National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

Shape Memory Alloys

OBJECTIVE:

Through experimentation and/or demonstration, students will be introduced 

to shape memory alloys (SMAs) and how they are being tested to save energy 

usage on aircraft. This will introduce them the development and testing NASA 

is conducting, which is the use of SMAs to make aircraft more sustainable.

ACTIVITY OVERVIEW:

Students will test a piece of nitinol wire (a shape memory alloy) and immerse 

it in hot water, then compare the outcome to the effect of hot water on a more 

standard item such as a paperclip. After finding out how NASA and others are 

using shape memory alloy technology, they will then discuss or develop a way 

they could use this same technology. 

BACKGROUND:

How do you make aviation more sustainable? Some ways to do this include 

limiting drag on an aircraft when it’s not needed, reducing energy consumption, and creating more environmentally friendly fuels. 

NASA and Boeing have been collaborating on several projects to test new 

ideas that will make aviation more sustainable. For these tests they use 

Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator airplane – a large 777-200ER airliner repurposed 

to conduct aeronautics research experiments. For several years, NASA’s 

aeronautical innovators have been working to create “smart” vortex generators activated with shape-memory alloys. Testing of this new technology 

will begin on the ecoDemonstrator in late 2022. If this works well, the vortex 

generators can then be used widely in aviation. 

Image 1: The Boeing 777 ecoDemonstrator in flight.

GRADES:

K–12 *hands-on activity recommended for grades 5-12 (for lower 

grades, the activity is recommended 

as a demonstration)

MATERIALS:

(per student or group of students):

• Nitinol Wire, 1 mm, 40oC, 

approximately 3-4” in length

• Paperclip

• Large Container for water

• Hot (>40oC) Water

• Tongs or other way to safely 

place and remove samples 

from water

NOTE: Nitinol is readily available in 

a variety of diameters and require 

different temperatures to change 

shape. Wire with a diameter of 1 mm 

is easy to bend, but other sizes work 

well too. Using Nitinol that reacts at 

40oC or similar is recommended - it 

is above normal body temperature 

but cool enough to be safe for use 

with students.

TIME REQUIRED:

10 minutes per student or group 

of students.

KEY TERMS:

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)

Nitinol

FLIGHT LOG

ENDORSEMENT 

CODE

EDSMA22
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

Image 2: The ecoDemonstrator on display at AirVenture 2022.

Vortex generators are small, fin-like components on an airplane’s exterior to help improve aerodynamic performance 

by guiding airflow around it. This improved airflow can help 

an airplane be quieter and more fuel efficient. 

Image 3: A close-up image of a vortex generator

Current vortex generators are fixed in place and do not 

move. Therefore, the effect they have remains the same 

in every condition an airplane flies in. If vortex generators 

could change shape, however, an airplane’s performance 

could be tailored to a variety of flight conditions.

These next-generation vortex generators will be able to 

change shape at different altitudes, temperatures, and 

speeds to improve an airplane’s performance and help it 

adapt better in flight. 

Image 4: Vortex generators on the ecoDemonstrator in the 

extended and collapsed positions

That’s where shape-memory alloys enter the picture.

A shape-memory alloy is a metal with unique properties 

that allow it to be trained to move on its own. It can be 

stretched, bent, heated, and cooled and still return its 

original shape. This quality makes the material popular 

amongst our scientists, who are researching its use both 

on and off Earth.

Image 5: explanation of how the smart memory alloy will work on 

a vortex generator

The shape-memory alloys used in this research are created 

in a NASA laboratory by mixing specific types of metals 

together using special machinery. Once completed, 

researchers “train” the metal by forming it into a desired 

shape at a certain temperature. Each time the metal returns 

to that temperature, it also returns to that shape.

A short video demonstration of the shape memory alloy 

and the vortex generator can be seen here. 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

Activity

1. Fill the container about two-thirds full of hot water. Water from the hot 

faucet is sufficiently hot for many nitinol samples (please refer to nitinol 

sample specifications for minimum temperature needed) 

– FOR STUDENT SAFETY DO NOT USE BOILING WATER.

2. Walk students through making predictions about what changes, if any, 

they expect to see when the paperclip is placed in hot water. Have them 

record their predictions on their student worksheets.

3. Ask students to place the paperclip in the water and observe what 

changes, if any, occur. Again, have students record their observations on 

their student worksheets.

4. Students can bend (deform) the nitinol into any shape they like.

5. Based on the information about nitinol on the student worksheet, have 

students make predictions about what changes, if any, they expect 

to see when they place the deformed nitinol wire in the water. Have 

students record your predictions on the student worksheets.

6. Using tongs to place the deformed nitinol in the water and observe what 

changes, if any, occur. Have students record their observations on their 

student worksheets.

7. Students will then respond to the reflection questions.

IDEAS FOR GOING 

FURTHER

This example about how NASA is 

using existing technology to develop 

uses of their own can be taken further by asking students to research 

more about existing uses for nitinol 

and other shape memory alloys, 

then more fully developing their own 

ideas for usage. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

“Memory Metals are Sharing the 

Evolution of Aviation” 

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/

glenn/2019/memory-metals-areshaping-the-evolution-of-aviation 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

Shape Memory Alloy

STUDENT WORKSHEET

What is a shape memory alloy?

Alloys are made by combining two or more metallic elements. When different metallic elements are combined, the resulting alloy can have effects that differ from the individual metals that make it up. Nitinol, for example, is an alloy made of 

nickel and titanium that exhibits the shape memory effect. Materials that exhibit this effect can “remember” their original 

shape even after they are deformed. In the case of nitinol, if it is deformed and then heated above a certain temperature, it 

will regain its original shape. 

Data and Observations:

What changes, if any, do you think will occur when the paperclip is put in the hot water?

Record your observations after placing the paperclip in the water. You can draw or write about your observations:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

Shape Memory Alloy

STUDENT WORKSHEET CONTINUED

Carefully bend the piece of nitinol wire into a different shape, then place the wire into the hot water. Be careful when 

working with hot water! Record your observations after placing the deformed nitinol in the water.

Reflection:

1. Read through the background information about how NASA uses shape memory alloys with properties like nitinol. 

Explain why shape memory allows are well-suited to create SMART vortex generators.

2. NASA is testing shape memory alloys to help specific aircraft parts stick up on an airplane wing during takeoff and 

landing but lay flat when higher in the air. It is also used to make watch springs and even in braces for your teeth. 

Using this alloy doesn’t require electricity or other moving parts. That saves energy and can help reduce drag, which 

will also reduce fuel consumption. What are some other ways you can think of that nitinol or another shape memory 

alloy could be used?