Analytical and Numerical Study on the Maximum Force Developed by a V-beam Thermal Actuator

The purpose of this paper is to determine and validate an analytical model that will serve as a starting point in the future design of micro-scale V-beam thermal actuators. The influence of its geometrical parameters on the output force was tested while also taking into account the deformation of the substrate. The finite element (FE) studies that were performed on virtual replicas of the V-beam thermal actuator led to the validation of the theoretical model.