Geometric Optimization for Design of Electro-Thermal Microactuators

This paper presents an approach to the geometric design of electro-thermal micro-actuators. In the study, we introduce a lumped model that decomposes the electro-thermal-mechanical system into a series of electrical, thermal, and mechanical components. Based on the proposed model, different types of actuator structure are analyzed. The analysis includes the effects of geometric parameters on system performance that includes deflection, frequency bandwidth, stress, and temperature. Based on the analysis results, an optimal design approach is presented. In the proposed approach, the geometric structure and parameters are determined so that the consumed power is minimized and the performance requirements are satisfied. © 2016, Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society. All right reserved.