Abstract
To determine the lifespan of a system, the lifespan of all parts as well as the interaction of the parts as a system must be known. Accordingly, in systems where shape memory alloy (SMA) wires are used as actuator elements, their lifespan must be determined as well. Therefore, a test bench to determine the lifespan of SMA wires is needed. Since the requirements of actuator systems differ for example in stroke, response time or force, the test bench will be designed in an as modular way as possible. This allows for testing different actuator configurations as for example single wires or wire bundles of different diameters. This work outlines the development of the test bench, discusses first measurements of a 3D printed validation setup and concludes with a summary and an outlook on the optimization steps as well as the tests to be performed.
