Nonlinear modeling of ferroelectric-ferromagnetic composites based on condensed and finite element approaches (Presentation Video)

Abstract

Magnetoelectric (ME) coupling is an inherent property of only a few crystals exhibiting very low coupling coefficients at low temperatures. On the other hand, these materials are desirable due to many promising applications, e.g. as efficient data storage devices or medical or geophysical sensors. Efficient coupling of magnetic and electric fields in materials can only be achieved in composite structures. Here, ferromagnetic (FM) and ferroelectric (FE) phases are combined e.g. including FM particles in a FE matrix or embedding fibers of the one phase into a matrix of the other. The ME coupling is then accomplished indirectly via strain fields exploiting magnetostrictive and piezoelectric effects. This requires a poling of the composite, where the structure is exposed to both large magnetic and electric fields. The efficiency of ME coupling will strongly depend on the poling process. Besides the alignment of local polarization and magnetization, it is going along with cracking, also being decisive for the coupling properties. Nonlinear ferroelectric and ferromagnetic constitutive equations have been developed and implemented within the framework of a multifield, two-scale FE approach. The models are microphysically motivated, accounting for domain and Bloch wall motions. A second, so called condensed approach is presented which doesn’t require the implementation of a spatial discretisation scheme, however still considering grain interactions and residual stresses. A micromechanically motivated continuum damage model is established to simulate degradation processes. The goal of the simulation tools is to predict the different constitutive behaviors, ME coupling properties and lifetime of smart magnetoelectric devices.