Effect of magnetic-field orientation on dual-peak phenomenon of magnetoelectric coupling in Ni/PZT/Terfenol-D composites

Magnetoelectric (ME) effect in a Ni/PZT/Terfenol-D composite cantilever was tested under three different magnetic loading modes. The frequency-dependent ME effect and dual-peak phenomenon were observed in the experiment. The influence of orientations of magnetic fields on the dual-peak phenomenon of ME coupling was investigated. Magnetic field distribution inside the ME composite structure was simulated, which agrees well with experimental data. The experiment results indicate that ME coefficient versus bias magnetic field curve presents a novel dual-peak phenomenon near the resonant frequency, and the ME coefficient which depends upon the amplitude and orientation of magnetic field presents a nonlinear shift whether at the resonant frequency or not. In addition, the optimal angle corresponding to the largest ME coefficient for different bias fields were obtained. The proposed ME composites-based sensors can be used for detecting or harvesting magnetic signals of uncertain orientations and amplitudes in complex environments.