https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20159202097
Proposal for an electro/fluidic no-moving-part transducer based on wall-jet separation from a heated curved surface
Institute of Thermomechanics v.v.i., Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Dolejškova 5, 182 00 Praha-Kobylisy, Czech Republic
a Corresponding author: tesar@it.cas.cz
Published online: 6 May 2015
Transducers for varying output flow from a fluidic device in dependence on electric input signal are increasing in importance – and yet no their design has been so far fully satisfactory. Except those that handle very extraordinary liquids (e.g. electro-rheologic), the transducers operate in two stages. The first stage is conversion into a motion or deformation of a mechanical component. In the second stage this mechanical effect acts on the output fluid flow. This signal conversion involving mechanical movements is a weak link between no-moving-parts electronics as well as no-moving-parts fluidics. Mechanical components complicate manufacturing, have tendency to get stuck or become worn – or, if deformed, may break (e.g. due to material fatigue). Their inertia limits the frequency range. Author here proposes a new transducer idea. The electric input heats the wall to which is attached a fluid jet, causing separation of the jet from the surface. Preliminary experiments show that relatively small heating suffices to change the flowfield substantially — and the reduction of the attachment wall to a thin metal foil can make the frequency range quite acceptable.
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2015
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
