Today's technology relies heavily on the use of so-called hybrid materials that allow for achieving advanced structural and functional capabilities. Future technological advancements will demand materials with multifunctional capabilities that will be expected to provide at least one additional function to their primary function or adapt their performance in accordance to changes in the operating environment. In this context, composite materials present rich possibilities for development of multifunctional and functionally adaptive structures where multifunctionality may be achieved through interaction of mechanical, electromagnetic, thermal, and other fields. The existing experimental evidence suggests that exposure of a composite material to the electromagnetic field leads to an increase in the material's strength and resistance to delamination. In particular, our preliminary studies show that application of an electric current to carbon fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites may lead to a significant increase in the maximum impact load and reduction of the impact damage.This physical phenomenon motivated us to work on the development of mathematical models describing dynamic interaction of mechanical, electromagnetic, and thermal fields in inherently heterogeneous and mechanically and electrically anisotropic composites. This interaction is essentially multiphysic and occurs at different spatial and temporal scales. The corresponding system of governing equations is essentially nonlinear and involves simultaneous solving of equations of motion, Maxwell's equations, and heat transfer equations.In this paper we study the changes in the mechanical behavior of composites due to steady, time-varying, and pulsed electromagnetic loads. The corresponding nonlinear mathematical problems within electro-thermo-elasticity are formulated and the corresponding solution procedures for anisotropic composite plates are developed. Mechanical and thermal stresses in carbon fiber polymer matrix composite plates produced by applied steady, oscillating, and pulsed electromagnetic loads are calculated.
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