Piezoelectric plates with changing thickness

Abstract

Abstract A linear theory of electroelastic plates capable of thickness changes is presented. It is shown that, for transversely isotropic plates, the general boundary‐value problem decouples into a membrane problem and a flexure problem; in each subproblem, piezoelectric and electrostrictive effects are in order, with peculiar forms. An example is studied, where thickness changes in membrane regime are induced either by mechanical loads or by electric loads.