Air Damping Simulation of MEMS Torsional Paddle

N. Mahmoodi[1], C. J. Anthony[1]
[1]University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Publié en 2014

Viscous damping has a significant effect on dynamic performance of the resonators operating within fluid. This work is aimed to find the viscous damping for MEMS torsional paddle operating in air. Interaction of moving structure with the fluid requires a complicated and challenging analysis. The Fluid-Structure Interaction interface of COMSOL Multiphysics® software is used to study the 2-D interaction of torsional paddle resonator with air and evaluate the damping torque and Quality factor. The effect of resonance frequency by changing the torsional spring on air damping is investigated. The damping coefficient as a function of angular velocity is presented. Prediction of air damping can be used for optimization of such a sensor at design steps.