title: Theory and experiment for soap-film bridge in an electric field.
abstract: Surface tension and electrostatic forces dominate the behavior of many micro and nano scale systems. Understanding interactions between these forces may therefore be of great utility in a number of engineering systems. We investigate one such interaction by subjecting an elastic membrane suspended between two parallel rings to an axially symmetric electric field. A model is formulated and analyzed and the effect of the field is characterized. Experimentally, the system is investigated using a soap-film bridge and a high voltage power source. Experimental observations verify the validity of the theory, in predicting both membrane profile as well as critical device length at which stability is lost.
authors: University of Delaware, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Newark, DE 19716, USA. moulton@math.udel.edu
authors: Derek E
authors: DE
authors: Moulton
authors: John A
authors: JA
authors: Pelesko