Unified formulation for a family of advanced finite elements for smart multilayered plates

Families of layer-wise and equivalent single-layer advanced finite elements for the analysis of smart multilayered plates are formulated in a unified framework. The proposed modeling strategy reduces the multifield problem to an effective mechanical plate by the condensation of the electromechanical state into the plate kinematics, which is assumed as a variable order expansion along the plate thickness. Carrera Unified Formulation is invoked to derive the elemental stiffness and mass matrices and the mechanical and magneto-electric equivalent forces. The obtained smart plate finite element equations involves kinematical variables only and this extends the tools developed for multilayered composite plates to smart laminates. Results for simply-supported magneto-electro-elastic multilayered square plates are presented to validate the proposed modeling approach and finite elements and to investigate their features.