Lab Manual
*The COMSOL logo solely belongs to the company COMSOL AB. We do not claim any ownership.
S.No. Experiment Page No.
4 MEMS Capacitance 20
5 Microgripper 24
7 Microresistor Beam 42
8 Pressure Sensor 55
I
This page is intentionally left blank
LAB 1: MEMS CANTILEVER
AIM:
To model a MEMS Poly-Silicon cantilever using COMSOL and simulate the stress
and deflection caused due to:
Boundary load
Point Load
Modeling Instructions
1
3. Select Geometry and change Length unit to m (micrometer).
2
5. Enter the Block Dimensions Click Build Selected / Build All Objects. **
Width 20 m
Depth 100 m
Height 5 m
*Build Selected* builds and displays the current geometrical object in consideration along with all the objects above it in the
Geometry list.
*Build All Objects* builds all the geometrical objects added to the model and displays them.
3
7. Right-click Solid Mechanics Fixed Constraint. Click Boundary 2 or
rotate block and select Boundary 5. Here we proceed by selecting
Boundary 5 of the block.
(Or)
8. After selecting Boundary 5 click the symbol shown below, to get default
view back.
4
9. Solid MechanicsBoundary LoadSelect top surface of block
(Boundary 4).
5
11. Build Mesh.
6
13. To get Displacement Plot : In Model Builder, under Results right click
Stress and click Surface Youll see Surface 2 : Click Replace
Expression Solid Mechanics Displacement Total Displacement
Click Plot
7
Change color of legend to distinguish between plots.
** If you want separate plots and not on same Graphic display, then dont create Surface 2 rather Replace Expression in
Surface 1 itself.
Case:
Keep the force constant and vary the Depth to 150, 175 and 200. Note
down the stress and displacement in each case.
x 10 m x: 10 m = Half of Width
y 5 m
z: 5 m = Height of Block
z 5 m
8
Right click Solid Mechanics Points select Point Load.
Zoom in the block and select the point created i.e. select Point 5.
In the Point Load settings window, locate Force, Fp. In the z edit field
type -10.
9
BRIEF REPORT
To generate report of your simulation: Under Model Builder panel right click
Report and select Brief Report.
In the Report settings window, change Output format from HTML to
Microsoft Word.
Click Browse to choose your destination path. After entering desired filename
click Save.
In the Report settings window, click Write
Write
10
LAB 2: MEMS CANTILEVER WITH MULTILAYERS
AIM:
11
Expected Result:
Modeling Instructions
NEW
1 In the New window, click the Model Wizard button.
MODEL WIZARD
1 In the Model Wizard window, click the 3D button.
GEOMETRY 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) click Geometry 1.
Block 1 (blk1)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Geometry 1 and add
Block.
2 In the Block settings window, locate the Size section.
12
6 Click the Build All button.
Block 2 (blk2)
1 Right click Block 1 and click Duplicate.
4 Locate the Position section. In the z edit field, type 3 (3 is the height of Block 1, you want to place
Block 2 exactly on the surface of Block 1, so enter the height of Block 1 as z coordinate for
Block 2) .
5 Click the Build All button.
Block 3 (blk3)
1 Right click Block 2 and click Duplicate.
13
SOLID MECHANICS (SOLID)
Fixed Constraint 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Solid Mechanics (solid)
and add Fixed Constraint.
2 Select Boundaries 11, 12, 13 only.
Boundary Load 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Solid Mechanics (solid)
and add Boundary Load.
2 Select Boundary 10 only.
3 In the Boundary Load settings window, locate Force. In the FA z edit field, type -10.
Then in the Home toolbar click Build Mesh and then click Compute to get Stress plot. Then obtain
Displacement plot under Results.
14
LAB 3: HIV SENSOR
AIM:
To model a MEMS cantilever that detects the presence of HIV virus using COMSOL.
HIV virus is roughly spherical with a diameter of about 126 nm. The total force to be applied
on the surface of cantilever can be made by calculating the volume and substituting the
density value. By Newtons law, total force produced by one HIV F= 9.8x10-18 Newton.
15
Expected Result:
Modeling Instructions
NEW
1 In the New window, click the Model Wizard button.
MODEL WIZARD
7 In the Model Wizard window, click the 3D button.
GEOMETRY 1
4 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) click Geometry 1.
16
This gives a default work plane aligned with the xy-plane at z = 0.
Rectangle 1 (r1)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Geometry 1>Work Plane 1 (wp1)
- right-click Plane Geometry and choose Rectangle.
2 In the Rectangle settings window, locate the Size section.
3 In the Width edit field, type 100.
Rectangle 2 (r2)
8 Right-click Plane Geometry and choose Rectangle.
(wp1)
2 On the Work Plane toolbar click Line and trace the outline of the T-shape by left- clicking
from corner to corner till you reach the starting point (start and end at the same point). Now right
click anywhere on the Graphics window.
3 Youll notice Bezier Polygon 1 (b1) under Component 1 (comp1)>Geometry 1>select Work
Plane 1 (wp1).
4 Now disable Rectangle (r1) & Rectangle (r2).
5 Click the Build All button. A continuous T-shaped 2D cantilever is formed.
17
Extrude 1 (ext1)
1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Extrude.
2 In the Extrude settings window, locate the Distances from Plane section.
Distances (m)
4
18
MATERIALS
On the Home toolbar, click Add Material.
ADD MATERIAL
1 Go to the Add Material window.
Fixed Constraint 1
3 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Solid Mechanics (solid)
and add Fixed Constraint.
4 Select Boundary 7 only.
Boundary Load 1
4 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Solid Mechanics (solid)
and add Boundary Load.
5 Select Boundary 4 only.
6 In the Boundary Load settings window, locate Force and choose Load type as Total force.
7 In the Ftot - z edit field enter 9.8e-18 (negative sign indicates downward force along z- axis.)
Then in the Home toolbar click Build Mesh and then click Compute. Then obtain Displacement plot
under Results.
Case: Increase paddle length from 500 m to 1000 m and observe if theres improvement in
displacement (i.e. improvement in detection)
19
LAB 4: MEMS PARALLEL PLATE CAPACITOR
AIM:
20
Expected Result:
Modeling Instructions
NEW
1 In the New window, click the Model Wizard button.
MODEL WIZARD
1 In the Model Wizard window, click the 3D button.
GEOMETRY 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) click Geometry 1.
21
Block 1 (blk1)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Geometry 1 and add
Block.
2 In the Block settings window, locate the Size section.
Block 2 (blk2)
1 Right click Block 1 and click Duplicate.
Block 3 (blk3)
1 Right click Block 2 and click Duplicate.
22
MATERIALS
On the Home toolbar, click Add Material.
ADD MATERIAL
1 Go to the Add Material window.
ELECTROSTATICS (ES)
Terminal 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Electrostatics (es) and add
Terminal.
2 Select the entire upper plate as terminal i.e. Boundaries 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16.
3 Locate Terminal type and select Voltage. In the Voltage edit field, type 5 (applying 5 volts).
Ground 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Electrostatics (es) and add
Ground.
2 Select the entire upper plate as ground i.e. Boundaries 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 14.
Then in Home toolbar click Build Mesh and then click Compute to obtain Results.
RESULTS
Surface 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Results> Electric Potential> right click Multislice and choose
disable.
3 In the Surface settings window locate and click this symbol. Type in the search bar capacitance and
add es.C11 Capacitance from the options in the list. Click Plot to obtain Capacitance plot.
Change the dielectric material from Air to Glass (or any other desired medium) and note down the
change in capacitance.
23
LAB 5: MICROGRIPPER
Model Definition
Figure 1: Microgripper geometry. The part in the middle represents the piezoelectric
actuator.
The actuator is made of lead zirconate titanate (PZT-5A), and the gripper itself
consists of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si). Both materials are available in
COMSOL Multiphysics material libraries. The material properties are prescribed
using the rotated coordinate system shown in Figure 2.
24
Figure 2: Orientation of the coordinate system for the material.
The applied voltage gradually increases from zero to the value of 6000 V. This
causes the gripper arms to close up and eventually come in contact with each
other.
The final distributions of the stress and displacement magnitude in the deformed
microgripper are shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4, respectively.
25
Figure 3: Logarithm of the von Mises stress in the gripper for V0 = 6000 V
26
The resulting contact pressure at the end surfaces is shown in Figure 5.
In this example you learn how to model a piezoelectric material aligned in a user-
defined coordinate system and how to include contact modeling.
You create the geometry within COMSOL Multiphysics. First, draw a 2D footprint
as shown in Figure 6, and then apply extrusion to create the final 3D geometry.
Use a swept mesh as shown in Figure 7.
You set up a contact pair for two end surfaces of the gripper arms and obtain the
solution via a parametric sweep over the applied voltage V0.
27
Figure 7: Meshed final geometry.
Modeling Instructions
NEW
1 In the New window, click the Model Wizard button.
MODEL WIZARD
7 In the Model Wizard window, click the 3D button.
GEOMETRY 1
4 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) click Geometry 1.
28
Rectangle 1 (r1)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Geometry 1>Work Plane 1
(wp1) right-click Plane Geometry and choose Rectangle.
2 In the Rectangle settings window, locate the Size section.
3 In the Width edit field, type 10.
Rectangle 2 (r2)
1 Right-click Plane Geometry and choose Rectangle.
Rectangle 3 (r3)
1 Right-click Plane Geometry and choose Rectangle.
Rectangle 4 (r4)
1 Right-click Plane Geometry and choose Rectangle.
29
Fillet 1 (fil1)
1 On the Work plane toolbar, click Fillet.
2 On the object r4, select Point 3 only.
Next, use the Bezier Polygon as instructed below. Alternatively, you can use the Draw line tool and
click on the top-left and top-right corners of r3 and the bottom-right and bottom-left corners of fil1.
Much faster and better way than following the below steps of Bzier Polygon 1 (b1).
30
Mirror 1 (mir1)
1 On the Work plane toolbar, click Mirror.
2 Select the objects fil1, r3, and b1 only.
3 In the Mirror settings window, locate the Input section.
4 Select the Keep input objects check box.
5 Click the Build Selected button.
Extrude 1 (ext1)
1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Extrude.
2 In the Extrude settings window, locate the Distances from Plane section.
3 In the table, enter the following settings:
Distances (m)
2
31
The model geometry is now complete.
GLOBAL DEFINITIONS
Parameters
1 On the Home toolbar, click Parameters.
DEFINITIONS
This coordinate system defines the orientation of the piezoelectric material's main polarization axis.
6 In the Pair settings window, locate the Destination Boundaries section. Select Boundaries 30 and
37 only.
32
MATERIALS
On the Home toolbar, click Add Material.
ADD MATERIAL
1 Go to the Add Material window.
MATERIALS
ADD MATERIAL
1 Go to the Add Material window.
MATERIALS
Piezoelectric Material 1
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Component 1 (comp1)>Piezoelectric Devices (pzd)
node, then click Piezoelectric Material 1.
2 In the Piezoelectric Material settings window, locate the Coordinate System Selection section.
Ground 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Ground.
Electric Potential 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Electric Potential.
3 In the Electric Potential settings window, locate the Electric Potential section.
33
Fixed Constraint 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Fixed Constraint.
Contact 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Pairs and choose Contact.
MESH 1
Free Triangular 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) right-click Mesh 1 and choose Free
Triangular.
2 Select all boundaries on top of the geometry.
Size 1
1 Right-click Component 1 (comp1)>Mesh 1>Free Triangular 1 and choose Size.
Swept 1
In the Model Builder window, right-click Mesh 1 and choose Swept.
Distribution 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Mesh 1 right-click Swept 1 and choose
Distribution.
2 In the Distribution settings window, locate the Distribution section.
STUDY 1
Step 1: Stationary
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 1 node, then click Step 1: Stationary.
2 In the Stationary settings window, click to expand the Study extensions section.
3 Locate the Study Extensions section. Select the Auxiliary sweep check box.
4 Click Add.
34
Solver 1
On the Study toolbar, click Show Default Solver.
RESULTS
3 D Plot Group 1
1 On the Home toolbar, click Add Plot Group and choose 3D Plot Group.
2 In the Model Builder window, under Results right-click 3D Plot Group 1 and choose Surface.
STUDY 1
Step 1: Stationary
1 In the Model Builder window, under Study 1 click Step 1: Stationary.
2 In the Stationary settings window, click to expand the Results while solving section.
3 Locate the Results While Solving section. Select the Plot check box.
Solver 1
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 1>Solver Configurations>Solver 1>Dependent
Variables 1 node, then click Electric potential (comp1.V).
RESULTS
3 D Plot Group 1
Compare the finished displacement-field plot with that in Figure 4.
3 D Plot Group 2
35
1 In the Model Builder window, under Results right-click 3D Plot Group 1 and choose Duplicate.
2 In the Model Builder window, expand the 3D Plot Group 2 node, then click Surface 1.
Data Sets
1 On the Results toolbar, click More Data Sets and choose Surface.
3 D Plot Group 3
1 On the Home toolbar, click Add Plot Group and choose 3D Plot Group.
6 Click Contact pressure, contact pair p1 (pzd.Tn_p1) in the upper-right corner of the section. On
the 3D plot group toolbar, click Plot.
Finally, add a coordinate system plot to verify that the piezoelectric material has the correct
orientation.
3 D Plot Group 4
1 On the Home toolbar, click Add Plot Group and choose 3D Plot Group.
2 On the 3D plot group toolbar, click More Plots and choose Coordinate System Volume.
3 In the Coordinate System Volume settings window, locate the Coordinate System section.
36
LAB 6: JOULE HEATING OF MICROACTUATOR
AIM:
37
Expected Result:
Modeling Instructions
NEW
1 In the New window, click the Model Wizard button.
MODEL WIZARD
1 In the Model Wizard window, click the 3D button.
38
GEOMETRY 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) click Geometry 1.
Rectangle 1 (r1)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Geometry 1>Work Plane 1 (wp1)
- right-click Plane Geometry and choose Rectangle.
2 In the Rectangle settings window, locate the Size section.
3 In the Width edit field, type 100.
Rectangle 2 (r2)
1 Right-click Plane Geometry and choose Rectangle.
Rectangle 3 (r3)
1 Right-click Plane Geometry and choose Rectangle.
39
Extrude 1 (ext1)
1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Extrude.
2 In the Extrude settings window, locate the Distances from Plane section.
Distances (m)
5
MATERIALS
On the Home toolbar, click Add Material.
ADD MATERIAL
1 Go to the Add Material window.
4 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Materials choose Poly-Si (mat1).
5 In Materials settings windows, locate Electrical Conductivity and enter value = 5e4.
40
ELECTRIC CURRENTS (EC)
Ground 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Ground.
Electric Potential 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Electric Potential.
3 In the Electric Potential settings window, locate the Electric Potential section.
Heat Flux 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) right click Heat Transfer in Solids (ht)
and add Heat Flux.
2 Under heat flux settings, select Inward heat flux and enter Heat transfer coefficient h = 0.04,
External temperature Text = 293.15[K].
Temperature 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) right click Heat Transfer in Solids (ht)
and add Temperature.
2 Select all Boundaries except that of ground and potential (i.e. boundary 1 & boundary 6).
Then in Home toolbar click Build Mesh and then click Compute to obtain Temperature (ht) plot
under Results.
Case:
Vary the applied voltage to 10V, 15V and 20V. Plot and note down the Temperature for each case.
41
LAB 7: MICRORESISTOR BEAM
This example illustrates the ability to couple thermal, electrical, and structural
analysis in one model. This particular application moves a beam by passing a
current through it; the current generates heat, and the temperature increase leads
to displacement through thermal expansion. The model estimates how much
current and increase in temperature are necessary to displace the beam.
Although the model involves a rather simple 3D geometry and straightforward
physics, it provides a good example of multiphysics modeling.
Model Definition
42
is the temperature coefficient. You obtain the conductors temperature
dependency from the relationship that defines electric resistivity; conductivity is
simply its reciprocal ( = 1/).
For the heat transfer equations, set the base boundaries facing the substrate to a
constant temperature of 323 K. You model the convective air cooling in other
boundaries using a heat flux boundary condition with a heat transfer coefficient, h,
of 5 W/(m2K) and an external temperature, Tinf, of 298 K. Standard constraints
handle the bases rigid connection to the substrate.
Figure 2 shows the temperature field on the microbeam surface when solving the
model using a temperature-dependent resistivity as in Equation 1. Based on the
color scale, the maximum temperature is about 710 K.
Figure 3 shows the microbeams deformation. The displacement for the
temperature-dependent case is 48 nm compared to the maximum displacement
for constant electrical conductivity, which is 88 nm (the plot scales the deformation
by a factor of around 20).
43
Notes About the COMSOL Implementation
In this example you create the 3D geometry by starting with two 2D work planes.
The first one views the geometry from above, and the second does so from the
side. You create cross sections on the work planes, which you then extrude into
3D. As the final step you create the resistor beam geometry as the intersection of
the extruded objects. You can also skip the step-by-step instructions for the
geometry creation and import the ready-made geometry directly from the Model
Library.
By using the Joule Heating and Thermal Expansion predefined multiphysics
interface you automatically add the equations for three physics including the
necessary multiphysics couplings. In this case the physics equations describe the
current and heat conduction and structural mechanics problems. The interface
also provides suitable defaults for the solver.
Modeling Instructions
NEW
1 In the New window, click Model Wizard.
MODEL WIZARD
1 In the Model Wizard window, click 3D.
2 In the Select physics tree, select Structural Mechanics>Joule Heating and Thermal
Expansion.
3 Click Add.
4 Click Study.
5 In the Select study tree, select Preset Studies for Selected Physics Interfaces>Stationary.
6 Click Done.
44
DEFINITIONS
Parameters
1 On the Model toolbar, click Parameters.
2 In the Settings window for Parameters, locate the Parameters section.
T0 323[K] 323.00 K
GEOMETRY 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) click Geometry 1.
2 In the Settings window for Geometry, locate the Units section.
3 From the Length unit list, choose m.
4 On the Geometry toolbar, click Work Plane.
45
21 Find the Added segments subsection. Click Add Linear.
22 Find the Control points subsection. Click Close Curve.
23 On the Work plane toolbar, click Build All.
24 Click the Zoom Extents button on the Graphics toolbar.
Extrude 1 (ext1)
1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Extrude.
2 In the Settings window for Extrude, locate the Distances from Plane section.
3 In the table, enter the following settings:
Distances (m)
3
46
Work Plane 2 (wp2)
1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Work Plane.
2 In the Settings window for Work Plane, locate the Plane Definition section.
3 From the Plane type list, choose Face parallel.
4 Find the Planar face subsection. Select the Active toggle button.
5 On the object ext1, select Boundary 6 only.
6 In the Offset in normal direction text field, type -1.5.
7 Select the Reverse normal direction check box.
Plane Geometry
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Geometry 1>Work Plane 2 (wp2)
click Plane Geometry.
2 In the Settings window for Plane Geometry, locate the Visualization section.
47
23 Click the Zoom Extents button on the Graphics toolbar.
Fillet 1 (fil1)
1 On the Work plane toolbar, click Fillet.
2 On the object b1, select Points 4 and 6 only.
3 In the Settings window for Fillet, locate the Radius section.
4 In the Radius text field, type 0.3.
5 On the Work plane toolbar, click Build All.
Extrude 2 (ext2)
1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Extrude.
2 In the Settings window for Extrude, locate the Distances from Plane section.
Distances (m)
4
4 Click the Build All Objects button.
Intersection 1 (int1)
1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Booleans and Partitions and choose Intersection.
48
Form Union (fin)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Geometry 1 right-click Form Union
(fin) and choose Build Selected.
DEFINITIONS
Add a set of selections that you can use later when applying boundary conditions.
Explicit 1
1 On the Definitions toolbar, click Explicit.
2 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Definitions right-click Explicit 1 and
choose Rename.
3 In the Rename Explicit dialog box, type connector1 in the New label text field.
4 Click OK.
Explicit 2
1 On the Definitions toolbar, click Explicit.
2 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Definitions right-click Explicit 2 and
choose Rename.
3 In the Rename Explicit dialog box, type connector2 in the New label text field.
4 Click OK.
5 In the Settings window for Explicit, locate the Input Entities section.
Explicit 3
1 On the Definitions toolbar, click Explicit.
2 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Definitions right-click Explicit 3 and
choose Rename.
3 In the Rename Explicit dialog box, type connectors in the New label text field.
4 Click OK.
5 In the Settings window for Explicit, locate the Input Entities section.
ADD MATERIAL
1 On the Model toolbar, click Add Material to open the Add Material window.
49
4 Click Add to Component in the window toolbar.
5 On the Model toolbar, click Add Material to close the Add Material window.
MATERIALS
Cu - Copper (mat1)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Materials click Cu - Copper
(mat1).
2 Settings window for Material, locate the Material Contents section.
3 In the table, enter the following settings:
4 Click to expand the Material properties section. Locate the Material Properties section. In
the Material properties tree, select Electromagnetic Models>Linearized
Resistivity>Reference resistivity (rho0).
Current Conservation 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Electric Currents (ec) click Current
Conservation 1.
2 In the Settings window for Current Conservation, locate the Conduction Current section.
Before solving the two-way coupled model with a temperature-dependent resistivity, use a constant
resistivity for later comparison:
4 From the list, choose User defined. Keep the default zero value for
50
Ground 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Ground.
2 In the Settings window for Ground, locate the Boundary Selection section.
Electric Potential 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Electric Potential.
2 In the Settings window for Electric Potential, locate the Electric Potential section.
4 Locate the Boundary Selection section. From the Selection list, choose connector1.
MULTIPHYSICS
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Multiphysics click Thermal
Expansion 1 (te1).
2 In the Settings window for Thermal Expansion, locate the Thermal Expansion Properties section.
Initial Values 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Heat Transfer in Solids (ht) click
Initial Values 1.
2 In the Settings window for Initial Values, locate the Initial Values section.
Heat Flux 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Heat Flux.
2 In the Settings window for Heat Flux, locate the Boundary Selection section.
Select all boundaries for simplicity; next you will add a node that overrides this boundary condition
for the connectors.
4 Locate the Heat Flux section. Click the Convective heat flux button.
Temperature 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Temperature.
4 Locate the Boundary Selection section. From the Selection list, choose connectors.
51
SOLID MECHANICS (SOLID)
Fixed Constraint 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Fixed Constraint.
2 In the Settings window for Fixed Constraint, locate the Boundary Selection section.
MESH 1
Size
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) right-click Mesh 1 and choose Free
Tetrahedral.
2 In the Settings window for Size, locate the Element Size section.
4 In the Model Builder window, right-click Mesh 1 and choose Build All.
STUDY 1
You can use the default solver settings for this model.
RESULTS
Stress (solid)
The first default plot presents a surface plot of the von Mises stress. Modify it to show the
displacement magnitude.
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Stress (solid) and choose Rename.
2 In the Rename 3D Plot Group dialog box, type Displacement - Study 1 in the New label text field.
3 Click OK.
Displacement - Study 1
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Results>Displacement - Study 1 node, then click
Surface 1.
2 In the Settings window for Surface, click Replace Expression in the upper-right corner of the
Expression section. From the menu, choose Model>Component 1>Solid
Mechanics>Displacement>solid.disp - Total displacement.
3 Locate the Expression section. From the Unit list, choose nm.
4 On the 3D plot group toolbar, click Plot.
52
As the color legend shows, the maximum displacement is roughly 88 nm with a constant resistivity.
Temperature (ht)
The second default surface plot shows the temperature field. Note the maximum temperature of
roughly 1048 K.
Now restore the temperature-dependence of the resistivity that you temporarily disabled and then add
a new study and solve the model again.
Current Conservation 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Electric Currents (ec) click Current
Conservation 1.
2 In the Settings window for Current Conservation, locate the Conduction Current section.
53
ADD STUDY
1 On the Model toolbar, click Add Study to open the Add Study window.
3 Find the Studies subsection. In the Select study tree, select Preset Studies>Stationary.
5 On the Model toolbar, click Add Study to close the Add Study window.
STUDY 2
Step 1: Stationary
On the Model toolbar, click Compute.
RESULTS
Temperature (ht) 1
As you can see from the plot, using the more realistic material model with a temperature-dependent
resistivity has a significant effect on the solution. The maximum temperature is now almost 340 K
lower.
Stress (solid)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Results right-click Stress (solid) and choose Rename.
2 In the Rename 3D Plot Group dialog box, type Displacement - Study 2 in the New label text field.
3 Click OK.
Displacement - Study 2
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Results>Displacement - Study 2 node, then click
Surface 1.
2 In the Settings window for Surface, click Replace Expression in the upper-right corner of the
Expression section. From the menu, choose Model>Component 1>Solid
Mechanics>Displacement>solid.disp - Total displacement.
3 Locate the Expression section. From the Unit list, choose nm.
Similarly, the maximum displacement has been reduced from 88 nm to around 50 nm.
54
LAB 8: PRESSURE SENSOR
AIM:
55
Expected Result:
Modeling Instructions
NEW
1 In the New window, click the Model Wizard button.
MODEL WIZARD
1 In the Model Wizard window, click the 3D button.
56
GEOMETRY 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) click Geometry 1.
Cylinder 1 (cyl1)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Geometry 1 and add
Cylinder
2 In the Cylinder settings window, locate the Size and Shape section.
MATERIALS
On the Home toolbar, click Add Material.
ADD MATERIAL
1 Go to the Add Material window.
57
SOLID MECHANICS (SOLID)
Fixed Constraint 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Solid Mechanics (solid)
and add Fixed Constraint.
2 Select only the curved surface of the cylinder i.e. Boundary 1, 2, 5, 6 only.
Boundary Load 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Solid Mechanics (solid)
and add Boundary Load.
2 Select Boundary 1 only.
3 In the Boundary Load settings window, locate Force and choose Load type as Pressure.
4 In the Pressure edit field enter p = 100e-6 (i.e. 100 micro Pascals)
Then under Home click Build Mesh and then click Compute to obtain Displacement plot under
Results.
Case:
Keep Height constant (=10) and compute displacement for Radius = 150, 175 & 200 m.
Keep Radius constant (=100) and compute displacement for Height = 12, 16 & 20 m.
58
LAB 9: MEMS COMB-DRIVE ACTUATOR
AIM:
59
Expected Result:
Modeling Instructions
NEW
1 In the New window, click the Model Wizard button.
MODEL WIZARD
1 In the Model Wizard window, click the 3D button.
2 In the Select physics tree, select Structural Mechanics>Solid Mechanics (solid) and click
Add. Then select AC/DC>Electrostatics (es).
3 Click the Add button.
60
GEOMETRY 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) click Geometry 1.
Block 1 (blk1)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Geometry 1 and add
Block.
2 In the Block settings window, locate the Size section.
Block 2 (blk2)
1 Right click Geometry 1 and add Block.
Block 3 (blk3)
1 Right click Geometry 1 and add Block.
61
Block 4 (blk4)
1 Right click Geometry 1 and add Block.
Block 5 (blk5)
1 Right click Geometry 1 and add Block.
Block 6 (blk6)
1 Right click Geometry 1 and add Block.
62
The model geometry is now complete.
MATERIALS
On the Home toolbar, click Add Material.
ADD MATERIAL
1 Go to the Add Material window.
63
MATERIALS
Air (mat2)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Materials click Air (mat2).
ELECTROSTATICS (ES)
Electric Potential 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Electrostatics (es) and add
Electric Potential.
2 Select Boundaries 22 & 23 only and in the Electric Potential edit field, type 50 (applying 50 volts).
Ground 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Electrostatics (es) and add
Ground.
Force Calculation 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Electrostatics (es) and add
Force Calculation.
3 In the Force Calculation settings window, locate Force name edit field and type fes.
64
SOLID MECHANICS (SOLID)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> select Solid Mechanics (solid).
2 In the Solid Mechanics settings window, delete domain 1. Domain 1 is the block of air and air is not
a solid, so it cannot be included in the Physics of Solid Mechanics.
Fixed Constraint 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Solid Mechanics (solid)
and add Fixed Constraint.
2 Select Boundaries 6, 9, 12, 31 only.
Boundary Load 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)> right click Solid Mechanics (solid)
and add Boundary Load.
2 Select Boundaries 7, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 only.
3 In the Boundary Load settings window, locate Force and select FA as User defined.
Then under Home toolbar click Build Mesh and then click Compute to obtain Results.
RESULTS
Surface 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Results>Stress (solids)> select Surface 1
2 In the Surface settings window locate and click this symbol and choose Solid Mechanics>
Displacement>solid.disp Total Displacement. Click Plot to obtain Displacement plot.
Scale Factor: As seen in the Graphics window, the two combs appear to intersect each other. To
handle this we need to change the Scale Factor so the combs just touch each and not appear to
cross.
5 In the Scale factor edit field, type 18000. This value may vary from user to user. For this
simulation, by trial and error, value of 18000 was found to be appropriate.
65
Player 1
1 On the Results toolbar, choose Player.
2 In the Player settings window, locate Animation Editing and choose Sequence type: Dynamic
data extension and Cycle type: Linear.
4 In the Graphics window, click Play to play animation and click Stop to stop animation.
66