Passive strategies based on the introduction of energy dissipating devices into the structures have received considerable attention in recent years. Within this framework, as reliable and cheap energy-dissipation devices, viscous fluid dampers have been largely used in seismic protection of industrial machines, technical equipments, buildings and bridges. Since the versatility of this passive p...

In this paper, we develop for the first time to our knowledge an analytical theory of second harmonic generation (SHG) in a generic nonuniform χ 2 medium. It is shown that by varying the properties of the medium gradually enough, the system can enter an autoresonant state in which the phases of the fundamental pump and of the generated second harmonic wave are locked. The effect of autoresonanc...

A methodology for the optimal design and operation of microfabricated fuel cell systems is proposed and algorithms for relevant optimization problems are developed. The methodology relies on modeling, simulation and optimization at three levels of modeling detail. The first class of optimization problems considered are parametric mixed-integer linear programs and the second class are bilevel pr...

Owing to its high nonlinearity and low passive losses, KNbO3 has great potential as a medium for efficient frequency doubling and parametric oscillation." 2 For example, KNbO3 has been used successfully for the production of cw blue light by frequency doubling of a dye laser,3 doubling of a semiconductor diode laser,4 and nonlinear mixing of diode and Nd:YAG lasers.5 In recent work we observed ...

Electrostatically-actuated resonant microbeam devices have garnered significant attention due to their geometric simplicity and broad applicability. Recently, some of this focus has turned to comb-driven microresonators with purely-parametric excitation, as such systems not only exhibit the inherent benefits of MEMS devices, but also a general improvement in sensitivity, stopband attenuation an...

A study of one-dimensional (1-D) self-assembly of a type of mechanical conformational switches, minus devices is presented where assembly occurs via the sequential mating of a random pair of parts selected from a part bin, referred to as sequential random bin-picking. Parametric design optimization of the minus devices via a genetic algorithm maximizing the yield of a desired assembly, and rate...

This review provides a summary of the work completed to date on the nonlinear dynamics of resonant microand nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). This research area, which has been active for approximately a decade, involves the study of nonlinear behaviors arising in small scale, vibratory, mechanical devices that are typically integrated with electronics for use in signal processing, act...

Recent advances in additive manufacturing (AM) techniques in terms of accuracy, reliability, the range of processable materials, and commercial availability have made them promising candidates for production of functional parts including those used in the biomedical industry. The complexity-for-free feature offered by AM means that very complex designs become feasible to manufacture, while batc...