On the bi-stability of an inclined micro-beam subjected to an electrostatic actuation

Nowadays, with due consideration of different benefits of bistable structures, a great deal of effort is expended on designing the arch-shaped structures with appropriate snap-through properties in MEMS applications. This paper introduces a geometrically nonlinear micro-beam model for the bistability mechanism of inclined beams under an electrostatic actuation, with an emphasis on its snap-through and pull-in behaviors. In fact, based on simulation and analytical models including COMSOL and MATLAB software, the influence of different parameters on the behavior of the inclined beam and snap-through properties is numerically investigated. Moreover, the numerical results via plots of restoring force versus displacement as well as plots of displacement versus the applied DC voltage for several values of initial rises of the inclined beams are shown in this work. Finally, a parametric study is conducted to investigate the variations of the fundamental natural frequency around a static equilibrium position subjected to the DC voltage for the different amplitudes of the initial rise.