Abstract
Broadband, multi-functional and parallel-processing devices are often built on coupled oscillators or arrays of resonators. Different length scales and applications determine the dominating coupling mechanism of the device. In this paper we investigate the effects of interactive fluid coupling between members of a one-dimensional array wherein only one member is actuated. We are specifically interested in studying the influence of non-neighbouring members in small-size arrays comprising of three and five members for different Reynolds numbers and gap widths between members. Our model and analysis is based on the Navier–Stokes equation for incompressible flow which is solved using a boundary integral technique resulting in the hydrodynamic coupling matrix through which added mass and damping effects are inferred. Results clearly suggest that non-neighbouring members play a significant role for most typical array configurations and therefore cannot be ignored. In particular, arrays with more than three members must account for the behaviour of such a device with all member interactions. Thus, predicting the performance of most new and emerging technologies such as sensors and biomedical devices is determined by array effects rather than local, nearest neighbour influences.
Highlights
There has been growing interest in understanding the collective dynamics of oscillators, especially in a fluid environment both at micro- and macro-scales
We focus on the hydrodynamic coupling effects between members in an array
The pressure profile over the entire array is established by the position of energy input and load distributed according to gap width and Reynolds number
Summary
There has been growing interest in understanding the collective dynamics of oscillators, especially in a fluid environment both at micro- and macro-scales. Several researchers explored the coupling dynamics between a pair of cantilevers analytically and experimentally [10,11,12] It was shown by Intartaglia et al [12] that the added mass effect is magnified for decreasing gaps and hydrodynamic damping decreases as the gap increases. Cellini et al [13] investigated hydrodynamic coupling effects in a parallel array (face-to-face configuration) of five identical ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) subjected to low frequency base excitation, limiting the interactions only to nearest neighbours. Their analysis suggests that closely spaced IPMCs result in higher harvested powers, which is validated experimentally
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