Conductive shape memory metal deployment latch hinge deployment method

摘要

A conductive hinge is made of a superelastic shape memory alloy such as nitinol (NiTi) having a large elastic strain limit for enabling the hinge to bend to a small radius during stowage for flexible return to a trained rigid hinge position by training the shape memory alloy to assume a predetermined deployed configuration when released from a stowage configuration. The hinge is trained by forging at a temperature above a training temperature. The hinge is released to deploy solar cell panels as the hinges unfold to the forged trained deployed configuration.