Experimental Validation of a Squeeze-Film Damping Model Based on the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Method

A model for computing the force from a gas film squeezed between parallel plates was recently developed using Direct Simulation Monte Carlo simulations in conjunction with the classical Reynolds equation. This paper compares predictions from that model with experimental data. The experimental validation used an almost rectangular MEMS oscillating plate with piezoelectric base excitation. The velocities of the suspended plate and of the substrate were measured with a laser Doppler vibrometer and a microscope. Experimental modal analysis yielded the damping ratio of twelve test structures for several different gas pressures. Small perforation holes in the plates did not alter the squeeze-film damping substantially. These experimental data suggest that the model predicts squeeze-film damping forces accurately. From this comparison, it is seen that these structures have a tangential-velocity accommodation coefficient close to unity.