Modeling and experiments of a laminated magnetostrictive cantilever beam

A nonlinear modeling of magnetostrictive cantilever beam actuators is proposed by integrating an energy-based constitutive magnetostrictive model with the classical laminated beam theory in this article. The composite stiffness and the magnetic field are identified as the critical parameters which significantly influence the performance of the cantilever beam. Detailed experimental studies are carried out with different applied magnetic fields and various cantilever beam thicknesses. The experimental results verified the nonlinearity of the magnetomechanical response of the structure.