Nickel titanium or most popularly known as nitinol is one of the most useful alloys that are utilized for many purposes. It has a lot of essential medical applications. So, what makes it such a valuable nickel alloy? Simply because it has some unique properties that are not found in other metal alloys. It has an excellent super elasticity or pseudo elasticity and the shape memory properties. This means this unique metal can remember its original shape and shows great elasticity even when put under stress.
Nitinol Composition
Basically, nitinol is a composition of nickel and titanium and it contains these two elements at amazingly equal atomic percentages. Since nickel is an allergen to many and may have contained some carcinogenic materials, the nickel content of this alloy has become the biggest issue about its applications within the medical industry. But with proper procedure and technology, this can be prevented.
Nitinol Properties
What makes nickel titanium very unique is its great shape memory and super elasticity. It is simply amazing to know that the metal is capable of remembering its original shape and retains it once heated above its transformation-temperature. This occurs because of the unique crystal structures of the two elements composing this alloy. Its pseudo-elastic capacity makes it up to 30x more elastic than most metals.
Nitinol Availability
Nickel titanium is available in different forms such as sheets, springs, wires, and tubes. It is considered as one of the most useful metal alloys with a lot of industrial, commercial, and medical applications. It is usually the best option for applications that need great flexibility and motion requirements. However, the biggest downtime of this alloy is the fatigue failure that it shows when used in highly demanding applications. But experts are finding ways and working hard to make it more durable and define its capacity limits.
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