Improved Magnetostrictive Pump

An improved magnetostrictively actuated pump has been developed to satisfy a need for a small, low-pressure, high-flow-rate fluid pump that contains few moving parts and can run reliably for long periods without maintenance. The pump could be used, for example, to circulate water in the portable life-support system worn by a firefighter or a chemical worker or in any setting where reliability is important and maintenance is difficult. The pump is designed primarily for water as the pumped fluid, but it could also be used with other fluids, including cryogenic ones.