Bi-stability resistant to fluctuations

M. Caruel (1) , L. Truskinovsky (2)

1 MSME - Laboratoire de Modélisation et Simulation Multi Echelle
2 PMMH - Physique et mécanique des milieux hétérogenes (UMR 7636)

We study a simple micro-mechanical device that does not lose its snap-through behavior in an environment dominated by fluctuations. The main idea is to have several degrees of freedom that can cooperatively resist the de-synchronizing effect of random perturbations. As an inspiration we use the power stroke machinery of skeletal muscles, which ensures at sub-micron scales and finite temperatures a spectacularly swift recovery of an abruptly applied slack. In addition to hypersensitive response at finite temperatures, our prototypical Brownian snap spring also exhibits criticality at special values of parameters which is another potentially interesting property for micro-scale engineering applications.

Domaines: Biophysique [physics.bio-ph]

M. Caruel, L. Truskinovsky. Bi-stability resistant to fluctuations. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2017, ⟨10.1016/j.jmps.2017.08.007⟩. ⟨hal-01423380⟩