Fluid dynamics investigation of large array of beams oscillating close to a rigid surface

Abstract

In the last decade, several studies have been conducted to investigate the hydrodynamic loading of a single cantilever beam or a small array of beams oscillating in a quiescent fluid. In microsystems such as atomic force microscopy, where the beam oscillates near the surface, the use of a large array of thin beams is becoming increasingly popular. It is important to understand the fluid dynamics behaviour of such large arrays. To analyse the array effects of all beams acting in phase, we apply a two-dimensional boundary integral method (BIM) to solve the unsteady Stokes and continuity equations. In particular, we examine the interactions between neighbouring and non-neighbouring members as well as the influence of the rigid surface on the overall hydrodynamic force. When the gap between members is small and the members vibrate close to a rigid surface, the first results suggest a significant increase in viscous dissipation.