LAUSR

Abstract In this paper, a novel actuator in the form of a Kagome truss composed of shape memory alloy (SMA) wires and common metallic wires is described. In the actuator, the SMA wires play dual roles as load supporters and actuating elements. The intersections between the SMA wires and between the SMA wires and the common metallic wires were joined by using shrinkable tubes, which induced the kinematically compatible buckling of the columns of SMA wires under compression, consequently enabling the large actuation displacement of up to 30% of the height with some sacrifice of the load capacity. An analytic solution was derived using the elementary mechanics of buckling and geometric relation of curved column, which gave fairly good estimation of the behavior of the Kagome actuator for the deformation and actuation stages, based on the behavior of a single SMA wire. The lightness and large actuation range of this actuator appear to be useful for practical applications.