Buckling and postbuckling of magnetoelastic flat plates carrying an electric current

The basic equations of a fully nonlinear theory of electromagnetically conducting flat plates carrying an electric current and exposed to a magnetic field of arbitrary orientation are derived. The relevant equations have been obtained by considering that both the elastic and electromagnetic media are homogeneous and isotropic. The geometrical nonlinearities are considered in the von-Ka´rma´n sense, and the soft ferromagnetic material of the plate is assumed to feature negligible hysteretic losses. Based on the electromagnetic and elastokinetic field equations, by using the standard averaging methods, the 3-D coupled problem is reduced to an equivalent 2-D one, appropriate to the theory of plates. Having in view that the elastic structures carrying an electric current are prone to buckling, by using the presently developed theory, the associated problems of buckling and postbuckling are investigated. In this context, the problem of the electrical current inducing the buckling instability of the plate, and its influence on the postbuckling behavior are analyzed. In the same context, the problem of the natural frequency–electrical current interaction of flat plates, as influenced by a magnetic field is also addressed.