POLYNOMIAL SOLUTIONS TO PIEZOELECTRIC BEAMS (Ⅱ)——ANALYTICAL SOLUTIONS TO TYPICAL PROBLEMS

IntroductionThis paper is a continuation of Ref.[1],in which a series of orthotropic piezoelectricplane problems was solved and the corresponding exact solutions were obtained with the trial-and-error method,on the basis of the general solution expressed …     

POLYNOMIAL SOLUTIONS TO PIEZOELECTRIC BEAMS(Ⅱ)--ANALYTICAL SOLUTIONS TO TYPICAL PROBLEMS

For the orthotropic piezoelectric plane problem, a series of piezoelectric beams is solved and the corresponding analytical solutions are obtained with the trialand-error method on the basis of the general solution in the case of three distinct eigenvalues, in which all displacements, electrical potential, stresses and electrical displacements are expressed by three displacement functions in terms of harmonic polynomials. These problems are cantilever beam with cross force and point charge at free end, cantilever beam and simply-supported beam subjected to uniform loads on the upper and lower surfaces, and cantilever beam subjected to linear electrical potential.     

Functionally graded piezoelectric cantilever beam under load

Summary In the present paper, the problem of a functionally graded piezoelectric cantilever beam subjected to different loadings is studied. The piezoelectric beam is characterized by continuously graded properties for one elastic parameter and the material density. A pair of stress and induction functions in the form of polynomials is proposed and determined. Based on these functions, a set of analytical solutions for the beam subjected to different loadings is obtained. As particular cases, series of solutions for some canonical problems can be directly obtained from the solutions of the present paper, such as for the problems of a piezoelectric cantilever beam with constant body force or without body forces, etc.This research work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (50272003). Support was also given by the Teaching and Research Award Fund for Outstanding Young Teachers in Higher Education Institutions of MOE, P.R.C.     

Dynamic behavior analysis of cantilever-type nano-mechanical electrostatic actuator

An investigation is performed into the nonlinear pull-in behavior of a cantilever-type nano-mechanical electrostatic actuator. In performing the analysis, the actuator is modeled as an Euler–Bernoulli beam and the influence of surface effects, the fringing field effect and the Casimir force effect are taken into explicit account. In general, analyzing the dynamic behavior of nanoscale electrostatic devices is challenging due to the nonlinear coupling of the electrostatic force and Casimir force. In the present study, this problem is resolved by using a hybrid computational scheme comprising the differential transformation method and the finite difference approximation technique. The feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated by the two cantilever-type micro-beams when actuated by a DC voltage. The numerical results show that the present results for the pull-in voltage deviate by no more than 1.47% from those presented in the literature using a different scheme. In addition, it is shown that surface effects play a significant role in determining the static deflection and pull-in voltage of the cantilever beam nano-beam. In general, the results confirm that the hybrid differential transformation/finite difference approximation method provides an accurate and computationally efficient means of simulating the nonlinear electrostatic behavior of nanostructure systems.     

Analytical solutions for plane problem of functionally graded magnetoelectric cantilever beam

In this paper, an exact analytical solution is presented for a transversely isotropic functionally graded magneto-electro-elastic (FGMEE) cantilever beam, which is subjected to a uniform load on its upper surface, as well as the concentrated force and moment at the free end. This solution can be applied for any form of gradient distribution. For the basic equations of plane problem, all the partial differential equations governing the stress field, electric, and magnetic potentials are derived. Then, the expressions of Airy stress, electric, and magnetic potential functions are assumed as quadratic polynomials of the longitudinal coordinate. Based on all the boundary conditions, the exact expressions of the three functions can be determined. As numerical examples, the material parameters are set as exponential and linear distributions in the thickness direction. The effects of the material parameters on the mechanical, electric, and magnetic fields of the cantilever beam are analyzed in detail.     

Analytical test functions for free vibration analysis of rotating non-homogeneous Timoshenko beams

In this paper, the governing equations for free vibration of a non-homogeneous rotating Timoshenko beam, having uniform cross-section, is studied using an inverse problem approach, for both cantilever and pinned-free boundary conditions. The bending displacement and the rotation due to bending are assumed to be simple polynomials which satisfy all four boundary conditions. It is found that for certain polynomial variations of the material mass density, elastic modulus and shear modulus, along the length of the beam, the assumed polynomials serve as simple closed form solutions to the coupled second order governing differential equations with variable coefficients. It is found that there are an infinite number of analytical polynomial functions possible for material mass density, shear modulus and elastic modulus distributions, which share the same frequency and mode shape for a particular mode. The derived results are intended to serve as benchmark solutions for testing approximate or numerical methods used for the vibration analysis of rotating non-homogeneous Timoshenko beams.     

Closed-form solutions of the pull-in instability in nano-cantilevers under electrostatic and intermolecular surface forces

In this paper, a distributed parameter model is used to study the pull-in instability of cantilever type nanomechanical switches subjected to intermolecular and electrostatic forces. In modeling of the electrostatic force, the fringing field effect is taken into account. The model is nonlinear due to the inherent nonlinearity of the intermolecular and electrostatic forces. The nonlinear differential equation of the model is transformed into the integral form by using the Green’s function of the cantilever beam. Closed-form solutions are obtained by assuming an appropriate shape function for the beam deflection to evaluate the integrals. The pull-in parameters of the switch are computed under the combined effects of electrostatic and intermolecular forces. Electrostatic microactuators and freestanding nanoactuators are considered as special cases of our study. The detachment length and the minimum initial gap of freestanding nano-cantilevers, which are the basic design parameters for NEMS switches, are determined. The results of the distributed parameter model are compared with the lumped parameter model.     

Elasticity solutions for plane anisotropic functionally graded beams

This paper considers the plane stress problem of generally anisotropic beams with elastic compliance parameters being arbitrary functions of the thickness coordinate. Firstly, the partial differential equation, which is satisfied by the Airy stress function for the plane problem of anisotropic functionally graded materials and involves the effect of body force, is derived. Secondly, a unified method is developed to obtain the stress function. The analytical expressions of axial force, bending moment, shear force and displacements are then deduced through integration. Thirdly, the stress function is employed to solve problems of anisotropic functionally graded plane beams, with the integral constants completely determined from boundary conditions. A series of elasticity solutions are thus obtained, including the solution for beams under tension and pure bending, the solution for cantilever beams subjected to shear force applied at the free end, the solution for cantilever beams or simply supported beams subjected to uniform load, the solution for fixed–fixed beams subjected to uniform load, and the one for beams subjected to body force, etc. These solutions can be easily degenerated into the elasticity solutions for homogeneous beams. Some of them are absolutely new to literature, and some coincide with the available solutions. It is also found that there are certain errors in several available solutions. A numerical example is finally presented to show the effect of material inhomogeneity on the elastic field in a functionally graded anisotropic cantilever beam.     

嵌入薄膜传感器悬臂梁三向力测量技术研究

以薄膜传感器悬臂梁作为等效模型,通过传感器的应变效应对三向力测量技术进行了研究。为提高薄膜传感器的应变输出响应,对悬臂梁上布放薄膜传感器的位置加设弹性结构,研究了三向力测力模型输出电压与传感器所在位置应变的关系;分析了受力位置对测力模型输出响应的影响关系,结合实验验证了其工作原理、测力模型应变输出响应与可控尺寸参数的关系。研究表明:该测力模型可实现三向力测量,各个方向最大测量误差均在9%以内,悬臂梁宽度方向x和高度方向z的交叉干涉误差分别为2.84%和3.37%;当悬臂梁自由端受力位置发生变化时,测力模型输出响应只在梁长度方向y上发生变化。     

SI-Traceable Spring Constant Calibration of Microfabricated Cantilevers for Small Force Measurement

A variety of methods exist to measure the stiffness of microfabricated cantilever beams such as those used as mechanical sensors in atomic force microscopy (AFM). In order for AFM to be used as a quantitative small force measurement tool, these methods must be validated within the International System of Units (SI). To this end, two different contact techniques were used to calibrate the spring constant of a cantilever beam. First, a dynamic indentation-based method was used to measure the spring constant of a rectangular cantilever beam. These results were then compared against an SI-traceable spring constant measurement from an electrostatic force balance (EFB). The measurements agree within experimental uncertainty and within 2% for spring constants greater than 2 N/m. The use of this cantilever beam as a transfer artifact for in situ AFM cantilever calibration was then evaluated in comparison to the thermal calibration method. Excellent agreement is seen between these techniques, establishing the consistency of the thermal and dynamic indentation methods with SI-traceable contact cantilever calibration for the rectangular cantilever geometry tested. Disclaimer: This article is authored by employees of the U.S. federal government, and is not subject to copyright. Commercial equipment and materials are identified in order to adequately specify certain procedures. In no case does such identification imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor does it imply that the materials or equipment identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose.     

Static and dynamic responses of a microcantilever with a T-shaped tip mass to an electrostatic actuation

In this study, nonlinear static and dynamic responses of a microcantilever with a T-shaped tip mass excited by electrostatic actuations are investigated. The electrostatic force is generated by applying an electric voltage between the horizontal part of T-shaped tip mass and an opposite electrode plate. The cantilever microbeam is modeled as an Euler–Bernoulli beam. The T-shaped tip mass is assumed to be a rigid body and the nonlinear effect of electrostatic force is considered. An equation of motion and its associated boundary conditions are derived by the aid of combining the Hamilton principle and Newton's method.An exact solution is obtained for static deflection and mode shape of vibration around the static position. The differential equation of nonlinear vibration around the static position is discretized using the Galerkin method. The system mode shapes are used as its related comparison functions. The discretized equations are solved by the perturbation theory in the neighborhood of primary and subharmonic resonances.In addition, effects of mass inertia, mass moment of inertia as well as rotation of the T-shaped mass, which were ignored in previous works, are considered in the analysis. It is shown that by increasing the length of the horizontal part of the T-shaped mass, the amount of static deflection increases,natural frequency decreases and nonlinear shift of the resonance frequency increases. It is concluded that attaching an electrode plate with a T-shaped configuration to the end of the cantilever microbeam results in a configuration with larger pull-in voltage and smaller nonlinear shift of the reso-nance frequency compared to the configuration in which the electrode plate is directly attached to it.     

Series solution for large deflections of a cantilever beam with variable flexural rigidity

In this paper large deflection and rotation of a nonlinear Bernoulli-Euler beam with variable flexural rigidity and subjected to a static co-planar follower loading is studied. It is assumed that the angle of inclination of the force with respect to the deformed axis of the beam remains unchanged during deformation. The governing equation of this problem is solved analytically for the first time using a new kind of analytical technique for nonlinear problems, namely the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM). The present solution can be used for the analysis of a wide range of loads, material/cross section properties and lengths for beams undergoing large deformations. The results obtained from HAM are compared with results reported in previous works. Finally, the load–displacement characteristics of a uniform cantilever beam with different material properties under a follower force applied normal to the deformed beam axis are presented.     

Analytical treatment of equilibrium configurations of cantilever under terminal loads using Jacobi elliptical functions

The paper provides an exact analytical solution for the equilibrium configurations of a cantilever rod subject to inclined force and tip moment acting on its free end. The solution is given in terms of Jacobi’s elliptical functions and illustrated by several numerical examples and several graphical presentations of shapes of deformed cantilevers. Possible forms of the underlying elastica of a cantilever are discussed in detail, and various simple formulas are given for calculating the characteristic dimensions of the elastica. For the case when a cantilever is subject only to applied force, three load conditions are discussed: the follower load problem, the load determination problem, and the conservative load problem. For all cases, either a formula or an effective procedure for determining the solution is provided. In particular, a new efficient procedure is given to determine all possible equilibrium shapes in the case of the conservative load problem.     

Upper and lower bounds for the pull-in parameters of a micro- or nanocantilever on a flexible support

An analytical method is proposed to accurately estimate the pull-in parameters of a micro- or nanocantilever beam elastically constrained by a rotational spring at one end. The system is actuated by electrostatic force and subject to Casimir or van der Waals forces according to the beam size. The deflection of the beam is described by a fourth-order nonlinear boundary value problem, or equivalently in terms of a nonlinear integral equation. New a priori analytical estimates on the solution from both sides are first derived and then lower and upper bounds for the pull-in parameters are obtained, with no need of solving the nonlinear boundary value problem. The lower and upper bounds turn out to be very close each other and in excellent agreement with the numerical results provided by the shooting method. The approach also provides accurate predictions for the pull-in parameters of a freestanding nanoactuator.     

Sensitivity analysis of pull-in voltage for RF MEMS switch based on modified couple stress theory

An approximate analytical model for calculating the pull-in voltage of a stepped cantilever-type radio frequency(RF) micro electro-mechanical system(MEMS) switch is developed based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam and a modified couple stress theory, and is validated by comparison with the finite element results. The sensitivity functions of the pull-in voltage to the designed parameters are derived based on the proposed model. The sensitivity investigation shows that the pull-in voltage sensitivities increase/decrease nonlinearly with the increases in the designed parameters. For the stepped cantilever beam, there exists a nonzero optimal dimensionless length ratio, where the pull-in voltage is insensitive. The optimal value of the dimensionless length ratio only depends on the dimensionless width ratio, and can be obtained by solving a nonlinear equation. The determination of the designed parameters is discussed, and some recommendations are made for the RF MEMS switch optimization.     

A MODAL TESTING METHOD FOR CANTILEVER BEAM1)

基于欧拉-伯努利梁理论得到悬臂梁自由振动的振型函数。通过数值计算得出实验用的悬臂梁前五阶振型的节点位置及其与梁长的比值。考虑传感器对悬臂梁固有频率的影响,建立梁-传感器模型进行仿真分析并得出悬臂梁前五阶固有频率。基于节点位置和测点位置,在实验中选择激励点。将具体实验的结果与梁-传感器仿真模型结果进行对比,通过前五阶固有频率的误差分析,发现仿真分析结果与实验结果误差最高为 1.3%。研究完整地叙述了悬臂梁的模态测试流程,可为工程技术人员的模态测试起一定的指导作用。     

Enhanced damping of a cantilever beam by axial parametric excitation

A uniform cantilever beam under the effect of a time-periodic axial force is investigated. The beam structure is discretized by a finite-element approach. The linearised equations of motion describing the planar bending vibrations of the beam structure lead to a system with time-periodic stiffness coefficients. The stability of the system is investigated by a numerical method based on Floquet’s theorem and an analytical approach resulting from a first-order perturbation. It is demonstrated that the parametrically excited beam structure exhibits enhanced damping properties, when excited near a specific parametric combination resonance frequency. A certain level of the forcing amplitude has to be exceeded to achieve the damping effect. Upon exceeding this value, the additional artificial damping provided to the beam is significant and works best for suppression of vibrations of the first vibrational mode of the cantilever beam.     

Boundary element method for model analysis of 2-D composite structure

The boundary element method is used for the modal analysis of free vibration of 2-D composite structures in this paper. Since the particular solution method is used to treat the terms of body forces (inertial forces) in the equation of motion, only static fundamental solutions are needed in solving the problem. For an isotropic cantilever beam, the numerical results obtained by using the BEM presented in this paper are in good agreement, with, those of using FEM or other BEM, but this BEM can also be used to analyze problems for anisotropic materials. For simply supported composite laminated beams, the comparisons of the numerical reslts obtained by this method with the analytical results obtained by 1-D laminated beam theory indicate that if the ratio of length/thickness is greater than 20, the results of the two methods are in good agreement, but if the ratio of length/thickness is less than 20, big errors will occur for 1-D laminated beam theory.     

Investigation of the size effects in Timoshenko beams based on the couple stress theory

In this paper, a size-dependent Timoshenko beam is developed on the basis of the couple stress theory. The couple stress theory is a non-classic continuum theory capable of capturing the small-scale size effects on the mechanical behavior of structures, while the classical continuum theory is unable to predict the mechanical behavior accurately when the characteristic size of structures is close to the material length scale parameter. The governing differential equations of motion are derived for the couple-stress Timoshenko beam using the principles of linear and angular momentum. Then, the general form of boundary conditions and generally valid closed-form analytical solutions are obtained for the axial deformation, bending deflection, and the rotation angle of cross sections in the static cases. As an example, the closed-form analytical results are obtained for the response of a cantilever beam subjected to a static loading with a concentrated force at its free end. The results indicate that modeling on the basis of the couple stress theory causes more stiffness than modeling by the classical beam theory. In addition, the results indicate that the differences between the results of the proposed model and those based on the classical Euler–Bernoulli and classical Timoshenko beam theories are significant when the beam thickness is comparable to its material length scale parameter.     

Frequency response of primary resonance of electrostatically actuated CNT cantilevers

This paper deals with electrostatically actuated carbon nanotube (CNT) cantilever over a parallel ground plate. Three forces act on the CNTs cantilever, namely electrostatic, van der Waals, and damping. The van der Waals force is significant for values of 50 nm or less of the gap between the CNT and the ground plate. As both forces electrostatic and van der Waals are nonlinear, and the CNTs electrostatic actuation is given by AC voltage, the CNT undergoes nonlinear parametric dynamics. The methods of multiple scales and reduced order model (ROM) are used to investigate the system under soft AC near half natural frequency of the CNT and weak nonlinearities. The frequency–amplitude response and damping, voltage, and van der Waals effects on the response are reported. It is showed that only five terms ROM predicts and accurately predicts the pull-in instability and the saddle-node bifurcation, respectively.