maintaining device in a building, etc., a small, lightweight, multi-degree-of-freedom actuator having an excellent power weight ratio similar to that of human muscles and being highly flexible Has been tackled as an extremely important problem, and as a method of solving the problem, thermoelastic type phase transformation of shape memory materials as heat / mechanical energy conversion functional materials, actuators utilizing the so-called shape memory effect became active. ,
Various styles of shape memory actuators have been published. The basic structure of such an actuator is to combine a skeletal muscle type, that is, a shape memory alloy wire as an artificial muscle with a skeletal structural member made of a common material in a truss manner. That is, FIG. 10 (a), (b) or FIG.
Shape memory alloy wire 1 as shown in (a) and (b)
0 is given a tensile strain of several% by a bias spring (not shown), and has a structure in which when the shape memory alloy wire 10 contracts due to the shape memory effect, the arm 11 or the disk 12 is converted into a bending or rotating operation.

Shape memory materials used for such actuators are usually titanium-nickel (Ti-Ni) alloy, nickel-aluminum (Ni-Al) alloy, and copper-tin, as shown in Tables 1 and 2. It is made of a (Cu-Sn) alloy or the like, and is deformed into a predetermined shape by the cooling means, and is also functioned by the heating means and the bias means so as to return to the original shape.

[0004]

[Table 1]

[0005]

[Table 2]

Here, as the heating means, electricity, laser beam, radiant heat, etc. are used, and as the cooling means, the shape memory material is deformed by natural cooling, forced cooling, refrigerant gas, vaporization heat / cooling means. By doing so, thermal energy is converted into mechanical energy. The biasing means are usually comprised of springs of common material or a combination of shape memory materials.

[0007]

However, as for the shape memory material, it is general that the final shape product material is finished from the alloy ingot by melting by hot working. As a melting method, high frequency vacuum melting is used. Method, plasma melting method and the like, and hot working methods include pressing, pressing, forging and the like. Therefore, there are the following problems from the performance as a shape memory material.

(1) In the case of a Ti-Ni type alloy, which has a difficult workability peculiar to the alloy and it is difficult to obtain a thin plate product having a good thermal response, Cu may be mixed especially with Cu = 10.
When it is at% or more, it becomes brittle and extremely difficult to work, and it is impossible to obtain a thin plate final product. Also,

(2) In the melt-processed material, the polycrystal orientations constituting the material are random, so the transformation time throughout the material deviates from place to place, and as a result, transformation strain-temperature hysteresis curve temperature range (ΔT = Af). -Mf) is large,
In addition, the bend near the loop transformation point becomes round, and the response of the shape memory alloy with temperature change becomes dull, which adversely affects the high-speed response of the robot actuator. further,

(3) Loss in the useless transformation process occurs due to the discontinuity of the transformed crystal structure, and the heat-to-mechanical energy conversion efficiency is a few percent or less, and its spread as a thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator has been suppressed. .. Moreover,

(4) Since the crystal structure is coarse and the matrix dislocation density is small, the yield stress is low, and the memory effect is deteriorated (memory blur) during repeated use, resulting in a thermomechanical energy conversion type actuator. The application range was narrowed. Also,

(5) In terms of corrosion resistance, originally TiNi
Although the system is good, there are still problems in long-term use under extremely strong acidic / alkaline extreme environments due to coarse crystal grains of the processed material and surface non-uniformity. Therefore, the present invention solves the above problems of the conventional thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator, has a sharp response with temperature change, has a good heat-mechanical energy conversion efficiency, and is further useful during repeated use. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator that does not cause deterioration of memory effect (memory blur) and can be used for a long period of time in an extremely strong acidic / alkaline extreme environment.

[0010]

In order to develop a new material satisfying the above various conditions, the inventors of the present invention directly inject a molten alloy system showing a shape memory phenomenon from a nozzle to a Cu cooling roll to obtain a final thin plate. (About 20-300 micron thickness) rotary rapid solidification method (Melt-spinning Tech)
It tried to adopt. As a result, a homogeneous and extremely fine anisotropic (columnar crystal of a few microns or less) structure can be obtained by the rapid cooling effect by the rotational rapid solidification method, and the lower structure has a high dislocation density. ,
It was found that plastic strain due to yield is unlikely to occur and energy loss other than phase transformation does not occur, so that improvement in heat / mechanical energy conversion performance and shape memory fatigue deterioration are suppressed, and corrosion resistance is also improved, and the present invention Came to make.

That is, according to the present invention, a skeleton, a shape memory material capable of storing a desired shape in advance and attached to the skeleton, a heating means for the shape memory material, a cooling means for the shape memory material, In a thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator having a biasing means for biasing a shape memory material to a shape different from a previously stored shape, as the shape memory material, an alloy-based molten metal showing a shape memory phenomenon is obtained by rapid solidification. It is characterized by using a shape memory material.

In order to rapidly solidify the alloy-based molten metal exhibiting the shape memory phenomenon, the cooling rate is preferably 10 ² to 10 ⁶ ° C / sec.

Ti-N is used as the shape memory material.
A Ti-Ni-based shape memory alloy obtained by quenching and solidifying a molten i-based alloy is suitable, and Ti (50 ± y, y ≦ ± 2 at%)-Ni is suitable as the shape-memory material.
A Ti-Ni-Cu-based shape memory alloy obtained by rapidly solidifying a (50-y-x) -Cu (xat%)-based alloy melt is particularly suitable. Here, the Cu content x is 0 <x ≦ 20.
At% is good. In this region, as the Cu content increases, embrittlement of the material (grain boundary embrittlement, etc.) occurs in a normal melting / hot working process, making large rolling difficult.

In the present invention, the Cu content x is set to 11.0 to 16.0 at% with respect to the heat-mechanical energy conversion efficiency η related to the amount of additional heat or electric power from the outside required for driving the actuator. It is preferable that the content is 12.0 to 14.0 at%. When x is less than 11.0 at%, the transformation strain is large, but the transformation temperature difference ΔT is large. On the contrary, when x is over 16.0 at%, the transformation temperature width ΔT is small but the transformation strain is sharply reduced. Not preferable. Further, when x is less than 12.0 at% or more than 14.0 at%, the parameter η showing the thermal energy conversion performance decreases, which is not preferable because it is inconvenient for use in a closed system.

Further, in the present invention, the Cu content x
Is preferably 3.0 to 7.0 at%. When the content x of Cu is less than 3.0 at%, the transformation strain width Δε _sme is large, but the transformation temperature width ΔT becomes too large (30 ° C. or more) to narrow the application range and its practicality. On the other hand, X is 7.0
When it exceeds at%, ΔT sharply decreases, but the transformation strain sharply decreases and a large actuator displacement cannot be taken out, which is inconvenient.

Examples of the rapid solidification method used in the present invention include, for example, a gun method in which a molten metal is directly sprayed onto a Cu cooling plate or the like to be rapidly cooled to produce a small test piece, a rotary roll (single or twin roll) method for producing a continuous thin plate, There are a spinning submerged spinning method suitable for producing fine wires, a spray method for producing a quenched powder, and the like.

Among the above quenching methods, when performing rapid solidification by the rotating roll method (single roll) whose apparatus is shown in FIG. 1, the cooling rate is preferably 1 to 50 m / sec. As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling rate is 1
If it is less than m / sec, the quenched metal structure (particularly, the crystal grain size) becomes coarse and random orientation occurs, resulting in a drooping of shape memory transformation, resulting in shape memory effect, fatigue deterioration resistance, and resistance like polycrystal. Corrosion is reduced. On the contrary, when the cooling rate is higher than 50 m / sec, the metal structure becomes amorphous and the shape memory phenomenon based on the crystal transformation does not appear, which is not preferable.

[0019]

[Function] By rapidly solidifying an alloy-based melt exhibiting a shape memory phenomenon, the alloy structure becomes homogeneous and fine, the crystal orientations are aligned, and the entire material simultaneously undergoes thermoelastic martensitic transformation, resulting in responsiveness and energy conversion. Performance is improved and fatigue deterioration is suppressed without lowering strength.

When such a shape memory material is attached to a skeleton as a shape memory material in which a desired shape is stored in advance in a thermomechanical conversion type actuator and heated by a heating means, the shape memory material is deformed and The energy is converted into mechanical energy and the actuator operates. At that time, the shape memory material is deformed against the restraining force of the bias means. After that, the shape memory material returns to its original shape, assisted by the binding force of the biasing means. When the heat cycle is repeated again, the same deformation and restoration are repeated. here,
If there is no biasing means, the shape memory material is a so-called one-way type, so that it cannot reversibly reciprocate between predetermined shapes only by a heating cycle, and the actuator cannot endure predetermined repeated use. That is, the biasing means urges the shape memory material to a shape different from the shape stored in advance, so that the shape memory material reciprocally reciprocates between the predetermined shapes together with the heating cycle, and the actuator operates in a predetermined repeated operation. It can be performed.

Moreover, the thermo-mechanical conversion type actuator of the present invention has a sharp responsiveness of the shape memory material with a temperature change in a predetermined repeated operation, the heat / mechanical energy conversion efficiency is improved, and the deterioration of the memory effect is prevented. In addition, it can be used for a long period of time even under extremely acidic and alkaline extreme environments. Furthermore, the shape memory material is a thin plate with a large surface area,
Even when it is desired to improve the thermal responsiveness, the problem of difficult workability is solved, so that it can be sufficiently realized. Further, because of the above features, the actuator structure itself can be made lighter and smaller, and it can be applied to micromachines. When the above points are explained in more detail, as shown in FIG. 12, the recovery force-displacement characteristic of the melt-processed material at high temperature and the force at the same time at low temperature-
Displacement characteristics and movable range 1 of a thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator using a melt-processed material defined by the distance between the intersection of the force of the bias means and the displacement characteristics, and thermo-mechanical energy conversion also using a rapidly solidified shape memory material Comparing with the movable range l ^* of the die actuator, a recovery force (transformation strain Δε _SME ) that is two to three times larger can be obtained when the rapidly solidified shape memory material is used.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The robots and automatic machines to which the heat / mechanical energy conversion type actuators are applied include not only walking robots and manipulators but also room temperature window automatic opening / closing devices and the like. The movement of the actuator includes a straight line, a circular arc, and any other movement that draws a locus. The basic configuration of an actuator that generates such movement is shown in FIG.
There are a bias spring type shown in FIG. 3 and a push-pull type shown in FIG. The bias spring type actuator shown in FIG. 13 includes a skeleton 21, a shape memory coil 22 that stores a required shape in advance and is attached to the skeleton 21, and a power supply device 23 that is a heating means for the shape memory coil 22. , A normal spring 24 as a biasing means for biasing the shape memory coil 23 to a shape different from the shape stored in advance. On the other hand, the push-pull type actuator shown in FIG. 14 has a skeleton 25, a shape memory coil 26 that stores a required shape in advance and is attached to the skeleton 25, and a power supply device that is a heating means for the shape memory coil 26. Two
7, a shape memory coil 28 as biasing means for urging the shape memory coil 27 to a shape different from the shape stored in advance, and a power supply device 29 as heating means for the shape memory coil 28.

That is, in each of the above types of actuators, the skeleton means a main body structural member of the actuator, and is the main part of the actuator from which the shape memory material, the heating means, the cooling means and the bias means are removed.

The shape memory material attached to the skeleton has various shapes such as a linear shape, a coil shape, a plurality of fine wire aggregate fiber shape, and a thin plate shape.

Heating is raising to a temperature higher than the transformation point, and cooling is lowering to a temperature lower than the transformation point. The heating / cooling thermal cycle speed governs the operating speed of the actuator, and the heating / cooling means is selected in accordance with the requirements coming from the operating speed. Usually, heating means include heating by energization, laser beam, radiant heat, hot drainage, etc., and cooling means include natural cooling by air and water, forced cooling, refrigerant gas, heat of vaporization, heat sink. , Cooling due to thermoelectric effect and the like. For heating / cooling timing,
Feedback control via a computer using a position detection sensor and a servo mechanism for the shape change of the shape memory material is desirable.

As the biasing means, a coil-shaped or other shaped spring is usually used, or a shape memory material may be used. We used the following method as a rotary rapid solidification method to obtain a Ti-Ni-Cu thin plate. Ti having the composition shown in Table 1 obtained by arc melting a TiNiCu ingot material in an Ar atmosphere using the rotary rapid solidification apparatus shown in FIG.
The molten Ni-Cu alloy is directly sprayed onto the rotating copper roll 3 from the quartz nozzle 2 around which the sample induction heating coil 1 is wound in a high-purity Ar atmosphere, and is rapidly cooled and solidified in the molten metal contact portion 4. To obtain rapidly solidified ribbon 5. At that time, the cooling speed was set to 1 × 10 ² to 1 × 10 ⁶ ° C./sec, the roll speed was set to 1 to 40 m / sec, and the cooling copper roll (diameter = 200 mm) rotation speed was set to 100 to 4000 rpm. The dimensions of the obtained Ti-Ni-Cu-based shape memory alloy ribbon are 0.03 to 0.6 mm in plate thickness and 2.0 m in width.
m and the length was 200 mm. The properties shown in Table 2 were evaluated for the alloy ribbon.

Here, the cooling rate is 10 ⁵ to 10 ⁶ ° C / se
However, the optimum cooling rate is generally 1.0 × 1 in consideration of wire rods other than thin plates, powder particles, and other alloy systems.
It is set to a metallographic structure formation range having a crystal structure of 0 ^{2 to} 1.0 × 10 ⁶ ° C / sec.

[0028]

[Table 1] (Alloy chemical composition)

[0029]

[Table 2] (Evaluation characteristics and evaluation conditions or evaluation methods)

The evaluation results of the above various characteristics are shown in FIGS.

FIG. 3 shows a transformation strain-temperature hysteresis curve when the load stress is changed. The hysteresis curve of the quenched material is stable with respect to the increase in stress as shown in the figure, and the hysteresis loop of the Ti—Ni—Cu-based shape memory alloy of the embodiment is narrow and sharp as compared with the hysteresis loop of the melt-processed material. Also, the transformation temperature difference ΔT is kept small, and it can be said that the stability of the characteristics and functions against external load stress is high.

Next, FIGS. 4 to 6 show hysteresis loop, thermal energy conversion / recovery performance and ΔT change when the Cu addition amount of the Ti—Ni—Cu type shape memory alloy is changed to 0 to 20 at%. The evaluation results of are shown.

In FIG. 6, the heat energy recovery performance (performance in a natural heat energy release system) parameter μ is expressed by the equation (1). μ = σ · ε / 2 (1) σ: applied stress ε: transformation strain width (here, reverse transformation process, As to A
defined between f)

Further, the heat energy conversion performance (performance in which heat is introduced from the outside to extract mechanical energy in a closed system) parameter η in FIG. 6 is defined by equation (2). η = (σ · ε) / Δq ··· (2) Δq: Heat absorbed per unit mass during transformation (DSC
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the transformation strain Δε is Cu 5%.
, The transformation temperature difference ΔT was 10 ° C. or less when Cu was 10 at% or more, and the minimum value was 6 ° C. when Cu was 15 to 17 at%.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the heat energy recovery performance parameter μ becomes maximum at around Cu 5%,
On the other hand, the heat energy conversion performance parameter η is Cu13a.
It shows the maximum value around t%, and is 2 to 3 times as large as that of the melt-processed material indicated by ○ in the lower part of the figure at Cu = 0.10 at%, and further in a narrow chemical composition region near Cu = 13 at%. A significant improvement of up to 5 to 6 times is recognized.
Therefore, it can be said that the hatched portion in FIG. 6 is the characteristic superior region of the rapidly solidified material of the embodiment of the present invention. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, each transformation point is 313K at around Cu 13%.
And the lowest. From this data, Ti (50 ± y, y
≤ ± 2 at%)-Ni (50-y-x) -Cu (xat
%)-Based alloy for adjusting the y component or the fourth element (Co, F
If the transformation point can be adjusted to a low temperature level below room temperature by the addition effect of e), it becomes possible to construct a thermomechanical energy conversion actuator that can be driven at a temperature difference near room temperature.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a Ti—Ni-based shape memory alloy and a Ti—Ni— alloy as an example of a rapidly solidified shape memory alloy.
The fatigue deterioration resistance of the Cu-based shape memory alloy is shown in comparison with the melt-processed material. In FIG. 7, ΔD _N represents the shape memory transformation strain width in the Nth heat cycle, and ΔD ₁ represents the shape memory transformation strain width in the _first heat cycle. N is the number of thermal cycles, Nf is the number of thermal cycles required for fracture, and N /
Nf represents a fatigue life ratio. In FIG. 8, L ₀ indicates the initial reference length, U indicates the elongation amount, and U / L ₀ indicates the elongation strain amount. As shown in FIG. 7, in the rapidly solidified Ti-Ni-Cu-based shape memory alloy, the deterioration of transformation strain ΔD _N / ΔD ₁ is maintained at about 1.0, while the melt-processed material is gradually changed. Increase to. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the rapidly solidified Ti-Ni-based shape memory alloy and the rapidly solidified Ti-Ni are used.
In the Cu-based shape memory alloy, almost no repeated elongation deterioration U / L ₀ is observed, whereas the melt-processed material also shows remarkable repeated elongation deterioration.

FIG. 9 shows the polarization curve of the Ti—Ni—Cu type shape memory alloy of this example measured in hydrochloric acid (1N / HCl). As shown in the figure, even if the lowest point of each bending curve, that is, the so-called natural electrode potential level is compared, the corrosion resistance can be greatly improved by 100 times to 10,000 times compared with the conventional melt processed material. I understand.

FIG. 15 shows a solar light tracking device as an application example of the thermomechanical energy conversion type actuator of the present invention. Expectations are high for the use of solar energy in developing countries with abundant solar radiation and undeveloped electric power systems.
It is desirable that the solar tracking device to be introduced to developing countries be operated simply by placing it on the ground, can be easily produced locally, and can be assembled and repaired only with a spanner or a driver. The solar light tracking device shown in FIG. 15 can meet such a request. As shown in FIG. 15, this solar tracking device comprises a rotating main collector 31 and a sensor collector group 32 fixed in different directions. A quench solidification shape memory alloy coil 33 (a) (b) is provided on the focal line of each sensor collector 32 (a) (b), and the quench solidification shape memory alloy coil 33 (a) (b) is provided.
A tension wire 36 wound around the drum of the drive shaft 34 is tied to one end of the. According to the solar light tracking device having such a configuration, when one of the sensor collectors 32 (a) collects light, the rapidly solidified shape memory alloy coil 33 (a) rises in temperature and contracts into a tightly wound coil shape stored in advance. The tension wire 36 is pulled by the driving force by this, the drive shaft 34 is rotated, and the main collector 31 is directed to the direction of sunlight. At this time, the other coil 33 (b) that has been focused earlier is stretched via the slider mechanism 37 and returns to the state of standby for focusing. In the above solar tracking device, the rapidly solidified shape memory coil 33 has extremely good thermomechanical energy conversion characteristics and generates a high driving force even at a low temperature difference, so that the light collection efficiency is extremely high, and the fatigue deterioration resistance and corrosion resistance are high. Good and semi-permanent automated driving can be expected.

16 and 17 show an embodiment in which the shape memory alloy element of the present invention is applied to a greenhouse window automatic switch. As shown in the figure, an opening / closing window 41 is attached to the window frame 40,
An automatic switch 42 is attached to the opening / closing window 41. This automatic switch 42 is a shape memory alloy coil spring 43.
When the room temperature rises, the shape memory alloy coil spring 43 expands to open the opening / closing window 41, and conversely, when the room temperature falls, the shape memory alloy coil spring 43.
Contract and the opening / closing window 41 closes. Further, by adjusting the strength of the bias spring 44 attached to the upper portion of the shape memory alloy coil spring 43 with a nut, the opening / closing window 4
The switching temperature of 1 is finely adjusted.

There is also a so-called soft artificial muscle type actuator in which a skeleton and a shape memory material are integrated.

[0039]

As described above, according to the thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator of the present invention, as the shape memory material, the shape memory material obtained by quenching and solidifying the alloy-based molten metal exhibiting the shape memory phenomenon is used. Therefore, such a rapidly solidified shape memory material has a narrower transformation temperature range and is more sensitive to temperature changes than a melt-processed material, has a rapid transformation strain expansion / contraction function, and has a transformation strain also higher than that of a normal melt-processed material. Since it is large, the performance of converting the absorbed heat per unit volume into mechanical work as an actuator is improved, the heat energy recovery performance from the low temperature difference heat resource medium is good, and it is extremely excellent that it can contribute to energy saving. The effect is played. Further, since the functional deterioration (memory blur) due to repeated use is greatly reduced, the thermomechanical energy conversion type actuator of the present invention can perform maintenance-free semi-permanent operation. In addition, since the shape memory material itself has extremely high corrosion resistance, the thermomechanical energy conversion type actuator of the present invention can be used for a long period of time in an extremely strong acidic / alkaline extreme environment, for example, in a nuclear reactor facility or an outdoor unit. Improves safety and reliability when applied to equipment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a rapid solidification apparatus used to obtain a rapidly solidified shape memory alloy applied to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing changes in the metal structure of the shape-memory alloy melt with changes in the quenching rate.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a shape memory transformation strain-temperature hysteresis curve of a rapidly solidified material applied to the present invention and a conventional melting / working material under each load stress.

FIG. 4 is a rapid solidification Ti—Ni— applied to the present invention.
It is a figure which shows the change of a shape memory transformation strain-temperature hysteresis curve when changing the addition amount of Cu about Cu type shape memory alloy.

FIG. 5 is a rapid solidification Ti—Ni— applied to the present invention.
It is a figure which shows the change of shape memory transformation temperature when changing the addition amount of Cu about Cu type shape memory alloy.

FIG. 6 is a Ti—Ni—Cu-based shape memory alloy as an example of a rapidly solidified shape memory alloy applied to the present invention, in which the heat energy recovery performance μ and heat when the amount of Cu added is changed to 0 to 20%. It is a figure which shows synthetically the change of energy conversion performance (eta) and transformation temperature difference (DELTA) T.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the degree of deterioration of the shape memory effect with repeated use (thermal fatigue) in comparison with the rapidly solidified material applied to the present invention and the melting / processing material of the comparative example.

FIG. 8 is another diagram showing the degree of deterioration of the shape memory effect with repeated use (thermal fatigue) in comparison with the rapidly solidified material applied to the present invention and the melting / processing material of the comparative example.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a polarization curve of a Ti—Ni—Cu-based shape memory alloy applied to the present invention in hydrochloric acid (1N / HCl).

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing the basic structure of the thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator, in which (a) is a non-operating state,
(B) is a figure which shows an operating state.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing the basic structure of the thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator, in which (a) is a non-operating state and (b) is an operating state.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the action and characteristics of the thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator of the present invention in comparison with a conventional thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of a bias spring type thermal-mechanical energy conversion type actuator.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of a push-pull type heat / mechanical energy conversion type actuator.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a solar light tracking device as an application example of the thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a front view of a greenhouse window automatic switch as an example to which the shape memory alloy element of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view of a greenhouse window automatic switch as an example to which the shape memory alloy element of the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Sample induction heating coil 2 Quartz nozzle 3 Rotating Cu roll 4 Molten metal contact part 5 Rapid solidification ribbon

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takahisa Ogawa 2-5-14 Minamisuna, Koto-ku, Tokyo Inside the Takenaka Corporation Technical Research Institute (72) Inventor Ken Masumoto 3-chome Uesugi, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture 8-22

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A skeleton, and a shape memory material capable of storing a required shape in advance and attached to the skeleton,
A thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator having heating means for the shape memory material, cooling means for the shape memory material, and bias means for urging the shape memory material to a shape different from a shape stored in advance, A thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator characterized by using, as the shape memory material, a shape memory material obtained by rapidly cooling and solidifying an alloy-based molten metal exhibiting a shape memory phenomenon. 2. A cooling rate of 10 ² to 10 ⁶ ° C./when rapidly solidifying the alloy-based molten metal exhibiting the shape memory phenomenon
The thermomechanical energy conversion type actuator according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is sec. 3. A skeleton, and a shape memory material capable of storing a desired shape in advance and attached to the skeleton,
A thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator having heating means for the shape memory material, cooling means for the shape memory material, and bias means for urging the shape memory material to a shape different from a shape stored in advance, A thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator, characterized in that, as a shape memory material, a Ti-Ni-based shape memory alloy obtained by rapidly solidifying a molten Ti-Ni-based alloy is used. 4. A skeleton, and a shape memory material which is capable of storing a desired shape in advance and is attached to the skeleton,
A thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator having heating means for the shape memory material, cooling means for the shape memory material, and bias means for urging the shape memory material to a shape different from a shape stored in advance, As a shape memory material, Ti (50 ± y, y ≦ ±
2 at%)-Ni (50-y-x) -Cu (xat%)
Ti-Ni-Cu obtained by rapidly solidifying molten alloys
A thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator characterized by using a system shape memory alloy. 5. The rotating roll speed, that is, the cooling speed is set to 1 to 50 m / sec when the alloy-based molten metal having a shape memory phenomenon is rapidly solidified by the rotating roll method.
Alternatively, the thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator according to claim 3 or 4. 6. The thermomechanical energy conversion type actuator according to claim 4, wherein the content x of Cu is 0 <x ≦ 20 at%. 7. The Cu content x is 11.0 to 16.0a.
The thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator according to claim 4, which is t%. 8. The Cu content x is 3.0 to 7.0 at%.
The thermo-mechanical energy conversion type actuator according to claim 4.