Jet Velocity and Acoustic Excitation Characteristics of a Synthetic Jet Actuator

The effect of the excitation frequency of synthetic jet actuators on the mean jet velocity issuing from an array of circular orifices is investigated experimentally, focusing on the acoustic excitation characteristics of the actuator’s cavity. Two cavity configurations are considered. In the first configuration, synthetic jets are generated by exciting a single, large cavity having an array of sixteen orifices via sixteen piezoelectric elements. In the second configuration, the cavity volume of the first configuration is divided into eight isolated compartments, each with two orifices and two piezoelectric elements. Several distinct resonant peaks were observed in the frequency response of the synthetic jet actuator built with a single large-aspect-ratio cavity, whereas the case of compartmentalised cavities exhibited a single resonant peak. Acoustic simulations of the large-aspect-ratio-cavity volume showed that the multiple peaks in its frequency response correspond to the acoustic standing-wave mode shapes of the cavity. Due to its large aspect ratio, several acoustic mode shapes coexist in the excitation frequency range aside from the Helmholtz resonance frequency. When the actuator’s cavity volume is compartmentalised, only the Helmholtz resonance frequency is observed within the excitation frequency range.