A low cycle fatigue test device for micro-cantilevers based on self-excited vibration principle

This paper reports a low-cycle fatigue test device for micro-cantilevers, which are widely used in micro scale structures. The working principle of the device is based on the phenomenon that a micro-cantilever can be set into self-excited vibration between two electrodes under DC voltage. Compared with previous devices, this simple device can produce large strain amplitude on non-notched specimens, and allows a batch of specimens to be tested simultaneously. Forty-two micro-cantilever specimens were tested and their fatigue fracture surfaces exhibit typical low cycle fatigue characteristics. As such, the device is very attractive for future fatigue investigation for micro scale structures.