Exploring thermomechanical properties under shear-stress in materials-a device for measuring the torsiocaloric effect

Abstract

© 2025 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.Energy conversion materials represent a rapidly evolving field that is core to future sustainable technologies. Caloric effect materials, which convert magnetic, electrical, or mechanical stress into thermal energy, are particularly promising for their potential application in solid-state cooling. In particular, the torsiocaloric effect—where materials convert pure shear stress into thermal energy—remains relatively underexplored despite its immense technological potential. However, progress in this area has been hindered by the lack of commercial instrumentation designed to study the thermomechanical properties of materials under shear stress. In this work, we present a device capable of characterizing materials under shear stress and directly measuring the torsiocaloric effect efficiently. The system was tested using two distinct materials—a rigid polymer and a shape memory alloy—demonstrating its versatility. Our results show that the device can successfully generate torque versus angular displacement curves, conduct fatigue tests, measure adiabatic temperature change, and evaluate caloric reversibility. These outcomes highlight the device’s excellent performance and its potential to advance the research in the torsiocaloric field.

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