Lord Rayleigh's identity, based on a multipole expansion is extended t
o analyze the mechanical properties of induced electrorheological soli
d. Evaluation of the effective dielectric constant is emphasized. The
dependence of the shear stress tau on the shear strain theta and the s
hear modulus G for the structure of electrorheological solids are pres
ented. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.