ABSTRACT
Materials are the elements, constituents or substances of which something is composed or made. In civil structures, commonly used materials include wood, stone, bronze, steel, aluminium, concrete, composites and plastics. Magnetostrictive materials possess many advantages compared with other smart materials applied in smart structures, such as large deformation ability, quick response, high energy density, high courier temperature, high stiffness and wide operation frequency. The unique electronic, magnetic, acoustic and light properties of nanomaterials, coupled with smart materials capable of responsiveness to external stress, electric and magnetic fields, temperature and moisture, make accurate, real-time and modulated analysis possible. Modern materials science is facilitating the creation of diverse smart materials. The macroscopic mechanical behaviour of shape memory alloys (SMA) is usually modelled following either a phenomenological or micromechanical approach. Since three-dimensional models appear to be capable of capturing the typical features of SMAs, several attempts have been made to extend the one-dimensional models to three dimensions.
