A finite element analysis of a new design of a biomimetic shape memory alloy artificial muscle

In this work, a novel artificial circular muscle based on shape memory alloy (S.M.A.) is proposed. The design is inspired from the natural circular muscles found in certain organs of the human body such as the small intestine. The heating of the prestrained SMA artificial muscle will induce its contraction. In order to measure the mechanical work provided in this case, the muscle will be mounted on a silicone rubber cylindrical tube prior to heating. After cooling, the reaction of the rubber tube will involve the return of the muscle to its prestrained state. A finite element model of the new SMA artificial muscle was built using the software "ABAQUS". The SMA thermomechanical behavior law was implemented using the user subroutine "UMAT". The numerical results of the finite element analysis of the SMA muscle are presented to shown that the proposed design is able to mimic the behavior of a natural circular muscle.