Nonlinear numerical simulation of ferroelectric-ferromagnetic multifunctional composites

The theoretical background of nonlinear constitutive multifield behavior is presented. Nonlinear material models describing the ferroelectric or ferromagnetic behaviors are presented. Both physically and phenomenologically motivated constitutive models have been developed for the numerical calculation of the nonlinear magnetostrictive and ferroelectric behaviors. On this basis, the polarization in the ferroelectric and magnetization in the ferromagnetic respectively magnetostrictive phases are simulated and the resulting effects analyzed. The developed tools enable the prediction of the electromagnetomechanical properties of smart multiferroic composites and supply useful means for their optimization. Goals are to improve the efficiency of ME coupling and to reduce damage associated with the poling process. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A condensed approach to model the constitutive behavior of multiphase ferroelectric and multiferroic materials

Ferroelectric as well as ferromagnetic materials are widely used in smart structures and devices as actuators, sensors etc. Most of the developed models, describing the nonlinear behavior, are implemented within the framework of the Finite Element Method. Most investigations, however, are restricted to simple boundary value problems under uniaxial or biaxial loading and their goal is the calculation of hysteresis loops or to determine e.g. electromechanical coupling coefficients. Regarding these circumstances, the so-called condensed method (CM) is introduced to investigate the macroscopic polycrystalline ferroelectric material behavior at a macroscopic material point without any kind of discretization scheme. In the presented paper, the CM is extended towards multiphase ferroelectric material behavior. Moreover, first numerical results of a multiphase ferroelectric material at the morphotropic phase boundary are presented. (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A phenomenological constitutive model for magnetostrictive materials and ferroelectric ceramics

The contribution is concerned with a thermodynamic consistent constitutive model for magnetostrictive materials and ferroelectric ceramics. It captures the nonlinear phenomenological behavior which is described by hysteresis effects. Magnetostrictive alloys and ferroelectric ceramics belong to the multifunctional materials. In recent years these materials have become widely–used in actor and sensor applications. They characterize an inherent coupling between deformation and magnetic or electric field. Due to the similarities of the coupled differential equations a uniform approach is applied for both phenomena. The presented three–dimensional material model is thermodynamically motivated. It is based on the definition of a specific free energy function and a switching criterion. Furthermore an additive split of strain and the magnetic or electric field in a reversible and an irreversible part is suggested. The irreversible quantities serve as internal variables, which is analog to plasticity theory. A one–to–one–relation between the two internal variables provides conservation of volume for the irreversible strains. The presented material model can approximate the ferromagnetic or ferroelectric hysteresis curve and the related butterfly hysteresis. Furthermore an extended approach for ferrimagnetic behavior, which occurs in magnetostrictive materials, is presented. Some numerical simulations demonstrate the capability of the presented model. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modeling the constitutive behavior of ferroelectric,ferromagnetic and multiferroic materials by using the condensed method (CM)

Due to the multifunctional applicability, smart materials are of particular interest in the field of material modeling. Most of the developed models, describing the nonlinear behavior, are implemented within the framework of the Finite Element Method (FEM). However, most investigations are restricted to simple boundary value problems (BVP) under uniaxial loading and their goal is the calculation of hysteresis loops. Regarding this circumstance, the so-called condensed method (CM) is introduced to investigate the macroscopic polycrystalline ferroelectric material behavior at a global material point without any kind of discretization scheme. In the presented paper, the CM is extended towards ferromagnetic and multiferroic material behavior. Moreover, numerical results for a pure ferromagnetic behavior and a comparison between the magnetoelectric coupling coefficient calculated by the FEM and the CM are presented. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Computational characterization of magneto-electric composites: the role of ferroelectric pre-polarization

The interaction between electric and magnetic fields enables smart devices which can find applications in sensor technology and data storage. Materials showing magneto-electric (ME) coupling combine different ferroic characteristics. In the present contribution we focus on composites, which combine ferroelectric and ferromagnetic phases due to strain couplings, such that they generate a strain-induced ME coupling. We derive a two-scale homogenization approach for the determination of effective properties in consideration of microscopic morphologies. Furthermore, we demonstrate the strong influence of ferroelectric polarization states on the ME-coefficient by modeling the switching of remanent polarizations on the microscale. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Constitutive modeling of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric behaviors and application to multiferroic composites

In this paper, the constitutive modeling of nonlinear multifield behavior as well as the finite element implementation are presented. Nonlinear material models describing the magneto-ferroelectric or electro-ferromagnetic behaviors are presented. Both physically and phenomenologically motivated constitutive models have been developed for the numerical calculation of principally different nonlinear magnetostrictive behaviors. Further, the nonlinear ferroelectric behavior is based on a physically motivated constitutive model. On this basis, the polarization in the ferroelectric and magnetization in the ferromagnetic and magnetostrictive phases, respectively, are simulated and the resulting effects analyzed. Numerical simulations focus on the calculation of magnetoelectric coupling and on the prediction of local domain orientations going along with the poling process, thus supplying information on favorable electric-magnetic loading sequences. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

FEM-analysis of a multiferroic nanocomposite – comparison of experiment and numerical simulation

The combination of electric and magnetic materials opens new possibilities in the field of sensor technologies and data storage [1]. These magneto-electric (ME) materials have the property to change a physical ferroic quantity into another, i.e. a magnetic field can change the electric polarization and vice versa. The combination of multiple ferroic characteristics within materials is called multiferroic. Since magneto-electric single-phase materials are rare in nature and typically operate only at very low temperature, they are not favorable in technical applications. However, ME composites, consisting of ferroelectric and ferromagnetic phases, produce a strain-induced magneto-electric product property at room temperature [2]. In these composites, two different effects can be differentiated, the direct and the converse ME effect. The first one describes a polarization which is magnetically caused. In detail, a magnetic field is applied which produces a deformation of the magneto-active phase which is transferred to the electro-active phase and as a consequence this phase exhibits a polarization. Therefore, one can discover a strain-induced polarization. The second effect to observe is a magnetization caused by an electric field. In our contribution, we focus on a (1-3) composite, where cobalt ferrite nanopillars are embedded in a barium titanate matrix, see the experiments described in [3]. In the numerical simulations we compare the changes of the strain-induced inplane polarizations of the ferroelectric matrix with experimental measurements. Furthermore, we analyze the magneto-electric coupling coefficient. (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On a model of electromagnetic field propagation in ferroelectric media

The Maxwell system in an anisotropic, inhomogeneous medium with non-linear memory effect produced by a Maxwell type system for the polarization is investigated under low regularity assumptions on data and domain. The particular form of memory in the system is motivated by a model for electromagnetic wave propagation in ferromagnetic materials suggested by Greenberg, MacCamy and Coffman [J.M. Greenberg, R.C. MacCamy, C.V. Coffman, On the long-time behavior of ferroelectric systems, Phys. D 134 (1999) 362-383]. To avoid unnecessary regularity requirements the problem is approached as a system of space-time operator equation in the framework of extrapolation spaces (Sobolev lattices), a theoretical framework developed in [R. Picard, Evolution equations as space-time operator equations, Math. Anal. Appl. 173 (2) (1993) 436-458; R. Picard, Evolution equations as operator equations in lattices of Hilbert spaces, Glasnik Mat. 35 (2000) 111-136]. A solution theory for a large class of ferromagnetic materials confined to an arbitrary open set (with suitably generalized boundary conditions) is obtained.     

A Large-Deformation Phase-Field Approach for the Modeling of Magneto-Sensitive Elastomers

Magneto-sensitive materials show magneto-mechanical coupled response and are thus of increasing interest in the recent age of smart functional materials. Ferromagnetic particles suspended in an elastomeric matrix show realignment under the influence of an external applied field, in turn causing large deformations of the substrate material. The magneto-mechanical coupling in this case is governed by the magnetic properties of the inclusion and the mechancial properties of the matrix. The magnetic phenomenon in ferromagnetic materials is governed by the formation and evolution of domains on the micro scale. A better understanding of the behavior of these particles under the influence of an external applied field is required to accurately predict the behavior of such materials. In this context it is of particular importance to model the macro scopic magneto-mechanically coupled behavior based on the micro-magnetic domain evolution. The key aspect of this work is to develop a large-deformation micro-magnetic model that can accurately capture the microscopic response of such materials. Rigorous exploitation of appropriate rate-type variational principles and consequent incremental variational principles directly give us field equations including the time evolution equation of the magnetization, which acts as the order parameter in our formulation. The theory presented here is the continuation of the work presented in [1, 7] for small deformations. A summary of magneto-mechanical theories spanning over multiple scales has been presented in [4]. (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Phase field simulations on the interaction of ferroelectric domains with point defects

One of the suspected micro-mechanical mechanisms causing electric fatigue in ferroelectric materials is the hindering and blocking of domain wall movement. These blocking or pinning phenomena are thought to be due to point defects which interact with domain walls and applied external loads. A phase field model employing the spontaneous polarization as an order parameter is used to simulate the inhomogeneous material behavior. The coupled field equations are solved using the Finite Element Method. The influence of a stationary point defect on a domain wall is shown in a numerical simulation. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Molecular statics simulations of ferroelectric nanofilms

Smart materials are of great interest not only for scientific, but also for technological reasons due to ongoing miniaturization and rapid developments in manufacturing technologies of nanocomponents [1]. Therefore, simulations on the nanometer length scale are becoming more important in order to fundamentally understand and predict the complex material behavior of ferroelectric nanocomponents, such as ferroelectric nanofilms or nanowires. We apply a previously developed extended molecular statics algorithm [2] to simulate ferroelectric barium titanate nanofilms. The algorithm is able to also consider mechanical stress explicitly whereas most molecular simulations of ferroelectrics are restricted to NVT-ensembles. We simulate a stress relaxed ultra thin barium titanate film and apply compressive strain in order to investigate size effects of ferroelectric nanofilms. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Fracture toughness investigations of ferroelectric materials considering effects on macro- and micro-scale

In the present work we study toughness variation of ferroelectric materials (PZT-5H) considering different scales for different poling and loading conditions. On the macro-scale we apply an extended theory of stresses at interfaces in dielectric solids. Further, on the micro-scale, nonlinear effects are introduced by applying the small scale switching approximation. The analysis is done considering the full anisotropy and electromechanical coupling of the material. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A hybrid element formulation for electromechanical problems

The difficulty in the modeling of ferroelectric materials is the coverage of the complicated interactions between electrical and mechanical quantities on the macroscale, which are caused by switching processes on the microscale. In the present work we present an electric hybrid element formulation where the stresses and the electric fields are derived by constitutive relations as presented in [1]. Therefore the displacements, the electric potential and the electric displacements are approximated by bilinear ansatz functions. Applying a static condensation procedure we obtain a modified finite element formulation governed by the degrees of freedoms associated to the displacements and the electric potential. The anisotropic material behavior is modeled within a coordinate-invariant formulation [6] for an assumed transversely isotropic material [4]. In this context a general return algorithm is applied to compute the remanent quantities at the actual timestep. Resulting hysteresis loops for the ferroelectric ceramics are presented. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A Magneto-Mechanically Coupled Phase-Field Model at Large Deformation

The aggregate magneto-mechanical behavior of magneto-rheological elastomers (MREs) stems from the magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic inclusion and the mechanical properties of the matrix material. We propose a large deformation micro-magnetic theory, to predict the behavior and interaction of ferromagnetic particles inside an elastomeric matrix. A rate-type variational principle, with the magnetization as the order parameter is proposed. A large deformation Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation for the time evolution of the magnetization, is obtained directly from the proposed variational principle. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Formulation and Numerical Implementation of Ferroelectrics at Large Strains

In recent years, an increasing interest has been shown in functional materials such as ferroelectric polymers. For such materials, viscous effects and electric polarizations cause hysteresis phenomena accompanied with possibly large remanent strains and rotations. Ferroelectric polymers have many attractive characteristics. They are light, inexpensive, fracture tolerant, and pliable. Furthermore, they can be manufactured into almost any conceivable shape and their properties can be tailored to suit a broad range of requirements. In this work, continuous and discrete variational formulations are exploited for the treatment of the non-linear dissipative response of ferroelectric polymers under electrical loading. The point of departure is a general internal variable formulation that determines the hysteretic response of this class of materials in terms of an energy storage and a rate-dependent dissipation function. The ferroelectric constitutive assumptions, which account for specific problems arising in the geometric nonlinear setting, are discussed. With regard to the choice of the internal variables, a critical factor is the kinematic assumptions. Here, we propose the multiplicative decomposition of the local deformation gradient into reversible and remanent parts, where the latter is characterized by a metric tensor. (© 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Phase field modeling of domain evolution in ferroelectric materials in the context of size effects

Phase field modeling provides an efficient tool for the study of domain evolution in ferroelectric materials. Such models naturally introduce an inner length scale which represents the width of the interfaces between domains (domain walls). This inner length scale is of the order of a few unit cells, i.e. about 0.8 nm–2 nm. The focus of this contribution is on size effects in a) the switching behavior of ferroelectric thin films and b) the microstructure evolution in ferroelectric nanodots. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

正弦电磁场中铁磁材料数学模型

将电磁场理论与弹性力学理论相结合,建立了描述铁磁材料在正弦电磁场中的数学模型,并对该模型一类的4阶非线性偏微分方程的解进行了讨论．给出其一阶近似后得到的线性偏微分方程的解析表达式和数值计算方法．计算结果表明,本方法是有效的．     

Linear and nonlinear Finite Element modeling of coupled electro-magneto-mechanical multifield problems

In this paper we present the theoretical background and application of Finite Element algorithms for linear and nonlinear problems of multiple field coupling. They enable the prediction of the electromagnetomechanical behavior of materials and structures and supply useful tools for the optimization of multifunctional composites. First, linear three-field coupling is presented within the context of a Finite Element implementation. Then, a homogenization procedure is discussed. Finally, a micromechanical model for nonlinear ferroelectric constitutive behavior and its numerical realization are outlined. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)