engineerguy - 2018-10-25
Bill demonstrates the temperature-dependent shape memory of nitinol metal. He explains how "twinning" in the crystal structure of nitinol produces the memory effect. He shows a nitinol-based engine that is powered by temperature differences. He closes the video with a description of superelasticity, a phenomenon related to the memory effect, which he demonstrates with a cardiac stent. (This video is dedicated to my second son: born right after the rough draft was finished, and who, thus, delayed the filming of the final video by eight months.)
One of the most consistently excellent channels on YouTube
about the consistency...
@Mx. Giraffe ?
@Casual Bird his upload schedule is quite whack is what hes trying to say i think
“Whack” is an apt description
YAY! The Nitinol fad is making a comeback! I had engineering samples in the early 80's- such an interesting material! Maybe we can find more uses for it this time around.
It's history is even more interesting....
Another excellent video depicting the amazing powers of years and years of accumulated knowledge refined, repurposed, and reforged to make human lives better! Can't say enough good things, Bill! Had me glued to the screen every step of the way! Looking forward to the next installment in your video series!
Funny. When was young I had such a difficult time learning due to "focusing issues", but as an adult I'm locked in and understand perfectly and immediately. Thank you for the crystal clear explanations in your video! A new fan in Seattle!
A nitinol demonstration was what made me want to go into the materials side of chem E when I first started undergrad. Still just as fascinating! Thanks Engineer Guy!
So that's how cardiac stents retain their shape! Thank you for this!
As I sit here 'hosting' three of them, I'm pretty grateful - eight years & counting - Nitinol eh? One for the pub quiz : )
Lod dude Good for you and the scientists that worked all this out from the metallurgists to the physicians and all of our loved ones even if it only me, lol.
Cheers from John, Australia.
It is uncommon for cardiac (coronary) stent to be made of nitinol. It is not necessary due to 316L and L605 alloy, which are more affordable than nitinol, being good enough to withstand the pulsatile strain in the coronary artery. Nitinol stent however is commonly used in areas with high strain or tortuous section like femoral artery, or if removal is desired like in IVC filter.
Source: I work in the industry
Stephen Abracadabra beat me to it. Most of our coronary stents are cobalt alloy. We do however implant an aortic porcine tissue valve which has a reticulated Nitinol frame and is delivered transcatheter like a coronary stent. Slightly larger catheter though (16F)
Got in a car crash and had a heart attack when crashing? Save your life and your car!
Car gets dumped in hot water and boom its fixed!
Heart attack boom cardiac stent
Hey Bill, I would love a video on how a Compressor works. It seems like there are a couple different ways they work and I think I've got the concept but it would still be cool to see one of your videos on the topic and I'm sure everyone else would enjoy it as well.
we used nitinol as an actuator in a miniature microscope. We tried to use its resistance as an indicator of position but found the effect was asymmetric depending on whether we were heating or cooling. We ended up adding an external sensor which bulked the system up a bit but it was still the smallest actuator going. BTW, attaching nitinol to things can be quite tricky
Thank you Bill... this is such an impressive and really fantastic demonstration and explanation of what SMAs are and how SMAs and their subset of superelastic alloys are differentiated, I am going to show it to non-engineering and non-scientific types simply to educate them on the existence of this class of materials. They will be astounded. I just subscribed to the channel, by the way.
Bill, your delivery is incredible. Thanks for these contributions to youtube.. amazing stuff!
What I love about engineering is that it doesn’t matter what the scientific discipline is. If it can be useful to an engineer it’s worth learning about.
Years ago, nitinol eyeglass frames in really cold winter air lose rigidity. They almost became floppy. A bit awkward when you'd like them to stay on your face.
I've had two Nitinol eyeglass frames snap in the middle of the bridge while just taking them off. It seems that it gets brittle over time with constant flexing. Cool stuff, but I'm not buying any more frames made of it.
All of my frames for the last 20-ish years have been 'Flexon' brand nitinol. I had only one pair break and that was at the bridge while I was demonstrating how cool they were, lol. I think they didn't do so well on twisting but fine on bending. But at this point I think only the arms are made of nitinol.
@snaplash Why would Nitinol be a selling point for a frame? I really don't see the reason.
@Hard Case As said in the video, they are pretty resistant towards compression and bending, so if you were ever to unknowingly sit on your glasses, or step on it, the frames would not be damaged. It has its merits, but conventional frames are better if you ask me.
@Fornestea I bet that using any alloyed spring steel would also be very resistant to deformation. Using Nitinol just doesn't seem like a practical investment.
Stents are inserted through (usually, AFAIK) the femoral artery. It's also being tested for some lung diseases. This is a great gadget! Very interesting material!
Engineerguy!
I cannot truly express in a comment how happy I am to see a new video of yours. It is somewhat based on the fact that it's coincided with a somewhat turbulent time in my life, but the largest factor in it is that your videos induce a great feeling of happiness and comfort.
Thank you.
The cool thing about these materials is how you can tailor the composition to work in different environments and activate at different temperatures by adding different elements to the material. For example, NiTiFe is cryogenic and transforms at around -150C while NiTiPtPd is high temperature and transforms at around 450C
You deserve much more views. Your "simplistic" way of explaining the nature of our universe is the best there is in any media. Great videos from the beginning. Keep it up! Wish you all the best!
Always a treat. Thank you Bill and production team!
Welcome back, Bill. We have missed you. I hope your family is well.
Deus Vult. Shhhh, if u want to keep seeing uploads.
Deus Vult. How is this perceived as a threat?
Who's Bill? Use inbox
@NublaNukes he should have listen, now there are no more uploads
I have never before seen such concise, information packed content in my life before.
This is one my top three favorite channels on YouTube. The content, presentation, and domain expertise are all excellent.
Always love seeing new videos from you- you always cover such facinating topics!
I can't get enough of your videos! Watching them makes me wonder why we never, ever had anything like this in school... We just talked about quantum physics for two years in physics class :/ Keep it up! I really enjoy your channel! :D
As an engineer, I love this video. It simplifies complicated chemistry physics and their parent thermodynamics as if it could be taught in grade school.
I never knew about that Nitinol and was pretty suprised when that spring bent itselfe back!
But even more suprising is that engineerguy doesnt seem to age...
Every year he is heated to 76C
nice
LMAO roidroid
roidroid That must mean he was conceived @~500 deg C
@Shanidar1
I suspect that was the case with most of us.
I teach this in one of my classes, but now i will recompose a bit my lecture. This is the most friendly and interesting presentation i've seen up to this moment. Thank you!
I remember reading about this as a kid! What an incredible material.
I once had a summer job making medical stents. After weaving the metal wires they were placed into an oven. I never understood why the oven was such a low temperature (less than 100 degrees), but this explains it perfectly! Because they needed to be at body temperature to keep their shape!
Thanks Bill! My materials lecturer at RMIT in Melbourne got me on to your videos. Fantastic work. Always so fascinating.
I have been wondering about nitinol for a while now. Finally a good video on it. Thanks, Professor!
Always delighted to see a video from you. Thanks again for all the great content!
You are an absolute underestimated asset to the world through your videos; Your calm and stated voice explaining in plain detail exactly what's happening for sometimes the most basic underestimated fundamentals of life cannot be understated, and I applaud you for your determination to educate the masses, I only wish you could do it more often. Is there a patreon I could donate to to help you with that?
You're amazing Bill. Glad to see you back making these great videos. Hope to watch more of you soon!
Great video!!! Always fun, informative, and above all entertaining videos Bill
Very cool. I especially liked the engine demonstration, I didn't realize such a thing was possible. Glad to see new videos coming, looking forward to the next.
You are a superlative teacher; I wish to thank you for providing a plethora of material with which I, and many many others, can enhance the mind and knowledge-base. There is certainly beauty in the science.
about time… Great, as always!
Engineer Guy!! I've just come across your channel and I cannot believe the quality of your amazing content and explanations.
Do you think this will lead to string instruments to stay in tune for ever?? Because that sounds so futuristic that I never even thought it was possible... But this technology should work right? Awesome Engineer Guy?
Anyways just a crazy new subscriber that tapped the bell and all just a few seconds into the Titanic and Olympia video!!
@Jay Em El Jay That would mean to tune it you'd heat the instrument to 500 c, which would destroy it.
75c, You weren't listening
This is the best presentation of Nitinol and how/why it works on YouTube, well-done. I would love it if you did a video on a variety of nitinol engines.
Love your work Bill. I hope you keep loving it too, and that your life allows you to keep pursuing what seems to be a passion.
Not only you teach, you make it fun.
I can’t believe I have been watching YouTube for years and never come across this channel before! This is one of those channels that I will have to go back and watch every single video. No crap getting in the way. Just clear explanation. Brilliant.
This was a wonderful video! Supremely interesting and your explanations are always fantastic! I'm glad to see you're still making videos!
So glad Bill's back! These are some of my favorite videos on YouTube.
Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the notification. Best content on Youtube! I watch the aluminium can video like twice a year!
OmegaScathach Only twice a year. Recommended viewing at least once every month. Preferably with a nice cold beverage in an aluminium can in your hand.
That one really is a pure classic! One of the few science videos I regularly come back and watch once or twice a year, along with Scishow's most deadly chemicals one, their one on the different artificial sweeteners, and the Vsauce Deja Vu video!
You have such great videos. Thank you for making them for us!
I once built a foot long, six legged robot using Nitinol wire for the muscles. It was called the "Bionic Bug" and was modelled on a cockroach. It got a lot of media attention at the time (about 25 years ago) and was featured on TV, radio and a few magazines. The lead acid battery that I used was unfortunately a little too heavy and it always dragged it's backside on the ground, but otherwise worked very well.
And just like that, the engineerguy returns. Glad to see you back, hope there's more to come!
(Maybe with some insights into historical topics too? I really enjoyed that)
Absolutely brilliant as usual! Thanks for the brilliantly presented info, you and your team are amazing.
I am so glad you're putting out more videos. I love the education you give me. You're eloquent, you're expressive, but direct. Your examples are clear and concise. As someone who has not had any formal education beyond highschool I find your videos to be inspiring to me to learn more about the mechanics of our world. Thank you so much, man.
P.S. I was a random dude who texted you and you mentioned you had a new son a couple of years ago, I really hope you and your family are doing well!
I have two sons now!
Clear and concise, as always. Thank you.
I never knew there was nickle in the alloy. I also didn't realize how long this material has been around. So happy to see another video! Missed you so much! Thank you Bill and crew!!!
You want it back?
Craig Wright - 2018-11-24
The production value of your videos is incredible. The topics are oddly satisfying. Great Job!!!!