A constitutive equation for non-linear electro-active solids

Abstract

Electro-active solids are solids that are either infused with electrorheological fluids or embedded with electrically conducting particles, the body as a whole however conducting negligible current. In this paper, we provide a mathematical framework, within the context of continuum mechanics, for the study of electro-active solids. The theory assumes that the body can be considered as a continuum, in the sense of homogenization, which is isotropic, incompressible, elastic and is capable of responding to an electric field. Appealing to standard techniques in continuum mechanics, we obtain a constitutive relation for the stresses in terms of the deformation and electric field. This is used in a study of triaxial extension, simple shear and anisotropy induced by the electric field.