Magnetostrictive Actuation of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites

Despite substantial research into smart materials and structures technology, the integration of magnetostrictive materials into fiber-reinforced polymer laminated structures to provide capabilities such as actuation has been limited to date. In this work, magnetostrictive Terfenol-D is inserted into unidirectional glass and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer laminates. The strain developed in the laminates due to the magnetostriction of the Terfenol-D was observed and found to give a maximum of 0.11% normal to the fiber direction for a 3-ply UD carbon fiber laminate with the Terfenol-D recessed within a mid-ply cut-out. This demonstrates the actuation potential of Terfenol-D within a smart structure.