Lorentz force actuation of paper-based electromechanical systems

Abstract

A paper-based electromechanical system (PB-EMS) driven by means of the Lorentz force excitation method is introduced in this work. Such a system consists of a paper-based cantilever beam that is fabricated using conventional printer paper, printable electronics, and standard cutting tools. The results show the feasibility to develop PB-EMS using the Lorentz force actuation principle. In addition, the influence of the driven current on the dynamic response of the PB-EMS is analyzed. A softening effect is identified when increasing the magnitude of the excitation current. This softening effect is evaluated using a lumped model. The spring constant as a function of the excitation current exhibits a linear relationship. Moreover, the frequency response of the system is experimentally studied by using image processing. The maximum variation of the resonance frequency is measured as 16.5% of the nominal frequency when using an excitation current of 300 mA. Thus, it is expected that the Lorentz force excitation can be applied to both drive and tune the behavior of the proposed PB-EMS.