On the modeling of a piezoelectrically actuated microsensor for simultaneous measurement of fluids viscosity and density

This paper deals with the analysis of a novel micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) fluid density and viscosity sensor. The proposed sensor consists of a micro-beam and a sensing micro-plate immersed in a fluid. In order to actuate longitudinally the micro-beam and micro-plate, the sensor includes a pair of piezoelectric layers bonded to the upper and lower surfaces of the micro-beam and subjected to an AC voltage. The coupled governing partial differential equations of longitudinal vibration of the micro-beam and fluid field have been derived. The obtained governing differential equations with time varying boundary conditions have been transformed to an enhanced form with homogenous boundary conditions. The enhanced equations have been discretized over the beam and fluid domains using a Galerkin based reduced order model. The dynamic response of the sensing plate for different piezoelectric actuation voltages and different exciting frequencies has been investigated. The effects of viscosity and density of fluids and geometrical parameters of the sensor on the response of the sensing plate have been studied. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.