Acoustic streaming in micromachined flexural plate wave devices: numerical simulation and experimental verification

This paper presents the numerical simulation and experimental validation of acoustic streaming in micromachined flexural plate wave (FPW) devices. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional models of two device types were considered: the classical device with parallel interdigitated electrodes and the focused device with curved electrodes. Influences of different parameters on the time-averaged velocity were investigated. Thermal transport effects of the acoustic streaming were also considered. We observed the amplifying effect of the streaming in the second type numerically and experimentally. To verify simulation results, the method of the particle image velocimetry (PIV) was applied in the experimental investigation.