Image analysis of the microstructure of pseudo-1-3magnetostrictive composites

摘要

Previous studies did by some scholars proved applying a magnetic field during the manufacture processof polymer-bonded Terfenol-D could orient the magnetic easy direction of the particles along the fielddirection and form a pseudo-1-3 structure. Compared to the 0-3 composites composed of Terfenol-Dparticles dispersed randomly in a polymer matrix, pseudo-1-3 magnetostrictive composites presentmuch larger magnetostrictive performance. In this paper, magnetostrictive composites based onTerfenol-D particles in an unsaturated polyester resin matrix were fabricated under different magneticfields. Magentostriction was tested and compared to get the detail effects of orientation fields onmagnetostrictive properties of magnetostrictive composites. Scanning electron microscopy was used toobserve their microstructures. Image analysis was applied to describe the microstructures. Thedistribution of the angles between the major axis of the particles and the magnetic field direction wasused to evaluate the arrangement of particles in the matrix quantitatively. The results confirm particlechain-like structures in composites prepared under larger magnetic field, and show that particlearrangement changes with the strength of the orientation field, which is result in the changes ofmagnetostrictive performance.