Issue 23

G. De Pasquale et alii, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 23 (2013) 114-126; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.23.12 118 adopted to provide uniform stress distribution in their material when bend; they act as structural hinges and allows a rigid rotation of the perforated plates. When the plates are actuated, the hinges allow a rigid rotation of the plates around an axis corresponding to the outer constraints, and the specimen undergoes a tensile load. The combined symmetrical rotation of the plates causes a tensile actuation of the specimen situated at the center of the device. Nominal dimensions and effective dimensions of test structures are reported in Tab. 2; the measures were taken with the optical profilometer. The differences between measures are due to the building process tolerances. ( a) ( b) Figure 2 : Geometrical shape of the testing device for tensile fatigue loading where the gap thickness is enlarged ( a) and SEM image of the actual device ( b) . Nominal dimension [μm] Measured dimension [μm] Specimen length 30.0 27.7 Specimen width 10.0 11.2 Connection radius 4.0 4.0 Plate length 450.8 457.8 Plate width 85.0 84.3 Holes side 8.0 7.8 Number of holes per plate 22 x3 22 x3 Supports length 50.0 48.2 Supports internal width 15.0 12.8 Supports external width 25.0 23.2 Lower electrode width 105.0 105.0 Internal electrodes distance 85.0 84.7 Specimen thickness 1.800 1.900 Plate thickness 5.400 5.450 Supports thickness 5.400 5.450 Lower electrode thickness 2.300 2.360 Air gap thickness 4.500 4.500 Table 2 : Nominal dimensions and dimensions measured by optical profilometer on actual test structures for tensile fatigue loading. FEM MODELS he specimen design activity was supported by numerical simulations implemented using a commercial-type tool ( ANSYS) for optimizing test device geometry. The nonlinear relationship between structural and electrical domains, due to electrostatic force depending on the local gap width, was modeled by 1-D multiphysics elements T