MICRO-ELECTRO-MECHANICAL-SYSTEMS (MEMS) AND FLUID FLOWS

The micromachining technology that emerged in the late 1980s can provide micron-sized sensors and actuators. These micro transducers are able to be integrated with signal conditioning and processing circuitry to form micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) that can perform real-time distributed cont...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of fluid mechanics 1998-01, Vol.30 (1), p.579-612
Main Authors: Ho, Chih-Ming, Tai, Yu-Chong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Exact sciences and technology
Flow control
Fluid dynamics
Fluid flow
Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications)
General equipment and techniques
Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy
Mechanical engineering. Machine design
MEMS
micro transducers
Physics
Precision engineering, watch making
Servo and control equipment
robots
size effect
surface force
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Summary:The micromachining technology that emerged in the late 1980s can provide micron-sized sensors and actuators. These micro transducers are able to be integrated with signal conditioning and processing circuitry to form micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) that can perform real-time distributed control. This capability opens up a new territory for flow control research. On the other hand, surface effects dominate the fluid flowing through these miniature mechanical devices because of the large surface-to-volume ratio in micron-scale configurations. We need to reexamine the surface forces in the momentum equation. Owing to their smallness, gas flows experience large Knudsen numbers, and therefore boundary conditions need to be modified. Besides being an enabling technology, MEMS also provide many challenges for fundamental flow-science research.
ISSN:0066-4189
1545-4479
DOI:10.1146/annurev.fluid.30.1.579