Magnetic shape-memory alloys: thermomechanical modelling and analysis

A phenomenological model for the coupled thermo-electro-magneto-mechanical and phase-transformation behaviour of magnetic shape-memory alloys is advanced in small strains and eddy current approximation. The corresponding system of strongly nonlinear relations is tackled via a suitable enthalpy-like transformation. A fully implicit regularized time-discretization scheme is devised and proved to be stable and convergent. In particular, the convergence proof for discrete solutions entails that a suitably weak, energy-conserving solution to the continuous nonlinear system exists. Moreover, several particular models as e.g. ferro/paramagnetic transformation in ferromagnetic materials, martensitic transformation in shape memory allows, or just a simple thermistor problem are covered just as special cases.