Correlating the Ultrasonic Thrust Force with Acoustic Streaming Velocity
The UltraSonic Thruster (UST) is an actuator which employs a piezoelectric transducer to generate a highly directive ultrasonic wave so as to produce bulk fluid movement. This streaming phenomenon can be utilized underwater for thrusting or maneuvering purposes in marine applications, and parti...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
2011
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62240 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2621-7633 |
| Summary: | The UltraSonic Thruster (UST) is an actuator which
employs a piezoelectric transducer to generate a highly directive
ultrasonic wave so as to produce bulk fluid movement. This
streaming phenomenon can be utilized underwater for thrusting
or maneuvering purposes in marine applications, and
particularly at very small scale. We make a new connection
between fluid flow and forces, establishing a specific formula for
estimating overall thrust from the velocity field. Using Particle
Image Velocimetry (PIV) and force measurements, we confirmed
the result, with an error of about five percent in several tests. The
use of PIV for characterizing UST properties is considerably
richer than measuring thrust or acoustic intensity alone, and
could lead to new insights during the design process. |
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