Simulation and experimental investigation of surface acoustic wave streaming velocity

Abstract

This paper presents simulation and experimental methods to determine the effect of liquid viscosity, RF power, and device frequency on surface acoustic wave (SAW) streaming velocity by investigating the movement properties of polystyrene particles in liquid. In order to get the changed value of the liquid viscosity, different ratios of water and glycerin were mixed in a large closed chamber. Leaky surface acoustic wave was generated by a SAW device, and the orthogonal experiments were conducted by changing the magnitude of factors and then measuring and analyzing the temperature of the liquid excited by acoustic streaming. In order to explain the streaming phenomenon, the pressure distribution in the liquid under different excited frequencies and liquid viscosities were simulated by using Comsol software. Based on experimental results and analyses, it was found that: the maximum streaming velocity is 105.1 mm s−1 in the liquid; streaming does not significantly affect the temperature in the liquid; and the order of sensitivity degree affected by each factor of acoustic streaming velocity is liquid viscosity, RF power, and device frequency.