Patent ID: 6977017

Claim:
A shape memory alloy having a lowered martensitic transformation temperature by about 80° C. from said alloy's initial martensitic transformation temperature, said alloy comprising Copper and Zinc in the range of 62-86% of Copper and 10-28% of Zinc along with 6% of Aluminum and prepared by a process comprising the following steps of: (i) selecting an alloy comprising Copper and Zinc in the range of 62-86% of Copper and 10-28% of Zinc along with 6% of Aluminum; (ii) melting alloy composition in an induction furnace operating in air under charcoal cover followed by casting into desired shapes; (iii) homogenizing the above composition at 800° C. for a period of about two hours followed by cooling; (iv) surface machining for removing oxide scale formation; (v) analyzing the alloy composition (vi) re-heating the shaped material at about 575° C. for about three minutes; (vii) quenching said material with cold water; (viii) obtaining a fully martensitic structure; (ix) identifying the soft shape memory material with martensitic structure; and (x) recording the temperature and structure of the material.