A multi-field coupled mechanical-electric-magnetic-chemical-thermal (MEMCT) theory for material systems

Abstract

A material system may have rich physical and chemical properties; it can respond to the action of multifields. This paper reports the development of a generalized constitutive theory, based on continuous thermodynamics, to describe the multifield nature and dissipative behaviors of a material system, which couples the mechanical, electric, magnetic, chemical, and thermal (MEMCT) aspects of material characteristics. This theory also deals with chemical diffusions at different time scales subjected to an electromagnetic field and subsequent chemical reactions occurring between the diffusive species and the host material, and the dynamic evolutions of charged species subjected to thermomagnetoelectric actions and related forces.Problems pertaining to a magnetoelectroelastic (MEE) body sensitive to thermal–chemical diffusions are analytically solved based on the proposed MEMCT theory. Transversely isotropic materials, which are widely encountered in MEE designs are modeled. With the assistance of the operator theory, a set of general solutions for elastic displacements, stresses, electric/magnetic potentials, electric displacements, magnetic inductions, temperature, and chemical potentials of involved species, subjected to MEMCT coupling, is derived. The presented MEMCT theory and the general solutions provide a basis for computing and simulating interfaces of complex material systems in MEMCT multifield interactions.