Ultrasonic trapping of small particles by sharp edges vibrating in a flexural mode

Ultrasonic trapping of small particles by sharp edges vibrating in a flexural mode is reported. Two rectangular metal plates with a sharp edge are mechanically excited to vibrate in a flexural mode by the piezoelectric rings which are pressed between them by a bolt structure. Small particles such as mint seeds and flying color seeds can be attracted to the sharp edges of the plates. Relationship between input power applied to the piezoelectric rings and the number of trapped particles is experimentally investigated for mint seeds and flying color seeds in water and air. The result shows that for a given type of particle, there exists an input power at which the number of trapped particles is a maximum. Mechanism analysis shows that nodes or antinodes of acoustic pressure of the sound field near the sharp edges are responsible for the trapping. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.