  An analytical procedure, which couples electric, magnetic, thermal and
mechanical effects is presented for the prediction of the response of
unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites that are subjected to electric
field, applied in the fibers' direction. It is assumed that at least one of the
phases of the composite (e.g., the fibers) is electrically conductive, and that
all phases are thermally conductive. The composite is assumed to occupy a
finite, symmetric domain which is discretized into a double array of subcells.
The governing equations, with the interfacial and boundary conditions, are
satisfied in the integral sense. The externally applied field generates
electric current, which induces a magnetic field as well as temperature
increase. The mechanical deformation of the composite results from the combined
effect of the ponderomotive force, which is created by the magnetic field, and
the temperature distribution within the constituents. The purpose of the
present paper is three-fold. (a) To perform quantitative analysis of the model
for the ponderoromotive force in deformable media. (b) To present computational
strong-form treatment of the magneto-mechanical boundary-value problem in a
composite. (c) To suggest a computational apparatus for deriving the response
of a sensor/actuator excited by an applied electric field or electric field
gradient. Application is given, presenting the magnetic, thermal and mechanical
field distributions, as well as the macroscopic (global) response of a
composite, which consists, for simplicity, of two iron fibers embedded in an
epoxy matrix.
