Phase-field simulation of magnetoelastic couplings in ferromagnetic shape memory alloys

Ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs) possess coupled ferroelastic and ferromagnetic orderings simultaneously, making it possible to manipulate ferroelastic twins of FSMAs via a magnetic field or magnetic domains via mechanical loading. In this paper, we develop a phase-field model to simulate the formation and evolution of magnetoelastic domains in FSMAs under combined mechanical and magnetic loadings, taking into account both variant rearrangement and magnetization rotation. It is found that the large magnetic field induced strain in FSMAs results from a variant rearrangement process, yet such variant rearrangement can be blocked by a relatively large compressive stress, substantially reducing the magnetic field induced strain. Furthermore, either pseudoelastic or quasi-plastic behavior is exhibited in FSMAs subjected to varying compressive stress, depending on the strength of the constant magnetic field applied. These results agree well with experiments, and can be used to guide the design and optimization of FSMAs. (C) 2011 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.