文档介绍：The Effect of Surface Roughness on the Pressure
Required for Coupler Sealing
M. Kathryn Thompson
Mechanical Engineering Dept, MIT
John M. Thompson, PhD
Consulting Engineer
Alexander H. Slocum, PhD
Mechanical Engineering Dept, MIT
Abstract
The design for a reversible microfluidic coupler is proposed for use with microreactors and other MEMS
devices. However, real couplers will include imperfections that must be considered to fully evaluate the
degree of sealing. A method is presented for applying a normally distributed surface finish with a
predetermined amplitude to a perfectly flat contact surface. The method is then applied to a microfluidic
coupler seal to determine the load necessary to plete sealing when the coupler has a non-ideal
surface.
Introduction
The benefits of micro scale biological and chemical reactors are well understood. Micro Electrical
Mechanical Systems (MEMS) use small sample and reagent volumes, reducing cost and waste, increasing
reaction yield and reducing the danger of spilled or leaking reactants. They have high mass and heat
transfer rates, high surface to volume ratios and operate in the laminar flow
These advantages have caused an increasing trend towards the development of microfluidic systems that
use multiple ponents. Chemical microreactor systems use a minimum of four chips plete
their processes: a mixer, a reactor, a heat exchanger and a separator. Biochemical integrated circuits often
use six or more ponents. It is desirable to be able to quickly connect and disconnect the
ponents of the system to replace or repair ponents and to increase the
flexibility of the systems for research purposes. While the ability to create individual micro scale
components is very good and getting better, the technology to link ponents into viable systems is
still underdeveloped.
Fluids are often transferred from one MEMS device to another via macro scale interconnects. By
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