Closed-form solutions for the magnetoelectric coupling coefficients in fibrous composites with piezoelectric and piezomagnetic phases

This paper presents an analytical method to investigate the magnetoelectric coupling effect that is a new product property of piezoelectric-piezomagne tic intelligent composites since it is not present in each constituent. Bas ed on the eigenstrain formulation and the Mori-Tanaka theory, the magneto-e lectro-elastic Eshelby tensors and the effective material properties of the composite are obtained explicitly. Particularly when both the matrix and t he inclusions of the composite are transversely isotropic with different ma gneto-electro-elastic moduli, and shapes of inclusions are of elliptical cy linder, circular cylinder, disk, and ribbon, simple and closed-form solutio ns for the magnetoelectric coupling coefficients are acquired. The solution s are a function of the shape of inclusion, phase properties, and volume fr action of inclusions. Moreover, the derived simple expressions also show th at the magnetoelectric coupling coefficients vanish as the volume fraction of inclusions tends to zero or one. This verifies that the magnetoelectric coupling coefficients are absent in each phase of the composite. (C) 2000 E lsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.