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Design and simulation of a resonance-based MEMS viscosity sensor

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Abstract

The paper presents the design and simulation of a MEMS-based resonant viscosity sensor using a piezoelectric micro diaphragm. The sensor comprises a vibrating diaphragm as a resonating element with piezoelectric excitation and detection. As the viscosity of the liquid beneath the diaphragm changes, the resonant frequency also changes. A numerical model of a diaphragm is designed in the COMSOL Multiphysics FEM tool, and its resonance characteristics were studied with a fluid of different viscosities beneath it. To support the numerical simulation results, mesoscale experimentation was also performed using a stainless steel thin sheet as a diaphragm and also to verify the proof of concept of the proposed sensor. The major benefit of the proposed sensor is that it uses the resonance measurement principle and can be shown to offer good stable performance, resolution, reliability, and response time. The proposed sensor can also be showcased as a hand-held laboratory product for quick viscosity measurements.

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The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available in the article and can also be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank BITS Pilani for providing the Additional Competitive Research Grant (ACRG) internal grant to carry out this work.

Funding

This work was not supported/funded by any government or private agencies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electrical and Electronics Engineering, BITS Pilani, Pilani, India

    Deeksha Shridhar Vishnampet & Sujan Yenuganti

  2. Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering, VR Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada, AP, India

    Sankalp Paliwal

  3. Chemical Engineering, RGUKT-Nuzvid, Nuzvid, India

    Mythili Peparthi

  4. Electronics and Communication Engineering, Vel Tech University, Chennai, India

    Kavitha Panneerselvam

Authors
  1. Deeksha Shridhar Vishnampet
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  2. Sujan Yenuganti
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  5. Kavitha Panneerselvam
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Correspondence to Sujan Yenuganti.

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Vishnampet, D.S., Yenuganti, S., Paliwal, S. et al. Design and simulation of a resonance-based MEMS viscosity sensor. J Comput Electron 23, 122–130 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10825-023-02114-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10825-023-02114-9

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