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Snap-Through Buckling of Micro/Nanobeams in Bistable Micro/Nanoelectromechanical Systems

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Advances in Nanocomposites

Abstract

In this chapter, we investigate the instability behavior of an initially curved micro/nanobeam subject to an electrostatic force. The general governing equations of the curved beam are developed using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and are solved using the Galerkin decomposition method. Firstly, the size effect on the symmetric snap-through buckling of the microbeam is studied. The size effect is accounted for in the beam model using the modified couple stress theory. The fringing field effect and the intermolecular effects, such as van der Waals and Casimir forces, are also included in the snap-through formulations. The model simulations reveal the significant effect of the beam size, and to a much lesser extent the effect of fringing field and intermolecular forces, upon the snap-through criterion for the curved microbeam. Secondly, the surface effects on the asymmetric bifurcation of the nanobeam are studied. The surface effects, including the surface elasticity and the residual surface tension, are accounted for in the model formulation. The results reveal the significant size effect due to the surface elasticity and the residual surface tension on the symmetry-breaking criterion for the considered nanobeam.

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Acknowledgements

The financial support provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Discovery Accelerator Supplements, and the Qatar National Research Foundation under the National Priority Research Program is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Mechanics and Aerospace Design Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 3G8

    Xue Chen & Shaker A. Meguid

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  1. Xue Chen
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Correspondence to Shaker A. Meguid .

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  1. Dept.ofMech.&IndusEngUniversityofToronto, Mechanics&AerospaceDesignLaboratory, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Shaker A. Meguid

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Chen, X., Meguid, S.A. (2016). Snap-Through Buckling of Micro/Nanobeams in Bistable Micro/Nanoelectromechanical Systems. In: Meguid, S. (eds) Advances in Nanocomposites. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31662-8_9

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