Design, Simulation and Fabrication of A Micromachined Cantilever-based Flow Sensor

A micromachined cantilever-based flow sensor is designed, depending on the detection of surface strain on the cantilever caused by the mass flow. In the continuous flow mode, the deflection of cantilever is directly proportional to the flow rate. The working mechanism of the strain beam in the flow sensor is analyzed, and the finite element method (FEM) is used to investigate the structural deformation and stress distribution, and the FLUENT is used to analysis the coupling characteristics between the fluid and solid. According to the simplified stress analysis and simulation results, the flow sensor has a sufficient structural strength within its measure range of 10 to 200ml/min, and will achieve ideal static characteristics that meet the requirements of practical applications. By varying the design of the cantilever, the measurement range and sensitivity of the sensor can be changed.