Electrostatically actuated beams are common elements in microelectromechanical devices that serve as high-frequency resonators, actuators, and sensors. The present effort serves to develop a comprehensive nonlinear modeling paradigm for such device elements that accounts for nonlinearities due to the electrostatic field, beam deformations, and intermittent mechanical contact. The presence of these complex aspects associated with the force field, the inherent beam behavior and the interactions with rigid obstacles calls for advanced modeling techniques that account for the finite configurational changes via geometrically exact approaches. An immediate practical application is the design of highly sensitive limit switches for use as indicators or control devices in micromechanical systems. The limit switches considered here rely on an abrupt transition of the internal state of the switch between two distinctly different steady-state behaviors as a result of a small change in the value of a system parameter. The present collaboration will explore a limit-switch design that relies on the abrupt transition associated with the onset of low-velocity impacts between an electrostatically actuated beam element and its environment. This is supported by theoretical predictions indicating a post-trigger response rate that grows beyond all bounds as the threshold parameter value is approached. The proposed phenomenology thus compares favorably with existing designs in terms of guaranteeing a more instantaneous switch response. The proposed research is strongly driven by a combined effort from two complementary backgrounds, that in nonlinear continuum mechanics of Prof. Lacarbonara and that in non-smooth system dynamics and bifurcation theory of Prof. Dankowicz. The outcome of this collaboration is expected to be interesting and highly fruitful to both Institutions, the University of Rome La Sapienza and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, from a transfer-of-knowledge perpective and from merely scientific and technological stanpoints. Further, the collaboration is already supported by an ongoing personnel exchange at the graduate student level.

Ricerca sul tema "Investigations into electrostatically actuated nonlinear microbeams as components of ultra-fast switches" / H., Dankowicz; Lacarbonara, Walter. - (2009).

Ricerca sul tema "Investigations into electrostatically actuated nonlinear microbeams as components of ultra-fast switches"

LACARBONARA, Walter
2009

Abstract

Electrostatically actuated beams are common elements in microelectromechanical devices that serve as high-frequency resonators, actuators, and sensors. The present effort serves to develop a comprehensive nonlinear modeling paradigm for such device elements that accounts for nonlinearities due to the electrostatic field, beam deformations, and intermittent mechanical contact. The presence of these complex aspects associated with the force field, the inherent beam behavior and the interactions with rigid obstacles calls for advanced modeling techniques that account for the finite configurational changes via geometrically exact approaches. An immediate practical application is the design of highly sensitive limit switches for use as indicators or control devices in micromechanical systems. The limit switches considered here rely on an abrupt transition of the internal state of the switch between two distinctly different steady-state behaviors as a result of a small change in the value of a system parameter. The present collaboration will explore a limit-switch design that relies on the abrupt transition associated with the onset of low-velocity impacts between an electrostatically actuated beam element and its environment. This is supported by theoretical predictions indicating a post-trigger response rate that grows beyond all bounds as the threshold parameter value is approached. The proposed phenomenology thus compares favorably with existing designs in terms of guaranteeing a more instantaneous switch response. The proposed research is strongly driven by a combined effort from two complementary backgrounds, that in nonlinear continuum mechanics of Prof. Lacarbonara and that in non-smooth system dynamics and bifurcation theory of Prof. Dankowicz. The outcome of this collaboration is expected to be interesting and highly fruitful to both Institutions, the University of Rome La Sapienza and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, from a transfer-of-knowledge perpective and from merely scientific and technological stanpoints. Further, the collaboration is already supported by an ongoing personnel exchange at the graduate student level.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/422649
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