Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

A Model For Predicting The Piezoresistive Effect In Microflexures Experiencing Bending And Tension Loads, Gary K. Johns, Larry L. Howell, Brian D. Jensen, Timothy W. Mclain

Faculty Publications

This paper proposes a model for predicting the piezoresistive effect in microflexures experiencing bending stresses. Linear models have long existed for describing piezoresistivity for members in pure tension and compression. However, extensions of linear models to more complex loading conditions do not match with experimental results. A second-order model to predict piezoresistive effects in tension, compression, and more complex loading conditions is proposed. A reduced form of the general second-order model is presented for thin flexures in bending. A three-step approach is used to determine the piezoresistive coefficients for this reduced-form model. The approach is demonstrated for two sets of …