Experimental and Computational Analysis of Mass Sensor Structure

A mass sensor used in an automatic suction system plays an important role in measuring the breathing information of patients. However, the sensor is not originally designed for medical purpose, and it is too expensive for use in medical devices. Thus, it needs to be customized for economic applications. As a starting point of economic fabrication, mass sensor models were selected and investigated for replacement. The analysis was carried out by both CFD simulation and experiments. Nine models of structure were selected and compared. The results showed that an asymmetrically designed box type model provided the most realistic fluid flow situation. As a final step before suggesting an economical design of the mass sensor, we compared the prototype of the proposed design with the original structure. It shows that there is almost no difference in function between the current aluminum product and the prototype manufactured using a 3D printer.