Effects of electromagnetic fields on the contact of magneto-electro-elastic materials

The three-dimensional (3D) frictional contact between a magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) material and a perfectly conducting rigid spherical punch under electromagnetic fields is investigated. This multiphysical contact problem is solved by the semi-analytical method (SAM), in which the frequency response functions (FRFs) with respect to unit mechanical, electric and magnetic loads are derived and converted into influence coefficients (ICs). The proposed model is validated with both analytical solutions and the finite element method (FEM). The effects of electromagnetic fields on contact performance and electromagnetic output are studied, and two types of electric and magnetic loads are considered by applying the surface density (closed circuit) or total amount (open circuit) of electric and magnetic charges. Parametric studies are conducted, and dimensionless curve-fitting equations are proposed to predict the average electric and magnetic potentials as functions of electric and magnetic loads, which are validated for arbitrary mechanical loads and radii of spherical punches.