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Calibration and use of a MEMS surface fence for wall shear stress measurements in turbulent flows

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Abstract

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors are increasingly used for measurements in fluid dynamics since, because of their inherently compact size, they allow access to the information that was previously unavailable. In this paper we describe further testing of a MEMS sensor used to measure surface shear stress. It is a wall-mounted fence that bends under the influence of the pressure difference resulting from the velocity shear at the wall. The fences have been successfully calibrated in a wind tunnel and, as an example of their application, used to determine mean and fluctuating shear stress (along with spectra) in a cylindrical cavity flow.

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Acknowledgments

The work performed in Southampton was funded by the European Union as part of FP6. The help of the School’s EDMC workshop staff and laboratory technicians is also greatfully acknowledged. The experiments described in this paper were performed using the EnFlo software package (written using LabVIEW™), developed and maintained by the University of Surrey; we thank in particular Dr Paul Hayden for his ongoing support. The design and manufacture of the MEMS sensors was partly funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Sfb 557 TP C2) and this support is gratefully acknowledged.

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Author notes

  1. Ralph Savelsberg

    Present address: Faculty of Military Science, Netherlands Defence Academy, Den Helder, P.O. Box 10000, 1780 CA, Den Helder, The Netherlands

  2. Michael Schiffer

    Present address: TDK-EPC, 14532, Stahnsdorf, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microsensor and Actuator Technology, TU Berlin, TIB 3.1, 13355, Berlin, Germany

    Ernst Obermeier

  2. Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK

    Ian P. Castro

Authors
  1. Ralph Savelsberg
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  2. Michael Schiffer
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  3. Ernst Obermeier
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  4. Ian P. Castro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian P. Castro.

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Savelsberg, R., Schiffer, M., Obermeier, E. et al. Calibration and use of a MEMS surface fence for wall shear stress measurements in turbulent flows. Exp Fluids 53, 489–498 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-012-1304-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-012-1304-6

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