Analysis and Experimental Validation of Electromechanical Buckling

We show that a symmetric electrostatic field can precipitately instigate buckling in a sub- critically loaded slender structure, and even instigate buckling when the slender structure is subjected to a tensile load. This work includes both theoretical analysis and experimental validation of electromechanical buckling. To this end, special microdevices where designed, fabricated and characterized. The significance of the work is that it generalizes the notion of mechanical buckling by considering the coupling of mechanical and electromechanical bifurcations.