Layout design optimization for magneto-electro-elastic laminate composites for maximizedenergy conversion under mechanical loading

Abstract

Magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) laminate composites with piezoelectric and piezomagneticphases can be utilized as materials providing energy conversion among magnetic, electricand mechanical energies. This work is concerned with the development of a systematicdesign method of MEE composites with maximized conversion of mechanical energy toelectric and/or magnetic energy. To predict the energy conversion phenomena,a fully coupled MEE theory is employed. A composite plate is assumed to besimply supported and is discretized into a number of laminates for analysis using asemi-analytic finite element method. Since the optimal stacking sequences forpiezoelectric/piezomagnetic phases and the optimal thickness for each phase must besimultaneously determined, we propose formulating the design problem as a topologyoptimization problem. To implement the topology optimization, two interpolationmodels, the standard SIMP (solid isotropic material with penalization) modeland the micromechanics model, are investigated. After solving benchmark testproblems, design examples dealing with multifunctional composites are considered.