Magnetic force control with composite of giant magnetostrictive and piezoelectric materials

We propose a new magnetic force control device, composed of a giant magnetostrictive material (Terfenol-D) and a piezoelectric material (PZT), for coilless magnetic force control. The device uses the inverse magnetostrictive effect, whereby the variation of magnetization of a Terfenol-D rod controlled by PZT is converted to the variation of magnetic force by a magnetic circuit. Because PZT is electrically capacitive, the method has the advantage of low power consumption and low heat generation in static operation. We have fabricated several devices with different geometrical shapes of the rods and magnetic yokes, and we describe their characteristics such as power consumption, heat generation, and response. We discuss a magnetic circuit design strategy that uses the /spl Delta/E effect in magnetostrictive materials to increase the energy conversion efficiency.