We have proposed and demonstrated a fiber optic magnetic field sensor using a FBG (fiber bragg grating) attached on a Terfenol-D bar. The volume of Terfenol-D is changed by the applied magnetic field due to the magnetostriction effect, as a result, the grating period of FBG varies with the intensity of the magnetic field and the Bragg wavelength of FBG is shifted. The temperature sensitivity of the sensor was measured with and without the magnetic field. The temperature sensitivity of the sensor was measured to be 0.02 nm/℃. We observed that the sensitivity of the fabricated device to magnetic field intensity was decreased with the environment temperature.
The magnetoelectric characteristics on layered Ni-PZT-Ni, Co, Fe composites by epoxy bonding for magnetic field sensor were investigated in the low-frequency range. The ME coefficient of Ni-PZT-Ni, Ni-PZT-Co and Ni-PZT-Fe composites reaches a maximum of 200 mV/cm·Oe at Hdc=110 Oe, 106 mV/cm·Oe at Hdc=90 Oe and 87 mV/cm·Oe at Hdc=160 Oe, respectively. A trend of ME charateristics on Ni-PZT-Co, Ni-PZT-Fe composites was similar to that of Ni-PZT-Ni composites. The ME output voltage shows linearly proportional to ac field Hac and is about 0∼150 mV at Hac=0∼7 Oe and f=110 Hz in the typical Ni-PZT-Ni sample. The frequency shift effect due to the load resistance RL shows that the frequency range for magnetic field sensor application can be modulated with appropriate load resistance RL. This sample will allow for a low-magnetic ac field sensor in the low-frequency (near f=110 Hz).