Prediction of the dynamic response of a mini-cantilever beam partially submerged in viscous media using finite element method

In this work, the use of mini cantilever beams for characterization of rheological properties of viscous materials is demonstrated. The dynamic response of a mini cantilever beam partially submerged in air and water is measured experimentally using a duel channel PolyTec scanning vibrometer. The changes in dynamic response of the beam such as resonant frequency, and frequency amplitude are compared as functions of the rheological properties (density and viscosity) of fluid media. Next, finite element analysis (FEA) method is adopted to predict the dynamic response of the same cantilever beam. The numerical prediction is then compared with experimental results already performed to validate the FEA modeling scheme. Once the model is validated, further numerical analysis was conducted to investigate the variation in vibration response with changing fluid properties. Results obtained from this parametric study can be used to measure the rheological properties of any unknown viscous fluid. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.