Vibrating Flexoelectric Micro-Beams as Angular Rate Sensors

Yilin Qu; Feng Jin; Jiashi Yang

doi:10.3390/mi13081243

Micromachines (Aug 2022)

Vibrating Flexoelectric Micro-Beams as Angular Rate Sensors

Yilin Qu,
Feng Jin,
Jiashi Yang

Affiliations

Yilin Qu: State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Feng Jin: State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Jiashi Yang: Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0526, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13081243
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 13, no. 8
p. 1243

Abstract

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We studied flexoelectrically excited/detected bending vibrations in perpendicular directions of a micro-beam spinning about its axis. A set of one-dimensional equations was derived and used in a theoretical analysis. It is shown that the Coriolis effect associated with the spin produces an electrical output proportional to the angular rate of the spin when it is small. Thus, the beam can be used as a gyroscope for angular rate sensing. Compared to conventional piezoelectric beam gyroscopes, the flexoelectric beam proposed and analyzed has a simpler structure.

Published in Micromachines

ISSN: 2072-666X (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Mechanical engineering and machinery
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/micromachines

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