CFD analysis and experimental validation on the scheme of calibration for MEMS wall shear stress sensors array for underwater applications

The measurement of wall shear stress on hydrodynamic surface is important for the design of advanced naval technology.Accurate calibration,first of all the essential static calibra-tion,of the shear stress sensor is indispensable to any practical measurement.To aid the accurate calibration for MEMS wall shear stress sensors array for underwater applications,the flow field in the test section of a sophisticated calibrator which is a water flume based on the method of channel flow is numerically simulated in detail and verified by measurement with a Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA).The distance needed for the flow to fully develop from the inlet inside the flume is estimated,as well as the pressure distribution along the wall and the range of wall shear stress available for calibration operation.The scheme of calibration for MEMS wall shear stress sensors array for underwater applications is then designed and further validated with the good agreement among the results of shear stress obtained by theoretical analysis,CFD simulation and experiments respectively,which would be of use to the next calibration experiments for MEMS wall shear stress sensors array for underwater applications.