<title>Terfenol-D elastomagnetic properties under varied operating conditions using hysteresis loop analysis</title>

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study of the effects of varied magnetic bias, AC magnetic field amplitude and frequency on the characteristics of hysteresis loops produced in a magnetostrictive transducer. The study uses a magnetostrictive transducer designed at Iowa State University that utilizes an 11.5 cm (4.54 in) long by 1.27 cm (0.5 in) diameter cylindrical Terfenol-D rod. This transducer allows controlled variation of the following operating conditions: mechanical prestress, magnitude and frequency of AC magnetic field, and magnetic bias. By performing extensive experimental tests, material property trends can be developed for use in the optimization of transducer design parameters for different applications. For the results presented, the magnetic bias, the AC magnetic field amplitude, and the frequency of excitation were independently varied while temperature, mass load and prestress were kept constant. The minor hysteresis loops of the strain versus applied magnetic field, flux density versus applied magnetic field, and magnetization versus applied magnetic field are presented and compared. Material property trends identified from the minor loops are presented for the axial strain coefficient, permeability, susceptibility, and energy losses.