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Glite Dictionary
nitinol

nitinol

1 8.7
A metal made from nickel and titanium that returns to its original shape when warmed
  • noun
  • /ˈnɪtɪnɒl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nitinol
  • Nitinol is often used in medical devices because it can return to its original shape after being deformed.
  • nitinol wire

Examples

  • Engineers are excited about nitinol because of its ability to change shape when heated.

  • I'm going to take this metal called Nitinol.

    Future by Design (2006)

  • So cool, you can see that you can easily use this nitinol to do work and lift things up, but could you use it to run some sort of an engine?

  • A popular example is the haphazardly twisted wire that spells out "Nitinol" when it's heated into its austenite phase.

    Academic text (2002)

  • At left, noise (all colors but green in fatigue-loading measurements of a nitinol structural element in a heart valve.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Alloys of nickel and titanium, named Nitinol after their primary constituents and for the Naval Ordnance Laboratory where they were discovered, can assume two shapes, depending on their crystal structure.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The unique properties of nitinol make it ideal for use in stents that need to expand inside the body.

Surface Forms

nitinol singular
nitinols plural

Etymology

The word nitinol comes from the metal names and the lab where it was found: Ni for nickel, Ti for titanium, and NOL for the Naval Ordnance Laboratory. So the name reminds you it is a nickel and titanium alloy found at a navy lab and helps you remember that this metal can 'remember' and return to its original shape.