Magnetic-Field-Controlled Twin Boundaries Motion and Giant Magneto-Mechanical Effects in Ni-Mn-Ga Shape Memory Alloy

Abstract

Recently, several research groups have reported on the observation of super-large more than 5% magneto-strain effect in some non-stoichiometric Ni-Mn-Ga alloys close to 5.78% value expected from the tetragonality aspect ratio of the martensite crystal lattice. New Ni-Mn-Ga alloys showing giant magneto-strain effect display simultaneously few interesting physical effects and new behavior for some magnetic and mechanical properties which is very different from that earlier observed in Ni-Mn-Ga showing lower magneto-strain effect. This report represents some new experimental results and the quantitative model describing large magneto-strain effect and main mechanical and magnetic properties observed in several ferromagnetic shape-memory alloys. The model application to giant magneto-strain effect recently found in some non-stoichiometric Ni-Mn-Ga alloys is discussed.