Pull-in instability analyses for NEMS actuators with quartic shape approximation

The pull-in instability of a cantilever nano-actuator model incorporating the effects of the surface, the fringing field, and the Casimir attraction force is investigated. A new quartic polynomial is proposed as the shape function of the beam during the deflection, satisfying all of the four boundary values. The Gaussian quadrature rule is used to treat the involved integrations, and the design parameters are preserved in the evaluated formulas. The analytic expressions are derived for the tip deflection and pull-in parameters of the cantilever beam. The micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) cantilever actuators and freestanding nanoactuators are considered as two special cases. It is proved that the proposed method is convenient for the analyses of the effects of the surface, the Casimir force, and the fringing field on the pull-in parameters.     

Anisotropic adaptive finite element method for magnetohydrodynamic flow at high Hartmann numbers

This paper presents an anisotropic adaptive finite element method (FEM) to solve the governing equations of steady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) duct flow. A residual error estimator is presented for the standard FEM, and two-sided bounds on the error independent of the aspect ratio of meshes are provided. Based on the Zienkiewicz-Zhu estimates, a computable anisotropic error indicator and an implement anisotropic adaptive refinement for the MHD problem are derived at different values of the Hartmann number. The most distinguishing feature of the method is that the layer information from some directions is captured well such that the number of mesh vertices is dramatically reduced for a given level of accuracy. Thus, this approach is more suitable for approximating the layer problem at high Hartmann numbers. Numerical results show efficiency of the algorithm.     

Electromechanical responses and instability of electro-active polymer cylindrical shells

Based on the theories of finite deformation elasticity, electromechanical responses and instability of an incompressible electro-active polymer (EAP) cylindrical shell, which is subjected to an internal pressure and a static electric field, are studied. Deformation curves and distribution of stresses are obtained. It is found that an internal pressure together with an electric field may cause the unstable non-monotonic deformation of the shell. It is also shown that a critical thickness for the shell exists, and the shell may undergo the unstable deformation if its thickness is less than this critical value. In addition, the effects of the electric field, axial stretch, thickness, and internal pressure on the instability of the shell are discussed.     

Snapping instability in prismatic tensegrities under torsion

Tensegrities are a class of lightweight and reticulated structures consisting of stressed strings and bars. It is shown that each prismatic tensegrity can have two self-equilibrated and stable states, leading to a snapping instability behavior under an applied torque. The predicted mechanism is experimentally validated, and can be used in areas such as advanced sensors and actuators, energy storage/adsorption equipments, and folding/unfolding devices.     

Experimental studies on the dynamic stability of liquid in a spherical tank covered with diaphragm under vertical excitation

Experimental studies are conducted on the liquid sloshing characteristics in a spherical tank covered with a flexible diaphragm. A spherical acrylic tank with 145.2 mm radius is used as a test tank, and is filled with water. Silicon diaphragms, plane or hemispherical type, with 0.2 mm thickness are used as test diaphragms. The test tank is harmonically excited in the vertical direction by an electro-dynamic exciter. During the test, vibrations due to parametric instability occur when the excitation frequency is twice the natural frequency. Parametric instability regions for some natural modes are measured and are presented in the excitation frequency–excitation acceleration diagram for three cases: liquid surface is uncovered (i.e., free surface), covered with a plane diaphragm, and covered with a hemispherical diaphragm, with the volume of filling water being changed appropriately.     

轴向拉伸作用下超弹性管充气失稳的内压和形貌研究

超弹性管充气局部失稳现象与生物工程中动脉瘤形成机理相似。本文以两端密封的超弹性管为研究对象,从实验和理论两方面研究其在轴向拉伸作用下充气时的失稳现象。实验采用高频压力传感器测量充气过程中超弹性管内部压力的变化,高速摄像系统同步记录形貌变化的图像,分析超弹性管的几何尺寸和轴向拉力的改变对失稳临界压力的影响。基于连续介质力学理论,建立超弹性管充气时的控制方程并运用打靶法求解,理论分析轴向拉力与几何尺寸对超弹性管充气失稳的影响,并与实验结果比较;同时,预测超弹性管在任意时刻的形貌变化,分析特征点的变化趋势。     

Temporal evolution and instability in a viscoelastic dielectric elastomer

Dielectric elastomer transducers are being developed for applications in stretchable electronics, tunable optics, biomedical devices, and soft machines. These transducers exhibit highly nonlinear electromechanical behavior: a dielectric membrane under voltage can form wrinkles, undergo snap-through instability, and suffer electrical breakdown. We investigate temporal evolution and instability by conducting a large set of experiments under various prestretches and loading rates, and by developing a model that allows viscoelastic instability. We use the model to classify types of instability, and map the experimental observations according to prestretches and loading rates. The model describes the entire set of experimental observations. A new type of instability is discovered, which we call wrinkle-to-wrinkle transition. A flat membrane at a critical voltage forms wrinkles and then, at a second critical voltage, snaps into another state of winkles of a shorter wavelength. This study demonstrates that viscoelasticity is essential to the understanding of temporal evolution and instability of dielectric elastomers.     

Supercritical and subcritical dynamic flow-induced instabilities of a small-scale wind turbine blade placed in uniform flow

There is a growing interest in extracting more power per turbine by increasing the rotor size in offshore wind turbines. As a result, the turbine blades will become longer and therefore more flexible, and a flexible blade is susceptible to flow-induced instabilities. In order to design and build stable large wind turbine blades, the onset of possible flow-induced instabilities should be considered in the design process. Currently, there is a lack of experimental work on flow-induced instabilities of wind turbine blades. In the present study, a series of experiments were conducted and flow-induced instabilities were observed in wind turbine blades. A small-scale flexible blade based on the NREL 5 MW reference wind turbine blade was built using three-dimensional printing technique. The blade was placed in the test section of a wind tunnel and was subjected to uniform oncoming flow, representing the case of a parked wind turbine blade. The blade׳s tip displacement was measured using a non-contacting displacement measurement device as the oncoming wind speed was increased. At a critical wind speed, the blade became unstable and experienced limit cycle oscillations. The amplitude of these oscillations increased with increasing wind speed. Both supercritical and subcritical dynamic instabilities were observed. The instabilities were observed at different angles of attack and for blades both with and without a geometric twist. It was found that the blade twist had a significant influence on the observed instability: a blade without a twist experienced a strong subcritical instability.