A non-destructive electro-acoustic method to characterize the pull-in voltage of electrostatic actuators

For electrostatic actuators, the pull-in marks an upper limit for the operation range. Once reached, the electrodes come into contact and are shorted without further protection. A non-destructive measurement technique to predict this failure mode is of high interest to allow, e.g. fabrication monito...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nonlinear dynamics 2023-10, Vol.111 (19), p.17809-17818
Main Authors: Wall, Franziska, Schenk, Hermann A. G., Melnikov, Anton, Kaiser, Bert, Schenk, Harald
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actuators
Automotive Engineering
Classical Mechanics
Control
Dynamical Systems
Engineering
Failure modes
Finite element method
Harmonic distortion
Mathematical models
Measurement techniques
Mechanical Engineering
Nondestructive testing
Nonlinearity
Original Paper
Parameters
Reliability analysis
Vibration
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Summary:For electrostatic actuators, the pull-in marks an upper limit for the operation range. Once reached, the electrodes come into contact and are shorted without further protection. A non-destructive measurement technique to predict this failure mode is of high interest to allow, e.g. fabrication monitoring or reliability studies. To this end, we develop a surprisingly simple nonlinear lumped parameter model (LPM) for a rather complex electrostatic actuator, designed for an in-ear loudspeaker application. It turns out that a single degree-of-freedom model with only one parameter is sufficient. Our key approach is to experimentally determine this free model parameter by analysing harmonic distortions at low frequencies. Harmonic distortions are a very sensitive tool for nonlinearities. Our method is suggested by simulations with a 2D stationary finite element method (FEM), demonstrating how the analysis of harmonic distortions for voltages far below the pull-in can predict not only the DC pull-in but also the quasi-static AC pull-in voltages at different working points. The distortion analysis of electrostatic actuator ensembles therefore seems a viable route for their non-destructive characterization in the nonlinear domain.
ISSN:0924-090X
1573-269X
DOI:10.1007/s11071-023-08811-1