TY  - JOUR
AU  - dos Santos, Filipe Amarante 
AU  - Bedon, Chiara 
PY  - 2016
TI  - Preliminary Experimental and Finite-Element Numerical Assessment of the Structural Performance of SMA-Reinforced GFRP Systems
JF  - American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences
VL  - 9
IS  - 3
DO  - 10.3844/ajeassp.2016.692.701
UR  - https://thescipub.com/abstract/ajeassp.2016.692.701
AB  - In this study, the feasibility and potentiality of a novel design concept is explored by means of small scale experimental tests and Finite-Element numerical simulation. Taking advantage of the intrinsic potentiality of Shape-Memory Alloys wires able to work as adaptive actuators when subjected to joule heating, a 'smart-GFRP' concept consisting in Glass-Fiber-Reinforced-Polymer (GFRP) structural members with a SMA reinforcement is preliminary assessed. As shown, as far as the working temperature increases, important structural benefits can be achieved in terms of overall performance of the proposed composite systems. The potentiality of the same design concept is then further assessed by means of a practical calculation example.