The Use of Multiphysics Models in the Design and Simulation of Magnetostrictive Transducers Dr. Julie Slaughter ETREMA Products, Inc Ames, IA 1
ETREMA Products, Inc. Designer and manufacturer of technology driven, high value systems based on electromagnetics. Small business Started in 1990 as a foundry for TERFENOL-D Developed engineering capability in the 90 s to grow the market Shifted to system approach in 2000 s 2
Today s Talk What is magnetostriction? Magnetostrictive devices Modeling magnetostriction Tools & how they are used Three examples of using COMSOL in various phases of a product development Design example Validation of modeling tools Diagnosis of a design flaw Future modeling efforts Summary 3
What is magnetostriction? Inherent property of ferromagnetic materials where the magnetic and mechanical domains are coupled Applied magnetic field results in a change in the mechanical state of the material (Joule) Applied stress or strain results in a change in the magnetic state of the material (Villari) Magnetostrictive materials Nickel, iron, transformer steels: strain <50 µε Iron-gallium alloys (Galfenol): strain 150-450 µε Rare earth-iron alloys (Terfenol- D): strain >1000 µε 4
Characteristics of magnetostrictive materials Nonlinear material behavior Material properties are not constant (Young s modulus, magnetic permeability) Response is highly dependent on mechanical and magnetic states Magnetic Flux Density As A Function Of Applied Stress Magnetic Flux Density (Tesla) 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0-160 -80-0.2 0 80 160-0.4-0.6-0.8-1 Magnetic Field (ka/m) Data for Terfenol-D produced by ETREMA 7.2 MPa 14.1 MPa 20.9 MPa 27.8 MPa 34.6 MPa 41.4 MPa 48.3 MPa 55.1 MPa Figure from: R.A. Kellogg, The Delta-E Effect in Terfenol-D and Its Application in a Tunable Mechanical Resonator, M.S. Thesis, 2000. p. 45 5
Linear magnetostrictive equations S B = = s H T + d H T dt + µ H t Field Variable S T B H Description Strain (m/m) Stress (Pa) Magnetic flux density (Tesla) Magnetic field (A/m) Material property s H Description Compliance matrix at constant H d, d t Magnetostrictive coefficients (δb/δt, δs/δh) µ T Magnetic permeability at constant stress 6
Magnetostrictive transducers Used in a wide array of applications and industries End application drives the device design Navy Active SONAR STARS Law enforcement Standard actuators DC to 25 khz AMS Small Engine Piston Turning 7
What is in a transducer? Magnetostrictive material Permanent magnets Coil Magnetic flux carrying components Structural components Thermal transfer components 8
Transducer design process Definition of performance requirements Basic sizing and feasibility Detailed design Design validation Tools: 1D models (equivalent circuits, equation based) Hand calculations Tools: 2D & 3D COMSOL models, single physics Tools: 2D & 3D COMSOL models, fully coupled 9
Design example Small SONAR source Broad bandwidth High SPL Compact The intent is to package it with integrated electronics Stray magnetic flux can interfere with electronics Heating/cooling of both the transducer and electronics is a concern Eventual use is in a close-packed array 10
Magnetic models DC magnetics Size permanent magnets to appropriately bias the material at the design prestress Size additional magnetic circuit components to carry the magnetic flux - avoid saturation AC magnetics Size the coil and other components to generate the alternating magnetic fields needed to produce the appropriate mechanical output Match the transducer electrical requirements with available power amplifiers Evaluate losses due to eddy currents 11
Mechanical models 12
Thermal models 13
Magnetostrictive FEA models Coupled linear magnetostrictive model Assumes a magnetically biased design Small signal analysis Coupled to a water load to calculate acoustic output 14
Model validation ETREMA Terfenol-D transducer - CU18A 18 khz nominal resonant frequency 5 um (0-pk) displacement Significant amounts of performance data exist for this transducer 100 s have been built and tested Threaded output interface Terfenol-D Flexure Housing Coil Magnets Z-axis Tail mass washer 15
Magnetic fields and displacements Magnetic fields and displacements look quite reasonable Magnetic fields are confined to the magnetic circuit Flexure and output interface have the largest deflections for the transducer 16
Comparison with actual data Phase of impedance (ohm) Absolute value of impedance (ohm) 300.0 Experiment 250.0 COMSOL 200.0 150.0 100.0 50.0 0.0 10000 15000 20000 25000 Frequency (Hz) 100.0 80.0 60.0 40.0 20.0 Experiment COMSOL 0.0 10000 15000 20000 25000-20.0 Frequency (Hz) Displacement (um) 5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 10000 15000 20000 25000 Frequency (Hz) Experiment COMSOL Models of impedance and displacement were very similar to experimental results Two main sources of error Material properties Damping 17
Design diagnosis SONAR projector Three modes of operation: omnipole, dipole, quadrupole One of the three modes, dipole, had very low acoustic output (-20 db) omni- di- quad- Head mass Driver Center mass 18
FEA models Coupled structural-acoustic models Single ring plus surrounding water No magnetostriction too time intensive to solve Revealed a problem in the design Expt FEA Perfectly Matched Layer Water Projector Expt FEA Expt FEA 19
Problem resolution FEA showed the cause of the low dipole output The design was modified to improve the response Experiments verified that the improved design operated as expected Flawed hardware Corrected hardware omni- di- quad- cardioid 20
Future modeling efforts Nonlinear fully-coupled magnetostrictive models Some models have already been developed need verification and additional material properties Transducers which are not magnetically biased Large-signal transducers which include hysteresis Aid in developing closed-loop controls for specific applications Couple thermal effects with magnetostrictive models Include temperature dependent material properties Different time scale than magnetostrictive process Computer-driven optimization of designs Optimize the amount of high-cost materials in transducers (magnetostrictive materials, permanent magnets, flux path materials, coils, etc.) Improve performance, decrease cost, improve manufacturability 21
Summary Fully coupled multiphysics simulation is a powerful tool for transducer design, evaluation, and optimization Focus was on magnetostriction but all transducer technologies have coupled multiphysics (piezoelectric, electrostatic, electromagnetic, etc.) Finite element models can be used at different stages of product development Design development Existing product evaluation Troubleshooting performance issues Resolving differences between models and experimental data is critical to continuous model improvement 22