Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloy

Patent Granted Magnetic shape-memory alloys (MSMAs), or ferromagnetic shape-memory alloys (FSMAs), are ferromagnetic materials which exhibit large strains under the influence of an applied magnetic field due to martensitic phase transformation. Magnetic shape-memory alloys, with near-stoichiometric Ni2MnGa being the most studied example, differ from other magnetostrictive materials, such as Terfenol-D and Galfenol, as they produce much larger strains by twinning, sometimes as large as 9%, under relatively low bias magnetic fields. The mechanism is based on the magnetic anisotropy of the material.