Dynamic magnetomechanical properties of Terfenol-D/epoxy pseudo 1-3 composites

Abstract

Terfenol-D/epoxy pseudo 1-3 composites were fabricated by embedding and aligning Terfenol-D particles with a size distribution of 10–300μm in a passive epoxy matrix using six Terfenol-D volume fractions (υf) ranging from 0.22 to 0.72. The dependence of the dynamic relative permeability (μr33T), elastic modulus (E3H), and dynamic strain coefficient (d33) on υf was investigated as a function of magnetic bias field (HBias). The HBias response data showed that the built-in non-180° domain states related to residual compressive stresses in the composites result in a significant decrease in μr33T for HBias<40kA∕m in addition to a minimization of E3H and a maximization of d33 near HBias=40kA∕m. The υf dependent data revealed that μr33T is almost a linear function of υf; E3H increases gradually with increasing υf; and d33 increases initially, leveling off for υf>0.5. The present study provides a useful guide to optimize the composite properties for transducer design.