Effect of quartz crystal thermal stress on its performance in active temperature control quartz crystal microbalance dew point sensors

Abstract

For accurate dew point identification in active temperature control quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) dew point measurement, the influence of quartz crystal thermal stress effect on its vibration performance was studied. The finite element analysis (FEA) based on thermal structure coupling analysis was conducted to analyze the thermal stress effect of quartz crystal with different parameters. The FEA results showed that the quartz crystal thermal stress had a great influence on its vibration properties, and the influence was related to its temperature values as well as the structural parameters. The diameter, resonant frequency, and the temperature applied region on the non-electrode of the quartz crystal had an influence on its thermal stress effect. Among the above factors, the diameter of the quartz crystal played the main role, and the quartz crystal with a small diameter was less susceptible to thermal stress. Experiments of quartz crystal with different structure parameters were carried out to study the thermal stress effect on its dew point measurement performance, and the results showed that the quartz crystal with a small diameter was less affected by the thermal stress effect and exhibited more obvious dew point recognition features as well as better measurement accuracy and stability.