TY - JOUR
T1 - Electrostatic instability of micro-plates subjected to differential pressure
T2 - A semi-analytical approach
AU - Sajadi, Banafsheh
AU - Goosen, Hans
AU - van Keulen, Fred
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Electrostatic instability is one of the main features of many electrostatic MEMS and NEMS devices. In this paper, we investigate how the electrostatic instability of a plate-like electrode can be affected by a differential pressure. The results of this study indicate that the presence of differential pressure can have a significant influence on the equilibrium path, the number and location of unstable points, and the post-instability behavior. As a result, while the system is loaded and unloaded electrically, the electrostatic instability might lead to a snapping behavior. The noticed snapping behavior of a flat plate makes it very appealing for sensing and actuating applications. This study is based on both a semi-analytical framework and finite element simulations. The proposed analytical solution is shown to be accurate enough to be used as an effective tool for design.
AB - Electrostatic instability is one of the main features of many electrostatic MEMS and NEMS devices. In this paper, we investigate how the electrostatic instability of a plate-like electrode can be affected by a differential pressure. The results of this study indicate that the presence of differential pressure can have a significant influence on the equilibrium path, the number and location of unstable points, and the post-instability behavior. As a result, while the system is loaded and unloaded electrically, the electrostatic instability might lead to a snapping behavior. The noticed snapping behavior of a flat plate makes it very appealing for sensing and actuating applications. This study is based on both a semi-analytical framework and finite element simulations. The proposed analytical solution is shown to be accurate enough to be used as an effective tool for design.
KW - Bi-stability
KW - Electrostatic instability
KW - Micro-plate
KW - Nonlocal elasticity
KW - Pull-in
KW - Snap-through
UR - http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:39a659ae-0d24-4f84-a1c2-1ca412496bd1
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85041702034&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2018.02.007
DO - 10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2018.02.007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85041702034
SN - 0020-7403
VL - 138-139
SP - 210
EP - 218
JO - International Journal of Mechanical Sciences
JF - International Journal of Mechanical Sciences
ER -