Transient behavior of electrostatically-actuated micro systems considering squeeze film damping and mechanical shock

Abstract

In this paper, we model the dynamics of microbeams under the effects of electrostatic force, mechanical shock, squeeze film damping (SQFD) and fringing field. A Galerkin-based reduced-order model is used to convert the partial differential equation of motion (PDE) to an ordinary differential equation (ODE). Furthermore, the system dynamics is studied using the developed nonlinear finite element code. Two different simpler models are validated by the results in the literature which are in good compatibility. It is shown that the effect of squeeze film damping can dominate mechanical shock significantly. The response of microbeam to electrostatic actuation is also delayed when damping is included. The simultaneous and sole effects of electrostatic actuation, mechanical shock, squeeze film damping and fringing field are investigated in this study for the first time.