Snap-through of elastic bistable beam under contactless magnetic actuation

We propose the modeling of contactless switching of a bistable slender beam using Laplace force actuation. The model beam is based on the elastica approach which allows large amplitudes of the cross-section rotation and large elastic transformations. Furthermore, the extensibility of the elastic beam is accounted for and it plays a crucial role in the switching process. The study is devoted particularly to the actuation mechanism of the bistable beam uniformly loaded by a density of lineic force which is permanently perpendicular to the beam deformation. Such actuation can be produced by the Laplace force due to an electric current traveling along the beam placed in a magnetic induction. The mechanism of the bistable switching is analyzed in detail using a variational formulation and stable and unstable equilibria are described. We investigate numerically the post-buckling behavior to capture the exact buckling modes that follow the path in the unstable region. The numerical simulations are also used to obtain the bistable response in terms of actuating force (or electric current amplitude), beam end-shortening and mid-point displacement of the beam. We also perform a finite element computation and provide a validation of the results obtained by solving the set of equations of the boundary value problem. The second part of the work is focussed on the experimental validation of the switching mechanism of the bistable beam presented in the analytical part. We design an experimental set-up for the fine measurement of the mid-point displacement of the bistable beam as a function of the electric current traveling the beam. The region of bistable instability is revealed by experimental adjustment of the bifurcation point associated with the actuating force. All the results extracted from experimental tests are compared to those coming from the modeling investigations, which ascertains with good accuracy the approach of the proposed model for bistable beam.