A novel magnetostrictive injection actuator based on new giant magnetostrictive materials

Compliance with EU regulations for environmental protection sets new performance criteria to fuel injection technology in modern combustion engines for passenger and commercial vehicles. According to EURO-5 norm regulation the quality of the air/fuel mixture combustion depends mainly on an adequate spraying of the fuel, with as fine as possible droplets. The paper introduces the construction, validates the design, and evaluates the working conditions of a fuel injector prototype, activated by a magnetostrictive actuator. Prototype performance is analyzed both experimentally and by numerical simulation. The results are evaluated and compared, aiming to the optimization of the prototypes´ design.