Simulation of the diaphragm properties of a PZT-based valveless micropump

PZT-based micropump is a broadly studied microacuator that could be potentially used for controlling and delivering tiny amounts of fluids as it has simple structure and no internal moving parts. This paper presents a PZT-based micropump which pump fluid via the motion of diaphragm bonded to the piezoelectric element. The mechanical properties of diaphragm driven by input voltages have been analyzed here with ANSYS. The simulation results indicate that the profile of either displacement or velocity of diaphragm is a parabolic surface, in which the maximal value occurred in the central area of diaphragm, and the minimal value occurred at the boundary. Furthermore, the activities of vibration membrane of micropump would be controlled by the driving voltage and thickness of PZT patch, and the displacement of vibration membrane would increase with either the increment of driving voltage or decrement of PZT thickness. The proposed micropump can be potentially integrated into a transdermal drug delivery system, and the simulation results demonstrate its utility as an efficient tool for PZT-based micropump design.