Electrodynamics of Materials

This book is a detailed treatment of volume and surface force-densities and mechanical stresses in electrically and/or magnetically polarized bodies. The classical approach applies equally well to the electric and/or to the magnetic case. The issue of computation of force densities in materials is still a controversial one, but it is very important in many practical applications. These include the design of electric machines and various power apparatus, permanent magnet devices, and piezo-electric actuators and sensors. By combining electrodynamic theory, continuum mechanics and classical thermodynamics, important and reliable formulas for force densities are derived and settled. In particular, the well-known controversy between the Helmholtz and the Kelvin formulas for force densities in linear fluid dielectrics is analyzed in detail in the light of existing experimental results. * Thoroughly examines the role of mechanical stress tensor in electric and magnetic polarized materials; its connection with Maxwell's stress tensor is elucidated; the classical Cauchy's argument required to introduce the mechanic stress tensor (the Cauchy cut) is modified in such a way to be applicable to polarized materials * The constitutive relationships of polarized materials are derived from those holding for unpolarized materials * Closely examines the concept of electric and magnetic field energy and its connection with the thermodynamic internal energy of matter * Considers the role of magneto-hydro-statics (MHS) as a modern comprehensive theory including both magnetostatics and hydrostatics; describes several experimental MHS devices suited to test the theory * Examines magneticmaterials from both points of view: Coulombian and Amperian * Provides several different expressions for the resultant force and moment acting upon an electronically or magnetically polarized material body, and compares the two