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The applications of piezoelectric synthetic jet actuators have shown great potential as active flow control devices. The objective of this study is to investigate the flow phenomenon of a synthetic jet generated by a dual-diaphragm piezo-driven actuator. In this analysis, the computational approach adopted unsteady three-dimensional conservation equations of mass and momentum for examining the development process of synthetic jets. The moving boundary was also treated to represent the motion of the piezo diaphragm. Experimentally, a flow visualization system was employed to acquire the particle-streak images scattered from red fluorescent spheres for observing the synthetic jet flow. The jet velocity along the centre-line was also measured by using a hot-wire anemometer. The system test results demonstrated a satisfactory functioning of the actuator for producing synthetic jets. The predictions were then compared with the visualized particle-streak images and the measured centre-line velocity of the synthetic jet to validate the computer software. In the near-field, both simulation results and experimental observations revealed the time-cyclical formation and advection of a vortex pair in a full sinusoidal actuation cycle at an operating frequency of 4 Hz. When the vortex pair travelled well downstream, the ambient air from the vicinity of the slot was entrained into the cavity of the actuator. However, the overall far-field flow pattern, characterized by longitudinal decay of the centre-line velocity and lateral spreading, resembled a conventional continuous air-jet in essence.

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