Design and Finite Element Modeling of Electro-Thermal Actuator for Biological Applications

Abstract

This paper presents the designing, modeling and parametric analysis of V-shaped Electro-Thermal Actuator (ETA). The actuator was designed using aluminum alloy due to its advantageous electrical and thermal properties. A CAD model of an actuator was developed and its various geometrical parameters for example, length, width and angle, thermal input like temperature and electrical input such as voltage were analyzed to determine their effect on the displacement and stress of the actuator. The Finite Element Modeling of the actuator is performed in ANSYS Mechanical 14.5. The analytical model was developed by deriving governing equations. The model validation was achieved by comparing analytical and simulation results. The results show the output displacement of 20 µm along with 320 MPa stress at lower operating voltage of 0.1V. The actuator is in high demand for biological applications, such as the manipulation of cells and tissues.