Design and optimization of cantilevered magnetostrictive film-substrate microactuator

The exact solution for the bending problem of a free-end point loaded film-substrate cantilever with arbitrary film-to-substrate thickness ratio is obtained by using the basic mechanical equilibrium equation. And then the problem of design and optimization for microactuator buildup of film-substrate cantilever is discussed by taking into account the effect of geometrical and physical parameters of the cantilever components. Furthermore, the optimal condition for actuator application is presented and some theoretical problems are clarified. The results show that, in general, the greater the film-to-substrate thickness ratio, the higher the ability of taking load, namely the larger the exerted force of the cantilever when the thickness of substrate is kept constant. When the total thickness of the cantilever is kept constant, however, the free-end exerted force will experience a maximum and this maximum value of the exerted force will decrease with the increasing film-to-substrate stiffness ratio. Meanwhile, the optimal thickness ratio corresponding to this maximum exerted force also decreases with the increasing stiffness ratio. Whether for the cases of fixed substrate or fixed total thickness, the influence of Poisson’s ratio of two cantilever components on the exerted force is remarkable, and should not be neglected.