Magnetically Actuated Microvalves for Active Flow Control

This paper describes the design, fabrication and characterization of silicon based, high flow rate microvalves for the active control of separated air flows. The fabricated system provides pulsed microjets with an outlet speed reaching 150 m/s at an actuation frequency ranging from static actuation to 2.2 kHz, using either electromagnetic actuation or a self oscillating mode. After a brief introduction, the microvalve dimensioning and fabrication process are presented. The actuation techniques used are then described and discussed.