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smart materials |
Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.03 sec. |
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smart materials [‚smärt mə′tir·ē·əlz] (materials) Materials that can significantly change their mechanical properties (such as shape, stiffness, and viscosity), or their thermal, optical, or electromagnetic properties, in a predictable or controllable manner in response to their environment. Materials that perform sensing and actuating functions, including piezoelectrics, electrostrictors, magnetostrictors, and shape-memory alloys. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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| Smart materials represent a "technology push" as they represent enabling technologies, opening up possibilities and new markets. This can take many forms: smart materials, remote sensing, computer-aided manufacture, and robotics to name but a few such ways of exploring this area. These possibilities arise largely from the use of so-called smart materials, a broad range of substances that can shorten, elongate, flex, and otherwise respond mechanically to electricity, heat, light, or magnetic fields (SN: 11/22/97, p. |
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