Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
In this work, we present simulations of the thermo-magneto-mechanical performance of a ferromagnetic SMA microactuator in the inhomogeneous field of a CoSm permanent magnet and compare it with experimental results. For the simulations, a combination of different finite element (FEM) programs is used allowing the coupling of electrical, thermal, magnetic and mechanical properties. The field of a permanent magnet is calculated along the trajectory of the microactuator, from which the magnetic forces Fmag and their gradients are derived. Shape memory forces FSME are calculated based on a two-phase macromodel. Both forces, Fmag and FSME, determine the quasi-static behavior of a NiMnGa microscanner, which has been proposed recently.