MEMORY WIRE USES?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any interesting ideas for using Memory Wire? I read somewhere that it can be used for turnouts - if the correct type of wire is selected.
Are there any Internet sources for such information (I cannot get back numbers of overseas modelling magazines locally over here) which show pictures and/or diagrams of ways to use the wire?
If anyone has some experience with using this odd material I would be very grateful for their help and advice.[:)]

[cacole]

I think the stuff you're looking for is a type of wire that expands when a low-voltage electrical current is passed through it, and then uses a small coil spring to pull it back when the current is turned off.

Memory Wire is used for jewelry, and is not electrically activated.

I don't remember the exact name of that wire, but I remember that several elctronics surplus companies used to sell it. Some of them even had small actuating cylinders with coil springs integrated into them, but none of them carry these items any more. The last place I ever recall seeing these things for sale was Edmond Scientific. Try their Web site and see if they still have them.

I also remember that they were touted as being suitable for model railroad use for such things as actuating semaphore signals and turnouts, but have never heard of anyone who actually used it. It was pretty expensive at the time.

[challenger3802]

Newcastle MR Society's page has a useful bit on Memory wire, complete with a picture of it in use. http://home.freeuk.net/nmrabr/mem_wire.htm

Another source is C&L Finescale (http://www.finescale.org.uk/), scroll down the page until you hit Memory Wire. there's also a link to a page with a video clip of memory wire in use.

Ian

[Anonymous]

I may be remembering this incorrectly, but I think Model Railroader did an article years ago where the author used memory wire to work crossing gates.

[cacole]

I think the product is called Muscle Wire instead of Memory Wire. There are several places that sell Muscle Wire and components, primarily for use in robots. If you just type Muscle Wire into Google, it should take you to several different sites that sell it.

[ericboone]

Memory wire, muscle wire, etc... are all the same thing. They are all nitinol. At room temperature, nitinol is very flexible. Running a current through the wire simply heats the wire until the metal changes states and becomes relatively stiff. Imagine having a regular spring coupled to a nitinol spring. Unheated, the nitinol spring is weak relative to the regular spring and the regular spring "wins". Heat the nitinol to about 50 degrees Celcius and the nitinol become the stiffer spring and "wins". That is how you can power mechanisms with nitinol. I recommend visiting http://www.robotstore.com. A more thorough explaination is at http://www.robotstore.com/download/Muscle_Wire_FAQ_V3.pdf

[Marc_Magnus]

Hello guys,

Here is an adress of a site in Belgium from Pro rail international

In fact the men behind this site is the greatest promotor of memory wires in Europe, so I think you can find some information on the address below

It's a shame that Model Railroader have reply a poor interest about this system

Here in Europe we can find "motors" with memory wires for turnout or any small moving parts

I use it myself to leveled or lowered grade crossings and even the door of a little car ferry on my layout

You will find too on the site technical information about this system and in english

Good luck

Marc

[Marc_Magnus]

sorry the address of the site is

http://users.skynet.be/pro-rail