Analysis of magnetostrictive transducers by the ATILA finite element code

New magnetostrictive rare‐earth‐iron alloys offer an attractive opportunity for the design of high‐power low‐frequency transducers [F. Claeyssen, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Suppl. 1 81, S89 (1987)]. In order to optimize the design of this particular class of transducers, a model based on a new variational principle has been derived following a classical finite element method approach. This model describes the three‐dimensional dynamic behavior of heterogeneous electrochemically coupled structures. Due to the reduced‐scalar‐potential formulation of the magnetic field, the model has been relatively easily implemented within the ATILA finite element code. In this paper, a general view of the method is given and first computation results on test structures are presented.