Multi-physics analysis on a unimorphic piezoelectric diaphragm according to its shape and boundary conditions for the performance enhancement

A micro-viscometer for measuring viscosity change in small amount of liquid in real time has been proposed recently. The advantages of the device are the use of minimal liquid and maximized sensitivity for measuring viscosity. However, in previous research, even though the multi-physical simulation including electrical, mechanical, and acoustical phenomenon is necessary for design of micro-viscometer, only acoustical aspects have been considered. Thus, combined physical phenomena could not be reflected for an optimum design process. In this research, a multi-physical approach is developed for designing a micro-viscometer, and an optimized micro-viscometer design is proposed. The proposed method is able to capture multi-physical phenomena such as near field effect and added mass effect. It also has the advantage of flexible design of various shape and materials, leading to savings of cost and time.