A gap with variable geometry is presented for both cantilever beam and fixed-fixed beam actuators as a method to reduce the pull-in voltage while maintaining a required displacement. The method is applicable to beams oriented either in a plane parallel to or perpendicular to a substrate, but is most suitable for vertically oriented (lateral) beams fabricated with a high aspect ratio process whe...

We present a modified finite element method that is able to approximate interface problems with high accuracy. We consider interface problems, where the solution is continuous, its derivatives however may be discontinuous across interface curves within the domain. The proposed discretization is based on a local modification of the finite element basis which corresponds to a fitted finite elemen...

This article takes the form of a tutorial on the use of a particular class of mixed finite element methods, which can be thought of as the finite element extension of the C-grid staggered finite difference method. The class is often referred to as compatible finite elements, mimetic finite elements, discrete differential forms or finite element exterior calculus. We provide an elementary introd...

starting from two-dimensional (2d) equations of motion, discretized formulations for transient behavior of soil-structure interaction problems have been derived. two different dynamic infinite elements taking into account single and two-wave types are presented in transformed space. by coupling the infinite elements with standard finite elements, an ordinary finite element procedure is used for...

A parallel finite element simulator, ichannel, is developed for ion transport through three-dimensional ion channel systems that consist of protein and membrane. The coordinates of heavy atoms of the protein are taken from the Protein Data Bank and the membrane is represented as a slab. The simulator contains two components: a parallel adaptive finite element solver for a set of Poisson-Nernst-...

a non-linear finite element model could be a useful tool in the development of a method of predicting soil pressure-sinkage behaviour, and can be used to investigate and analyze soil compaction. this study was undertaken to emphasize that the finite element method (fem) is a proper technique to model soil pressure-sinkage behaviour. for this purpose, the finite element method was used to model ...