Modeling of Initially Curved Beam Structures for Design of Multistable MEMS

This article describes a mathematical model and solution methodology for efficiently predicting the many equilibrium paths of an arbitrarily-shaped, pre-curved, clamped beam subjected to arbitrary dead loading. Such structures are common among multistable microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and the presented model provides designers with an easy way to study the effects of loading, shape, and imperfections on beam behavior. Results are presented for switch and actuator applications motivated from the literature.