High-speed giant magnetostrictive actuator using laminated silicon steel core

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• High-frequency eddy current loss is a key limitation in giant magnetostrictive actuator (GMA) output speed.
• Integral silicon steel cores contribute to significant eddy current losses, hindering actuator performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of a laminated silicon steel core on GMA performance.
• To determine if a laminated core can mitigate eddy current losses and improve high-frequency output.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of GMA performance with laminated vs. integral silicon steel cores.
• Analysis of magnetic reluctance and magnetic field intensity in both core types.
• Measurement of output vibration amplitude under high-frequency sinusoidal excitation current.

Main Results:

• The laminated silicon steel core reduces equivalent conductivity and eddy currents compared to an integral core.
• The laminated structure decreases magnetic reluctance and increases magnetic field intensity.
• At 35 A (rms) @ 2 kHz excitation, the laminated core GMA achieved 11.1 µm @ 4 kHz vibration amplitude, a 44.2% increase.

Conclusions:

• The laminated structure of the magnetic core is beneficial for improving the output speed of giant magnetostrictive actuators.
• Employing laminated silicon steel cores is a viable strategy to enhance GMA performance at high frequencies.