JOURNAL OF THE TEXTILE INSTITUTE, vol.107, no.5, pp.547-552, 2016 (Journal Indexed in SCI)
Until recently, shape memory alloys (SMAs) were predominantly developed for applications in the biomedical and engineering industry, and only a limited number of applications in textiles are known. The biomedical success of these materials is due to their unusual properties, which make them superior to conventional materials. Among many SMAs, NiTi alloy is considered to be the best because of its superb characteristics. This study in vitro aimed to design a medical textile material that could be used around internal organs to support in case of inability of peristaltic motion. NITI alloys were embedded in textile structure to simulate the peristaltic motion. Three types of knit prototypes were produced and controlled by electronic system. Their structures and behaviors simulating smooth muscles were assessed and compared.