Joule Heating of a Microactuator
Application ID: 8493
This tutorial model of a two-hot-arm thermal actuator couples three different physics phenomena: electric current conduction, heat conduction with heat generation, and structural stresses and strains due to thermal expansion.
The model exists in three versions:
Joule Heating of a Microactuator (thermal_actuator_jh.mph): In this model version, only the currents and temperatures are computed, while the deformation is ignored. Only the COMSOL Multiphysics license is required.
Thermal Actuator (thermal_actuator_tem.mph): In this model version, a fully coupled electrical-thermal-structural analysis is performed. A license for either the Structural Mechanics Module or the MEMS Module is required.
Thermal Actuator - Parameterized (thermal_actuator_tem_parameterized.mph): This model is identical to the previous, except that the geometry is parameterized so that the effect of varying the actuator's dimensions can be analyzed. A license for either the Structural Mechanics Module or the MEMS Module is required.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
- COMSOL Multiphysics® and
- either the MEMS Module, or Structural Mechanics Module
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Specification Chart and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.