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Micromechanics studies engineered structures and systems at a small level, requiring scale to be taken into account. It benefits various fields, including medicine, watches, and automobiles. As objects get smaller, weight and inertia become less significant, and forces related to surface area become highly significant. Micromechanical parts use less energy, are less expensive, and weigh less than their full-sized counterparts. Silicon and LIGA techniques are used to create small machines. Micromechanics of inhomogeneous materials helps predict how small changes in composite materials can change durability and other material properties.
Micromechanics, also known as MicroElectricalMechanical Systems (MEMS), is the study of engineered structures and systems at the smallest level, usually measured in millimeters in microns, a unit measuring 1 1 millionth of a metre. The principles of mechanics and engineering change as objects get smaller, requiring scale to be taken into account when analyzing and developing micro-devices. Micromechanics of materials is the analysis of composite materials at the level of their individual constituents to predict how these materials will react under various conditions.
The medical field, watch industry, and automotive industry commonly use applications of micromechanics. Virtually all fields that use engineered products and systems benefit from micromechanics. For example, studying micromechanics can help engineers determine which materials are safer for use in automobiles and are more resistant to damage from forces during an accident.
The basis of micromechanics is that as objects get smaller, the forces related to volume become less significant. Weight and inertia become less of a concern in the microscopic world, opening up new engineering opportunities for small objects and systems that are difficult or not possible in the macroscopic world. Similarly, forces related to surface area, such as friction and surface tension, become highly significant as objects get smaller.
Micromechanical parts use less energy, are generally less expensive, and weigh less than their full-sized counterparts. These types of machines can be manufactured with a high degree of precision using special techniques. For example, engineers can use electrical discharge machining (EDM) to make parts such as turbines from electrically conductive materials.
Another area of growing interest in micromechanics is the use of silicon to create extremely small machines using a photographic-like process. These machines are created already assembled and fully functional. Silicon surface micromachining uses a silicon wafer as the model surface. Once the pattern has been etched layer by layer onto the wafer, the excess silicon is removed, leaving a functional micro-component. Batch micromachining performs a similar task by removing parts of the silicon wafer, leaving a working micromachine that is already assembled.
LIGA is an acronym from the German word for lithography. The LIGA technique uses X-ray lithography to apply an image to polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The PMMA is then dipped into an etching medium to remove unwanted material, leaving a micromachine.
The micromechanics of inhomogeneous materials provides that composites, i.e. materials made up of two or more differentiated materials, must be treated differently from homogeneous materials. Homogenization is used to make predictions about how two materials will react under various conditions in composite form based on their individual qualities. This helps microengineers predict how small changes in composite materials can change the durability and other material properties.
