Mindlin´s elastoelectrodynamics problem

The discovery by R.D. Mendlin in 1972 of an exact solution of the three-dimensional equations of piezoelectromagnetism is discussed. It led to the prediction of electromagnetic radiation from a rotated Y-cut quartz plate vibrating in simple thickness shear. The solution resolved a contradiction that arose in connection with lateral field excitation of plates and their representation by electrical equivalent networks. Mindlin´s solution to the problem of coupled elastic and electromagnetic fields is sketched, for rotated Y-cuts of quartz, and some additional results are presented