A review of magnetostrictive iron–gallium alloys

A unique combination of low hysteresis, moderate magnetostriction at low magnetic fields, good tensile strength, machinability and recent progress in commercially viable methods of processing iron–gallium alloys make them well poised for actuator and sensing applications. This review starts with a brief historical note on the early developments of magnetostrictive materials and moves to the recent work on FeGa alloys and their useful properties. This is followed by sections addressing the challenges specific to the characterization and processing of FeGa alloys and the state of the art in modeling their actuation and sensing behavior.