Constant Velocity High Force Microactuator for Stick-Slip Testing of Micromac…

Abstract—A chevron thermal actuator has been implemented as a constant velocity puller in a multiasperity frictional test platform. This platform enables a wide variation of puller velocity (1–3100 μm/s, 3.5 decades), normal load (2–4500 μN, 3.4 decades), and spring constant (0.06–100 μN/μm, 3.2 decades). These characteristics are achieved by leveraging the actuator thermal time con…