Experimental verification of the direct elastomagnetic effect

The deformation induced by a magnetic field in a composite material made of permanently magnetized Sm _{2} Co _{7} micro-particles uniformly dispersed into an elastomer matrix is directly evaluated using a Fiber Bragg-Grating (FBG) sensor. This experimental measurement permits to verify the previously developed model of the direct elastomagnetic effect. The good agreement between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions gives the deffinitive validation of the model of the direct elastomagnetic effect in composites made of magnetic micro-particles inside an elastomer matrix. This feature is fundamental for the development of deformation actuators based on these materials with peculiar elastomagnetic and mechanical performances.