Grant: Idea to Innovation

The catastrophic damage from recent earthquakes in Christchurch and Turkey highlights the shortcomings of current building codes in providing structures that remain functional following a seismic event. A compelling solution to significantly reduce seismic damage is the use of super-elastic shape memory alloys (SMAs). These smart materials can endure large deformations and revert to their original shape, offering buildings considerable self-recentering capabilities and thus greatly reducing their seismic vulnerability. However, the direct use of SMA bars as standalone reinforcement is economically prohibitive. An effective approach is coupling the SMA bars with steel rebars; which is facing many challenges. The difficulty in machining SMAs and their inability to be welded make traditional coupling methods impractical. The proposed coupler resolves these issues, providing a simple, effective solution for connecting SMA bars to steel rebars without welding, machining, or physical alterations. It accommodates various lengths and materials, making it broadly applicable and user-friendly, enabling easy, quick installation without specialized skills. This innovative coupler not only has the potential to revolutionize the global rebar coupler market but also marks a significant advancement in earthquake resilience technology. Its cost-effectiveness and practicality overcome previous barriers in integrating SMAs into building structures. The coupler offers considerable economic, social, and environmental benefits. It results in substantial cost savings in structural repairs, enhances occupant safety, and reduces the carbon footprint associated with building repairs. With its advanced structural enhancements and recentering capabilities, this coupler is not just beneficial for Canada but also holds immense potential for high seismic risk areas globally, including California, Japan, Indonesia, Turkey, and China.