Description:
souhrn:
Shape-Memory Alloys (SMAs), so-called smart materials (e.g.~NiTi, CuAlNi or NiMnGa), have many important applications in medicine (e.g. vascular or dental implants) and mechanical engineering. Therefore, they are a subject of intensive theoretical and experimental research. The first spectacular property of SMAs is the so-called shape memory effect. Roughly speaking, it means that a material deformed at low temperature recovers its original shape upon heating. The second interesting property of SMAs is pseudo-elasticity widely used in designing orthodontic wires, for instance. We will review and explain properties of SMAs, formulate a mathematical model describing the material behavior, and present results of numerical computations for particular materials.