Thermal and prestress effects on nonlinear magnetoelectric effect in unsymmetric composites

Prospects shown by Magneto-Electric (ME) composites for use in sensing and energy harvesting applications have encouraged experimental and theoretical characterization. This work examines the effect of the bending-extension coupling in unsymmetric composites on the ME effect. A theoretical framework has been established to determine the frequency dependent response of the structure under an applied magnetic field, giving due consideration to the nonlinearity of the ferromagnetic phase. A finite element formulation has been used to predict the resulting deformation and hence the developed electrical response. The model also analyzes the influence of mechanical pre-stress and thermal environments on the nonlinearity and hence the ME coefficient of the composite. Experiments are performed in order to validate the model and the results are in agreement. Further, the ME coefficient is optimized with respect to parameters like frequency, temperature, prestress, etc. The results indicate enhanced ME responses under tensile prestress and low operating temperatures.