NUMERICAL MODELING OF MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MATERIALS

An operator-differential model for magnetostrictive energy harvesting proposed in the literature is used to calculate the amount of harvested energy under some uncertainty in the Preisach density function. The uncertainty is modeled through a fuzzy set approach. In galfenol, an alloy of gallium and iron, however, the hysteresis phenomenon is present only weakly. This allows to propose a simpler, but computationally faster model without hysteresis. The new, simpler model has been identified from the measured magnetic and magnetostrictive cycles. The amount of harvested energy is of the same order in both models. Again, an uncertainty in the identified model can be considered and its impact on the amount of the harvested energy calculated.