Energy Harvesting Tests With Galfenol at Variable Magneto-Mechanical Conditions

Abstract—This paper deals with the experimental characterization of Galfenol (iron-gallium alloy) and its energy harvesting capabilities. Two rods are considered, one with a stress annealing treatment. The impact on the harvesting performance of magnetic bias, mechanical prestress and termination resistor are considered. Moreover, the performed measurements allow to verify an important feature of the energy conversion of this magneto-mechanical material: the energy harvested loops, in the B–H plane, are confined within the magnetic characteristics at the extrema of the applied stress. This suggests the significance of the static characteristics in the energy conversion process.