Finite element modeling of magnetic field sensors based on nonlinear magnetoelectric effect
Abstract
Magnetoelectric effect in composite materials results from the combination of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive effects. This paper focuses on the development of a harmonic finite element formulation for such coupled problems, taking into account the nonlinearity of magnetostrictive behavior. An application to a magnetic sensor operating under dynamic excitation is presented in order to illustrate the formulation. The enhancement of the magnetoelectric coefficient when a low amplitude harmonic field is superimposed to the static field to be measured is shown to be related to the nonlinearity of magnetic and magnetostrictive behavior.