Systematic design of cantilever beams for muscle research.

Experimental studies of muscle contraction often involve difficult problems in the design of cantilever beams for movable levers, transducers, or mechanical supports. Equations are presented for the calculation of mass, inertia, stress distribution, strain, deflection curve, compliance, and resonant frequency of uniform or nonuniform cantilever beams made of structural materials of different density or elastic modulus. Formulas are listed for solid, thick-wall, and thin-wall uniform beams of rectangular and circular cross section. Physical properties including density, elastic and torsional moduli, stress and strain limits, thermal expansion coefficients, Poisson's ratio, and certain elastic-modulus-to-density ratios are tabulated for structural materials including common metals, glass, plastic, and wood. A graphical design procedure is presented based on a chart containing loci of constant beam parameter values as a function of beam length and height or diameter, for the simple geometries. The choice of structural material is discussed for design problems with typical constraints, and examples are given of the design of beams of nonuniform cross section. Methods for extending the design chart to other geometries and materials are included.