Electrothermally Actuated Microbeams With Varying Stiffness

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherif Tella ◽  
Nouha Alcheikh ◽  
Mohammad I. Younis
Keyword(s):  
Resonance Frequency ◽  
Considerable Increase ◽  
Large Deflection ◽  
Variable Stiffness ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Mechanical Stiffness ◽  
Frequency Tunability ◽  
End Conditions ◽  
Variable Stiffness Actuation ◽  
Good Agreement

We present axially loaded clamped-guided microbeams that can be used as resonators and actuators of variable stiffness, actuation, and anchor conditions. The applied axial load is implemented by U-shaped electrothermal actuators stacked at one of the beams edges. These can be configured and wired in various ways, which serve as mechanical stiffness elements that control the operating resonance frequency of the structures and their static displacement. The experimental results have shown considerable increase in the resonance frequency and mid-point deflection of the microbeam upon changing the end conditions of the beam. These results can be promising for applications requiring large deflection and high frequency tunability, such as filters, memory devices, and switches. The experimental results are compared to multi-physics finite-element simulations showing good agreement among them.

scholarly journals Mechanical Simplification of Variable-Stiffness Actuators Using Dielectric Elastomer Transducers

Actuators ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Allen ◽  
Edgar Bolívar ◽  
Sophie Farmer ◽  
Walter Voit ◽  
Robert D. Gregg
Keyword(s):  
Equilibrium Position ◽  
Variable Stiffness ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Electrostatic Forces ◽  
Mechanical Stiffness ◽  
Variable Stiffness Actuation ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Variable Stiffness Actuators ◽  
Adjustable Compliance

Legged and gait-assistance robots can walk more efficiently if their actuators are compliant. The adjustable compliance of variable-stiffness actuators (VSAs) can enhance this benefit. However, this functionality requires additional mechanical components making VSAs impractical for some uses due to increased weight, volume, and cost. VSAs would be more practical if they could modulate the stiffness of their springs without additional components, which usually include moving parts and an additional motor. Therefore, we designed a VSA that uses dielectric elastomer transducers (DETs) for springs. It does not need mechanical stiffness-adjusting components because DETs soften due to electrostatic forces. This paper presents details and performance of our design. Our DET VSA demonstrated independent modulation of its equilibrium position and stiffness. Our design approach could make it practical to obtain the benefits of variable-stiffness actuation with less weight, volume, and cost than normally accompanies them, once weaknesses of DET technology are addressed.

Study of Energy Harvesting Using Piezoelectric Cymbal Transducers

2011 ◽  
Vol 687 ◽  
pp. 396-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Si Zhe Li ◽  
Li Zheng ◽  
Dan Li ◽  
Lin Ai ◽  
Zheng Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Resonance Frequency ◽  
Output Power ◽  
Stress Level ◽  
Power Output ◽  
Mechanical Vibration ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Cymbal Transducer ◽  
Good Agreement

The performance of harvesting energy using piezoelectric cymbal transducers has been studied from gentle mechanical vibration under different pre-stress conditions. The cymbal transducer was fixed at 12.9 mm diameter and evaluated the output power of harvesting energy under an AC force of 0.7 N. The maximum power output reached 3.7mW with a slight stress level of 0.17 N across 50 kohm resistor for the cymbal transducer at the 730 Hz. The resonance frequency of the cymbal was shifted to lower value and the harvesting energy was increased with the pre-stress increased. The analytical results were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. It is suggested that great potential for cymbal transducers exists in energy harvesting applications.

On the Determination of the Propagation Pressure of Long Circular Tubes

1984 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kyriakides ◽  
M.-K. Yeh ◽  
D. Roach
Keyword(s):  
Large Deflection ◽  
External Pressure ◽  
Circular Ring ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Circular Tubes ◽  
Inelastic Analysis ◽  
State Propagation ◽  
Characteristic Pressure ◽  
Good Agreement

A propagating buckle can be initiated in tubes under external pressure from localized imperfections. Once initiated a buckle will propagate with the result of flattening the tube behind it. The lowest pressure at which it can propagate is known as the propagation pressure, and it represents a characteristic pressure of the tube. The paper attempts to model quasistatic steady-state propagation through a plane strain large deflection, inelastic analysis of the collapse of a circular ring. An energy balance type of argument is used to obtain a lower-bound estimate of the propagation pressure from the ring response. The results are compared with experimental results obtained from stainless steel and aluminum tubes having diameter-to-thickness ratios ranging between 100 and 10. It was found that for these two materials the estimated value for the propagation pressure was in good agreement with experimental results for D/t > 20.

Actuation and dynamic mechanical characteristics of a core free flat dielectric electro-active polymer soft actuator

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 7396-7404
Author(s):  
Abdul Malek Abdul Wahab ◽  
Emiliano Rustighi ◽  
Zainudin A.
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Resonance Frequency ◽  
Dynamic Testing ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Percentage Error ◽  
Initial Tension ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Soft Actuator ◽  
Average Percentage Error ◽  
Mechanical Dynamics

Various complex shapes of dielectric electro-active polymer (DEAP) actuator have been promoted for several types of applications. In this study, the actuation and mechanical dynamics characteristics of a new core free flat DEAP soft actuator were investigated. This actuator was developed by Danfoss PolyPower. DC voltage of up to 2000 V was supplied for identifying the actuation characteristics of the actuator and compare with the existing formula. The operational frequency of the actuator was determined by dynamic testing. Then, the soft actuator has been modelled as a uniform bar rigidly fixed at one end and attached to mass at another end. Results from the theoretical model were compared with the experimental results. It was found that the deformation of the current actuator was quadratic proportional to the voltage supplied. It was found that experimental results and theory were not in good agreement for low and high voltage with average percentage error are 104% and 20.7%, respectively. The resonance frequency of the actuator was near 14 Hz. Mass of load added, inhomogeneity and initial tension significantly affected the resonance frequency of the soft actuator. The experimental results were consistent with the theoretical model at zero load. However, due to inhomogeneity, the frequency response function’s plot underlines a poor prediction where the theoretical calculation was far from experimental results as values of load increasing with the average percentage error 15.7%. Hence, it shows the proposed analytical procedure not suitable to provide accurate natural frequency for the DEAP soft actuator.

Inducing Frictional Force to Enhance the Transient Response in Beams

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-93
Author(s):  
Hamed Khanger Mina ◽  
Waleed K. Al-Ashtrai
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Analysis ◽  
Transient Response ◽  
Frictional Force ◽  
Damping Ratio ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Damping Capacity ◽  
Tightening Force ◽  
Contact Areas ◽  
Good Agreement ◽  
Ansys Workbench

This paper studies the effect of contact areas on the transient response of mechanical structures. Precisely, it investigates replacing the ordinary beam of a structure by two beams of half the thickness, which are joined by bolts. The response of these beams is controlled by adjusting the tightening of the connecting bolts and hence changing the magnitude of the induced frictional force between the two beams which affect the beams damping capacity. A cantilever of two beams joined together by bolts has been investigated numerically and experimentally. The numerical analysis was performed using ANSYS-Workbench version 17.2. A good agreement between the numerical and experimental results has been obtained. In general, results showed that the two beams vibrate independently when the bolts were loosed and the structure stiffness is about 20 N/m and the damping ratio is about 0.008. With increasing the bolts tightening, the stiffness and the damping ratio of the structure were also increased till they reach their maximum values when the tightening force equals to 8330 N, where the structure now has stiffness equals to 88 N/m and the damping ratio is about 0.062. Beyond this force value, increasing the bolts tightening has no effect on stiffness of the structure while the damping ratio is decreased until it returned to 0.008 when the bolts tightening becomes immense and the beams behave as one beam of double thickness.

PHOTOINDUCED NONLINEAR OCTUPOLAR POLARIZATION: TRANSIENT AND PERMANENT REGIMES

1996 ◽  
Vol 05 (04) ◽  
pp. 653-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
CÉLINE FIORINI ◽  
JEAN-MICHEL NUNZI ◽  
FABRICE CHARRA ◽  
IFOR D.W. SAMUEL ◽  
JOSEPH ZYSS
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Second Harmonic ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Polar Field ◽  
Rotational Spectrum ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Ethyl Violet ◽  
Disperse Red 1 ◽  
Good Agreement

An original poling method using purely optical means and based on a dual-frequency interference process is presented. We show that the coherent superposition of two beams at fundamental and second-harmonic frequencies results in a polar field with an irreducible rotational spectrum containing both a vector and an octupolar component. This enables the method to be applied even to molecules without a permanent dipole such as octupolar molecules. After a theoretical analysis of the process, we describe different experiments aiming at light-induced noncentrosymmetry performed respectively on one-dimensional Disperse Red 1 and octupolar Ethyl Violet molecules. Macroscopic octupolar patterning of the induced order is demonstrated in both transient and permanent regimes. Experimental results show good agreement with theory.

scholarly journals Comparison of Experimental and Numerical Transient Drop Deformation during Transition through Orifices in High-Pressure Homogenizers

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Benedikt Mutsch ◽  
Peter Walzel ◽  
Christian J. Kähler
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Imaging Technique ◽  
Extensional Flow ◽  
Droplet Breakup ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Drop Deformation ◽  
Droplet Deformation ◽  
Shadow Imaging ◽  
Good Agreement

The droplet deformation in dispersing units of high-pressure homogenizers (HPH) is examined experimentally and numerically. Due to the small size of common homogenizer nozzles, the visual analysis of the transient droplet generation is usually not possible. Therefore, a scaled setup was used. The droplet deformation was determined quantitatively by using a shadow imaging technique. It is shown that the influence of transient stresses on the droplets caused by laminar extensional flow upstream the orifice is highly relevant for the droplet breakup behind the nozzle. Classical approaches based on an equilibrium assumption on the other side are not adequate to explain the observed droplet distributions. Based on the experimental results, a relationship from the literature with numerical simulations adopting different models are used to determine the transient droplet deformation during transition through orifices. It is shown that numerical and experimental results are in fairly good agreement at limited settings. It can be concluded that a scaled apparatus is well suited to estimate the transient droplet formation up to the outlet of the orifice.

Simulation of Sphere’s Motion Induced by Shock Waves

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Igra ◽  
Ozer Igra ◽  
Lazhar Houas ◽  
Georges Jourdan
Keyword(s):  
Shock Waves ◽  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
Drag Force ◽  
Stationary Flow ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Experimental Findings ◽  
Sphere Drag ◽  
Simulation Scheme ◽  
Good Agreement

Simulations of experimental results appearing in Jourdan et al. (2007, “Drag Coefficient of a Sphere in a Non-Stationary Flow: New Results,”Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 463, pp. 3323–3345) regarding acceleration of a sphere by the postshock flow were conducted in order to find the contribution of the various parameters affecting the sphere drag force. Based on the good agreement found between present simulations and experimental findings, it is concluded that the proposed simulation scheme could safely be used for evaluating the sphere’s motion in the postshock flow.

Viscoelastic Deformation of PC/ABS Alloy

2007 ◽  
Vol 353-358 ◽  
pp. 1229-1232
Author(s):  
Z.N. Yin ◽  
L.F. Fan ◽  
Tie Jun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Relaxation Modulus ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Viscoelastic Deformation ◽  
Dynamic Mechanical ◽  
Storage And Loss Moduli ◽  
Static Relaxation ◽  
Comparison Of The Results ◽  
Good Agreement

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and static relaxation tests are carried out to study the viscoelastic deformation of PC/ABS alloy with blending ratio of PC to ABS being 50/50. A modified approach is developed to calculate the relaxation modulus of PC/ABS alloy from the DMA experimental results of storage and loss moduli. Comparison of the results obtained from DMA and static relaxation tests is presented and good agreement is found.

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