Analytical and FEM Modeling of a Magnetoelastic Pressductor Type Sensor

This paper deals with the modeling of the effect that winding placement has on magnetoelastic Pressductor type sensors. A review of the current reseach state of such sensors was done in the introduction. Usually the perpendicular x-shape of coils is used. From simulations it was observed that a higher sensitivity of RMS voltage change due to force can be obtained by changing the winding position. A simplified analytical model was derived that holds while the magnetizing current characteristics ensures linearity of the material behavior. The mechanical, electrical and mechanical material characteristics were measured and incorporated into a Finite Element Method (FEM) model and then compared to the mathematical model and to experimental results. Multiple sensor samples were created and their sensitivity to external tensile loading was measured using special test equipment. A good fit between FEM and experiment was observed. The reasons for the discrepancies between the analytic model and the experiments have been presented in the conclusion.