ACOUSTICALLY GENERATED MICROMACHINED JET ARRAYS FOR MICROPROPULSION APPLICATIONS

摘要

Theory, manufacturing and experimental results of acoustically generated micromachined jet arrays for micropropulsion applications are presented. A reduced order theoretical analysis is found to be an accurate performance predictor. Scaling laws derived from the theory suggest the performance benefits derived by reducing the geometric size of the resonators, specifically the application of MEMS technologies. A novel manufacturing method is employed to construct the devices, incorporating an electrostatically actuated membrane to drive the acoustic jets. Experimental results of the MEMS devices demonstrate a structurally sound design, and a performance commensurate with expectations.