Levitation force enhancing and vibration reducing of NFAL via air-film compensation

•Compensation of the air film by soft materials enhances NFAL performance.•Annular-region compensation provides “seal region” and “wedge shape” effects to increase levitation force.•Central-region compensation mitigates “jump-change” phenomena and reduces the vibration amplitude of levitation plate....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of mechanical sciences 2024-11, Vol.281, p.109637, Article 109637
Main Authors: Zhang, Pengfei, Li, Wenjun, Cai, Shenling, Cao, Shirui, Feng, Kai
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air-film compensation
Levitation force enhancing
Near-field acoustic levitation
Pressure distribution
Reynolds equation
Vibration reducing
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Summary:•Compensation of the air film by soft materials enhances NFAL performance.•Annular-region compensation provides “seal region” and “wedge shape” effects to increase levitation force.•Central-region compensation mitigates “jump-change” phenomena and reduces the vibration amplitude of levitation plate. Near-field acoustic levitation (NFAL) is an innovative contactless handling technology with extensive potential in precision manufacturing and microelectromechanical systems. Despite its promise, challenges persist in addressing low levitation force and inevitable vibration issues in noncontact positioning and handling processes. This study introduces methods to enhance levitation force and reduce vibrations in NFAL systems through multiple regions of air-film compensation, specifically compensating the annular- and central-regions, respectively. Soft materials are strategically placed in the levitation plate's circular and annular grooves to avoid altering the radiator's resonant frequency. The governing equations of the squeeze film are formulated to analyze the levitation force and vibration amplitude. Numerical simulations and experimental validations demonstrate that annular-region compensation uses soft materials to create “seal ring” and “wedge shape” effects, enhancing the air-film pressure and average levitation force. Central-region compensation employs soft materials to minimize pressure differences and gradients of levitation force within the solution domain. These results confirm that NFAL systems via air-film compensation can effectively enhance different performances, providing a viable solution to current limitations. [Display omitted]
ISSN:0020-7403
DOI:10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2024.109637