Could the key to new engineering breakthroughs lie in a metal’s ability to respond, recover, and adapt?
This article features Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) and its growing potential to reshape how engineering professionals approach structural design, robotics, and other advanced engineering applications.
Ageing infrastructure has been a growing concern for decades. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its 2019 Good Governance for Critical Infrastructure Resilience report, ageing assets and insufficient investment in maintenance can increase infrastructure vulnerabilities. This highlights the need for long-term planning to keep essential systems reliable.
This extends across different types of infrastructure, including transport networks, water systems, and public utilities. In the United States, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) reported in its 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure that 6.8% of the country’s 623,218 bridges were in poor condition as of 2024. While bridges are only one part of the wider infrastructure network, their condition illustrates the need for ongoing assessment and structural strengthening. Australia faces similar pressures in maintaining its existing infrastructure.
According to the Australian Local Government Association’s 2024 National State of the Assets Report, 8% of local government infrastructure assets were in poor condition, with significant defects requiring intervention and repair. These assets span essential community infrastructure, including roads, bridges, stormwater systems, and public facilities.
For engineering professionals, the challenge is to determine whether replacement is the most suitable option. This has eventually led researchers to explore alternative reinforcement materials, including Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), which could offer another way to strengthen existing structures without replacing them entirely.
According to a January 2026 comprehensive overview of Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), the material exhibits properties that allow them to recover their original shape under certain conditions. These include shape memory effect recovery through heating and superelasticity recovery after the removal of an applied load. These properties of SMAs are attracting interest across several engineering disciplines, from structural reinforcement and vibration control to robotics and precision actuation.
For engineering students and professionals, understanding SMAs also provides insight into how emerging materials could influence future approaches not just in structural design and retrofitting, but also in mechanical and robotics. Research into SMAs has focused on several areas of engineering, including:
A January 2026 study on Seismic Resilience of RC structures with SMAs analyzed more than 100 experimental studies on using SMA bars in reinforced concrete, particularly in bridge piers and beam-column joints to help structures return closer to their original positions after earthquakes. This could reduce permanent deformation and post-repair requirements.
Researchers are testing SMA wires in vibration-control devices. As the wires deform and recover, they absorb energy that would otherwise contribute to structural movement. These SMA devices could help reduce vibrations in structures exposed to dynamic loads, such as wind or moving traffic on bridges.
According to a January 2026 study on Adaptive Nickel-Titanium SMAs for Smart Systems, Nickel-titanium (NiTi), commonly known as Nitinol, is one type of SMA studied for its shape-recovery and super elastic properties. Researchers examined how its surface treatment and manufacturing affect corrosion resistance that determines how well this type of SMAs can withstand exposure to moisture, which is important for aerospace actuators and biomedical implants exposed to demanding operating conditions.
Researchers are also exploring SMA wires as compact actuators that contract when heated and return to their original shape as they cool. This can allow robotic grippers to open and close without bulky motors, making SMAs useful for developing lightweight robotic systems where space and weight are often limited.
Understanding advanced materials such as SMAs requires knowledge of advanced material science, thermodynamics, and mechanical behavior to assess how they respond to heat, stress, and changing operating conditions. Developing this level of expertise requires engineering education that combines strong theoretical foundations with work integrated learning applications. Through its engineering courses and technical webinars, such as the Shape Memory Alloys for Civil Structures: Applications, Innovations, and Future Prospects, the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) supports learners in building specialized knowledge relevant to emerging materials and their potential applications in engineering practice.
References
A Comprehensive Overview of Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs)
Good Governance for Critical Infrastructure Resilience | OECD
A Comprehensive Assessment of America’s Infrastructure
This article was published November 11th, 2026 and the content is current as at the date of publication.
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