Micromechanical model for the ferromagnetic shape memory alloy-epoxy resin composite considering variant reorientation and magneto-mechanical coupling

Abstract

The mechanical and magnetic properties of Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloy-Epoxy Resin (FSMA-ER) composite which is a new kind of functional composite material are investigated in this work. Based on the Mori-Tanaka method and equivalent inclusion theory of the micromechanics, a micromechanical constitutive model in the form of tensor for this new composite is established, which considers the interaction between different variants in FSMA, as well as the interaction between FSMA and epoxy resin. The mechanical and magnetic behavior of the FSMA-ER composite under complex loads can be well described by this model. Numerical results show that the FSMA-ER composite exhibits a good pseudoelastic property due to the reorientation of different variants in FSMA. Several other particular features of this new composite are also observed through the numerical results, which can content many special requirements in the actual applications. This research not only displays the particular mechanical and magnetic behavior of the FSMA-ER composite but also provides a base for the design of this kind of material.

Keywords: Epoxy resin; Ferromagnetic shape memory alloy; Magnetic field; Micromechanical constitutive model.