Effect of Wind-Induced Vibration on Measurement Range of Microcantilever Anemometer

Abstract

In this paper, the effect of wind-induced vibration on measurement range of microcantilever anemometer is investigated for the first time. The microcantilever anemometer is composed of a flexible substrate and a piezoresistor. The wind speed can be detected through the airflow-induced deformation in the flexible substrate. Previous work indicated that the flexible substrate vibrates violently once the wind speed exceeds a critical value, resulting in severe output jitter. This wind-induced vibration limits the measurement range of the anemometer, and the relationship between the anemometer measurement range and its structural parameters has not been explored systematically. Therefore, this paper aims to reveal this relationship theoretically and experimentally, demonstrating that a shorter and thicker cantilever with larger stiffness can effectively suppress the wind-induced vibration, leading to the critical speed rising. By eliminating the wind-induced vibration, the measurement range of the microcantilever anemometer can be increased by up to 697%. These results presented in this paper can pave the way for the design and fabrication of wide-range mechanical anemometers.