Analyses of magneto-electro-elastic plates using a higher order finite element model

In this paper is presented a higher-order model for static and free vibration analyses of magneto-electro-elastic plates, which allows the study of thin and thick plates. The finite element model is a single layer triangular plate/shell element with 24 degrees of freedom for the generalized mechanical displacements. Two degrees of freedom are introduced per each element layer, one corresponding to the electrical potential and the other for magnetic potential. Solutions are obtained for different laminations of the magneto-electro-elastic plate, as well as for the purely elastic plate as a special case. Results are compared with alternative models for static and free vibrations situations. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd.