2010 Volume 4 Issue 6 Pages 652-657
Magnetostrictive materials have been widely used in sensors, actuators and transducers for decades. However, their applications are limited by the nonlinear response to both the prestress and the environment temperature. In that case, systematical study on magneto-thermo-mechanical behaviors of magnetostrictive materials is needed. In this paper, a new magneto-thermo-mechanical experimental apparatus is developed by adding circulating oil bath system to our magneto-mechanical device. Magnetization and magnetostriction processes of Terfenol-D under different temperatures and prestresses are investigated. Strong magneto-thermo-mechanical coupling of giant magnetostrictive materials is shown and discussed. Magnetization process is depressed with the increase of both prestress and temperature, while low-field magnetization and magnetostriction are not sensitive to temperature. The results are of importance to theoretical analysis and industrial applications.
