MEMS Integrated Electro-Fluid-Elastic Modeling for Aerospace Applications

MEMS physics is characterized by multi-fields interactions. In this paper, a fully integrated methodology is proposed for dynamical analysis of electro-fluid-elastic systems, typical of MEMS-based microresonators and microswitches. Finite Elements/Volumes Method is used to solve field equations. These are coupled by an opportune procedure of interface between domains, resulting in a nonlinear algebraic differential system of equations describing the system. This is directly integrated in time, becoming fully algebraic, and solved by a Newton technique. Full Jacobian matrix computation results in a very hard task. Analytical block approximation for Jacobian matrix is proposed. Model is validated comparing results with commercial codes and with published data, showing good agreement, high convergence properties and reduced computational efforts.Copyright © 2006 by ASME