Dynamics of a novel bistable mechanism with mechanical-magnetic coupled structure

Bistable mechanisms are very appealing in the design of valves, switches and actuators. By utilizing the nonlinear magnetic structure and elastic cantilevers, a novel bistable mechanism was designed. Based on the magnetic charge model and material mechanics theory, the nonlinear force during the snap-through procedure was calculated accurately, which is in accordance with that obtained by the experiments. In addition, the bistable characteristics including the threshold snapping force, the traveling range, and stable positions can be adjusted by changing the structure parameters and the relative distance among the magnets. The dynamic analysis shows that the bistable structure has a good frequency distinguishing capacity for mechanical shock pulses.