An SMA-Driven Micropump Using ECF Jet Cooling

Abstract

For high power micromachines using fluid power in millimeter size, micropumps are needed as fluid power sources. An SMA or Shape Memory Alloy is one of promising actuators for micropumps, however, the response is very low on the cooling phase. To overcome the problem, the paper proposes an SMA-driven micropump using ECF jet cooling. The ECF or Electro-Conjugate Fluid is a new kind of dielectric functional fluid which produces jet flows between high DC voltage-applied rod electrodes and realizes a simple cooling mechanism. Firstly, the micropump is proposed and characteristics of the actuator using ECF jet cooling are experimentally investigated. Effectiveness of the ECF jet cooling is verified. Secondly, a micropump in 1 cm-cubic size is fabricated and the basic characteristics are experimentally investigated. The optimal parameters are obtained and the maximum output flowrate and pressure of 11 mm³/s and 0.18 MPa are realized. Finally, for an optimal design method a mathe matical model is derived and verified through simulations.