Title: Density determination of low viscous fluid utilising frequency response of PZT-steel cantilever sensor

Authors: Shivanku Chauhan; Abhinav Sharma; Mohd. Zahid Ansari

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, ABES Engineering College, Gaziabad, UP, 201009, India ' MEMS and Microfluidics Lab, Mechanical Engineering Discipline, PDPM-Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Airport Road, Jabalpur, MP, 482005, India ' MEMS and Microfluidics Lab, Mechanical Engineering Discipline, PDPM-Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Airport Road, Jabalpur, MP, 482005, India

Abstract: This work presents a study on density estimation of low-viscosity fluids using the frequency response of a lightweight and portable PZT-steel cantilever sensor. A coupled numerical model is developed to simulate the sensor's behaviour when partially immersed in different fluidic environments. In addition, an analytical frequency-density relation is formulated for inviscid fluids and further improved by introducing a correction shape factor to account for partial immersion. The density estimated using the developed frequency-density relationship, together with the experimental frequency response of the PZT-steel cantilever sensor, closely matches the actual density values of different fluidic media (liquid paraffin, water, and glycerin), with a deviation of only 2%-3%. The results confirm that the PZT-steel cantilever exhibits high sensitivity and accuracy in density measurement across different fluid media. Compared with conventional density metres, the proposed cantilever-based approach offers a compact, low-cost, and accurate alternative for fluid characterisation.

Keywords: density; fluidic media; numerical modelling; PZT-steel cantilever sensor; resonant frequency.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHM.2026.155978

International Journal of Hydromechatronics, 2026 Vol.9 No.3, pp.317 - 336

Received: 04 Aug 2025
Accepted: 01 Oct 2025
Published online: 28 Aug 2026 *

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