Modeling shear lag and demagnetization effects in magneto-electric laminate composites

A quasistatic theoretical model including shear lag and demagnetizing effects is presented for predicting the magneto-electric (M-E) effects in an M-E laminate composite consisting of magnetostrictive and piezoelectric phases. Analytical solutions for strain distributions and effective M-E voltage coefficients α are derived. Parametric studies are presented to evaluate the influences of material properties and geometries on strain distribution and α. Analytical data indicate that shear lag and demagnetization strongly influence strain distribution, and these effects cannot be ignored in predicting α for most M-E laminate composites. Analytical results are also compared to experimental test data with excellent correlation for both strain distribution and α, i.e., less than 5% variations.