Modeling of Magnetoelectric Effects in Composite Structures by FEM–BEM Coupling

In this article, a coupling of the finite-element method (FEM) and the boundary element method (BEM) is used to model the behavior of magnetoelectric effects in composite structures. This coupling of numerical methods makes it possible not to have to consider a free space domain, and thus to use a single mesh for the magnetic, mechanical, and electrical problems. This results in a consequent reduction of the number of unknowns which is accompanied by shorter computation times compared to a classical FEM approach. A mixed magnetic vector potential and reduced magnetic scalar potential formulation is used for the magnetic problem, and classical FEM formulations are used for electrical and mechanical problems. The resulting global algebraic system is solved by a block Gauss–Seidel solver.