Constitutive Modeling of Shape Memory Fibers and Its Application

Abstract

Some segmented polyurethane polymers are known to have shape memory function, i.e., when a certain temperature is given to them, they deforms into a memorized shape from any temporary ones. In this study, polyurethane polymers with such shape memory function were spun into fibers using the conventional extrusion process to investigate the feasibility of making smart fibers and textiles with shape memory function. The performance of the spun fibers was evaluated focusing on the shape memory function using the thermo-mechanical testing. Finally an attempt was made to formulate a constitutive equation for shape memory fibers using visco-elasticity, aiming to provide an effective tool of designing smart textiles using the shape memory fibers.