Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Coupled Vibration of a Microcantilever Array
Abstract The coupled vibration of microcantilevers, which is induced by airflow, is analyzed in the present study in order to develop high-speed information and sensing devices that use micro-actuator arrays. Simple formulas that give the vibrational coupling amplitude and damping ratio are derived by replacing the cantilevers with a string of spheres, solving Stokes equation, then combining it with an ordinary beam equation. Using these formulas, the coupling amplitude is seen to increase as the beam size, beam gap, internal friction, and the difference in the resonant frequencies of the beams all decrease; the damping ratio is seen to increase as the beam becomes smaller. The validity of the theory advanced here is verified with actual size and enlarged model experiments.