Electromechanical analysis of micro-beams based on planar finite-deformation theory

In MEMS devices, solids, often slender in geometry, are in nonlinear interaction with complex three-dimensional electrostatic fields. The computational cost of solving these coupled problems can be reduced considerably by the use of structural models. A geometrically exact planar beam model is used for the solid, with particular attention to normal tractions on the interface that arise from electrostatic pressure distribution. The weakly coupled problem is solved with a staggered strategy. The resulting scheme provides accuracy comparable to that obtained by full, three-dimensional representations of the solid, at costs that may be reduced significantly.