Variational principles of nonlinear piezothermoelastic media

Through the phenomenological approach, the nonlinear constitutive equations coupling the electro/magnetic thermoelastic media are derived. Several nonlinear variational principles for piezothermoelastic continua are presented and employed to formulate the incremental variational principles which are of important significance in practical applications such as the nonlinear finite element analysis, the buckling, postbuckling and dynamic stability analyses of piezoelectric smart structures. The work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation, the Doctoral Education Foundation and the Aerospace Foundation.