40 Kelvin Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) Development and Alternate Forms Production

NASA’s Rover Programs are exploring the use of novel, non-pneumatic, compliant tire technology developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) known as the Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) Tire. This new compliant tire technology has shown significant advantage over previous rigid wheel constructs in terms of durability and traction performance. The SMA tire is attractive to the various rover programs because it has the potential to be compressed for stowage during transit. This characteristic, which is not possible with rigid wheel constructs, adds additional benefit by reducing the volume needed to package the rover. The revolutionary aspect of the compliant tire technology is the utilization of SMA for the tire material.