Over 60% of energy that is generated is lost as waste heat with close to 90% of this waste heat being classified as
low grade being at temperatures less than 200°C. Many technologies such as thermoelectrics have been proposed as
means for harvesting this lost thermal energy. Among them, that of SMA (shape memory alloy) heat engines appears
to be a strong candidate for converting this low grade thermal output to useful mechanical work. Unfortunately,
though proposed initially in the late 60's and the subject of significant development work in the 70's, significant
technical roadblocks have existed preventing this technology from moving from a scientific curiosity to a practical
reality. This paper/presentation provides an overview of the work performed on SMA heat engines under the US DOE
(Department of Energy) ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy) initiative. It begins with a review
of the previous art, covers the identified technical roadblocks to past advancement, presents the solution path taken to
remove these roadblocks, and describes significant breakthroughs during the project. The presentation concludes with
details of the functioning prototypes developed, which, being able to operate in air as well as fluids, dramatically
expand the operational envelop and make significant strides towards the ultimate goal of commercial viability.
The field of Smart Materials and Structures is evolving from high-end, one-of-a-kind products for medical, military and
aerospace applications to the point of viability for mainstream affordable high volume products for automotive
applications. For the automotive industry, there are significant potential benefits to be realized including reduction in
vehicle mass, added functionality and design flexibility and decrease in component size and cost. To further accelerate
the path from basic research and development to launched competitive products, General Motors (GM) has teamed with
the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan (UM) to establish a $2.9 Million Collaborative Research
Laboratory (CRL) in Smart Materials and Structures. Researchers at both GM and UM are working closely together to
create leap-frog technologies which start at conceptualization and proceed all the way through demonstration and
handoff to product teams, thereby bridging the traditional technology gap between industry and academia. In addition to
Smart Device Technology Innovation, other thrust areas in the CRL include Smart Material Maturity with a basic
research focus on overcoming material issues that form roadblocks to commercialism and Mechamatronic System
Design Methodology with an applied focus on development tools (synthesis and analysis) to aid the engineer in
application of smart materials to system engineering. This CRL is a global effort with partners across the nation and
world from GM's Global Research Network such as HRL Laboratories in California and GM's India Science Lab in
Bangalore, India. This paper provides an overview of this new CRL and gives examples of several of the projects underway.
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