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Sample records for bimorph piezoelectric actuator

  1. Exploration of Piezoelectric Bimorph Deflection in Synthetic Jet Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Housley, Kevin; Amitay, Michael

    2017-11-01

    The design of piezoelectric bimorphs for synthetic jet actuators could be improved by greater understanding of the deflection of the bimorphs; both their mode shapes and the resulting volume change inside the actuator. The velocity performance of synthetic jet actuators is dependent on this volume change and the associated internal pressure changes. Knowledge of these could aid in refining the geometry of the cavity to improve efficiency. Phase-locked jet velocities and maps of displacement of the surface of the bimorph were compared between actuators of varying diameter. Results from a bimorph of alternate stiffness were also compared. Bimorphs with higher stiffness exhibited a more desirable (0,1) mode shape, which produced a high volume change inside of the actuator cavity. Those with lower stiffness allowed for greater displacement of the surface, initially increasing the volume change, but exhibited higher mode shapes at certain frequency ranges. These higher node shapes sharply reduced the volume change and negatively impacted the velocity of the jet at those frequencies. Adjustments to the distribution of stiffness along the radius of the bimorph could prevent this and allow for improved deflection without the risk of reaching higher modes.

  2. Compact, planar, translational piezoelectric bimorph actuator with Archimedes’ spiral actuating tethers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Chenye; Liu, Sanwei; Livermore, Carol; Xie, Xin

    2016-01-01

    The design, analytical modelling, finite element analysis (FEA), and experimental characterization of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) out-of-plane (vertical) translational piezoelectric lead–zirconate–titanate (PZT) bimorph actuator supported on Archimedes’ spiral tethers are presented. Three types of bimorph actuators with different electrode patterns (with spiral tethers half actuated, fully actuated with uniform polarity, or fully actuated with reversed polarity) are designed and modelled. The two actuators with the highest predicted performance (half actuated and fully actuated with uniform polarity) are implemented and characterized. Both designs are fabricated by commercial processes and are compatible with integration into more complex MEMS systems. Analytical modelling and FEA are used to analyze and predict the actuators’ displacements and blocking forces. Experimental measurements of the deflections and blocking forces of actuators with full uniform actuation and half actuation validate the design. At an applied voltage of 110 V, the out-of-plane deflections of the actuators with half actuation and full uniform actuation are measured at about 17 µ m and 29 µ m respectively, in good agreement with analytical predictions of 17.3 µ m and 34.2 µ m and FEA predictions of 17.1 µ m and 25.8 µ m. The blocking force for devices with half-actuated tethers is predicted to be 12 mN (analytical) and 10 mN (FEA), close to the experimental value of 9 mN. The blocking force for devices with full uniform actuation is predicted to be 23 mN (analytical) and 17 mN (FEA), as compared with 15 mN in experiments. (paper)

  3. Non-linear electromechanical behaviour of piezoelectric bimorph actuators: influence on performance and lifetime

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ende, D.A. van den; Bos, B.; Groen, W.A.

    2009-01-01

    Piezoelectric bimorph bender actuators find application number of areas, ranging from automotive to health care. High voltage operation in harsh environments poses ever more stringent demands on functionality and lifetime. In these high performance benders, the trade-off between functionality and

  4. High-frequency performance for a spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Fang Sheng; Feng, Zhi Hua; Ma, Yu Ting; Pan, Qiao Sheng; Zhang, Lian Sheng; Liu, Yong Bin; He, Liang Guo

    2018-04-01

    Piezoelectric cantilever is suitable as an actuator for micro-flapping-wing aircraft. Higher resonant frequency brings about stronger flight energy, and the flight amplitude can be compensated by displacement-amplification mechanism, such as lever. To obtain a higher resonant frequency, straight piezoelectric bimorph was rolled into spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph with identical effective length in this study, which is verified in COMSOL simulations. Simulation results show that compared with the straight piezoelectric bimorph, the spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph with two turns has higher inherent frequencies (from 204.79 Hz to 504.84 Hz in terms of axial oscillation mode, and from 319.77 Hz to 704.48 Hz in terms of tangential torsional mode). The spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph is fabricated by a precise laser cutting process and consists of two turns with effective length of 60 mm, width of 2.5 mm, and thickness of 1.6 mm, respectively. With the excitation voltage of 100 Vpp applying an electric field across the thickness of the bimorph, the tip displacement of the actuator in the axial oscillation and tangential torsional modes are 85 μm and 15 μm, respectively.

  5. Optimization of piezoelectric bimorph actuators with active damping for static and dynamic loads

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Donoso, Alberto; Sigmund, Ole

    2009-01-01

    The paper considers optimal design problems in the context of active damping. More specifically, we are interested in controlling the tip-deflection of a cantilever beam subjected to static and time-harmonic loading on its free extreme. First, the thickness profile of a piezoelectric bimorph...... actuator is optimized and second, the width profile. In the thickness study, formulation and results depend on whether the electric field or the applied voltage is kept constant. For the latter case we propose a differentiable model that connects electric field and piezo-actuator thickness to include...

  6. Development of in-series piezoelectric bimorph bending beam actuators for active flow control applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Wilfred K.; Clingman, Dan J.; Amitay, Michael

    2016-04-01

    Piezoelectric materials have long been used for active flow control purposes in aerospace applications to increase the effectiveness of aerodynamic surfaces on aircraft, wind turbines, and more. Piezoelectric actuators are an appropriate choice due to their low mass, small dimensions, simplistic design, and frequency response. This investigation involves the development of piezoceramic-based actuators with two bimorphs placed in series. Here, the main desired characteristic was the achievable displacement amplitude at specific driving voltages and frequencies. A parametric study was performed, in which actuators with varying dimensions were fabricated and tested. These devices were actuated with a sinusoidal waveform, resulting in an oscillating platform on which to mount active flow control devices, such as dynamic vortex generators. The main quantification method consisted of driving these devices with different voltages and frequencies to determine their free displacement, blocking force, and frequency response. It was found that resonance frequency increased with shorter and thicker actuators, while free displacement increased with longer and thinner actuators. Integration of the devices into active flow control test modules is noted. In addition to physical testing, a quasi-static analytical model was developed and compared with experimental data, which showed close correlation for both free displacement and blocking force.

  7. Modeling of the Through-the-Thickness Electric Potentials of a Piezoelectric Bimorph Using the Spectral Element Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xingjian Dong

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available An efficient spectral element (SE with electric potential degrees of freedom (DOF is proposed to investigate the static electromechanical responses of a piezoelectric bimorph for its actuator and sensor functions. A sublayer model based on the piecewise linear approximation for the electric potential is used to describe the nonlinear distribution of electric potential through the thickness of the piezoelectric layers. An equivalent single layer (ESL model based on first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT is used to describe the displacement field. The Legendre orthogonal polynomials of order 5 are used in the element interpolation functions. The validity and the capability of the present SE model for investigation of global and local responses of the piezoelectric bimorph are confirmed by comparing the present solutions with those obtained from coupled 3-D finite element (FE analysis. It is shown that, without introducing any higher-order electric potential assumptions, the current method can accurately describe the distribution of the electric potential across the thickness even for a rather thick bimorph. It is revealed that the effect of electric potential is significant when the bimorph is used as sensor while the effect is insignificant when the bimorph is used as actuator, and therefore, the present study may provide a better understanding of the nonlinear induced electric potential for bimorph sensor and actuator.

  8. PZT-5A4/PA and PZT-5A4/PDMS piezoelectric composite bimorphs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Babu, I; Hendrix, M M R M; De With, G

    2014-01-01

    Disc type reinforced piezoelectric composite bimorphs with series connection were designed and the performance was investigated. The composite bimorphs (PZT/PA and PZT/PDMS (40/60 vol%)) were successfully fabricated by a compression molding and solution casting technique. The charge developed at an applied force of 150 N is 18150 pC (PZT/PA) and 2310 pC (PZT/PDMS), respectively. Electric force microscopy (EFM) is used to study the structural characterization and piezoelectric properties of the materials realized. A clear inverse piezoelectric effect was observed when the bimorphs were subjected to an electric field stepped up through 2, 6 and 10 V, indicating the net polarization direction of the different ferroelectric domains. The as-developed bimorphs have the basic structure of a sensor and actuator, and, since they do not use any bonding agent for bonding, they can provide a valuable alternative to the present bimorphs where bonding processes are required for their realization that can limit their application at high temperature. (paper)

  9. Pre-stressed piezoelectric bimorph micro-actuators based on machined 40 µm PZT thick films: batch scale fabrication and integration with MEMS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, S A; Jourdain, R P; Owens, S

    2010-01-01

    The projected force–displacement capability of piezoelectric ceramic films in the 20–50 µm thickness range suggests that they are well suited to many micro-fluidic and micro-pneumatic applications. Furthermore when they are configured as bending actuators and operated at ∼ 1 V µm −1 they do not necessarily conform to the high-voltage, very low-displacement piezoelectric stereotype. Even so they are rarely found today in commercial micro-electromechanical devices, such as micro-pumps and micro-valves, and the main barriers to making them much more widely available would appear to be processing incompatibilities rather than commercial desirability. In particular, the issues associated with integration of these devices into MEMS at the production level are highly significant and they have perhaps received less attention in the mainstream than they deserve. This paper describes a fabrication route based on ultra-precision ceramic machining and full-wafer bonding for cost-effective batch scale production of thick film PZT bimorph micro-actuators and their integration with MEMS. The resulting actuators are pre-stressed (ceramic in compression) which gives them added performance, they are true bimorphs with bi-directional capability and they exhibit full bulk piezoelectric ceramic properties. The devices are designed to integrate with ancillary systems components using transfer-bonding techniques. The work forms part of the European Framework 6 Project 'Q2M—Quality to Micro'

  10. Hysteresis-free high-temperature precise bimorph actuators produced by direct bonding of lithium niobate wafers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shur, V. Ya.; Baturin, I. S.; Mingaliev, E. A.; Zorikhin, D. V.; Udalov, A. R.; Greshnyakov, E. D. [Ferroelectric Laboratory, Institute of Natural Sciences, Ural Federal University, 51 Lenin Ave., 620000 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation)

    2015-02-02

    The current paper presents a piezoelectric bimorph actuator produced by direct bonding of lithium niobate wafers with the mirrored Y and Z axes. Direct bonding technology allowed to fabricate bidomain plate with precise positioning of ideally flat domain boundary. By optimizing the cutting angle (128° Y-cut), the piezoelectric constant became as large as 27.3 pC/N. Investigation of voltage dependence of bending displacement confirmed that bimorph actuator has excellent linearity and hysteresis-free. Decrease of the applied voltage down to mV range showed the perfect linearity up to the sub-nm deflection amplitude. The frequency and temperature dependences of electromechanical transmission coefficient in wide temperature range (from 300 to 900 K) were investigated.

  11. Construction of a Fish-like Robot Based on High Performance Graphene/PVDF Bimorph Actuation Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Peishuang; Yi, Ningbo; Zhang, Tengfei; Huang, Yi; Chang, Huicong; Yang, Yang; Zhou, Ying; Chen, Yongsheng

    2016-06-01

    Smart actuators have many potential applications in various areas, so the development of novel actuation materials, with facile fabricating methods and excellent performances, are still urgent needs. In this work, a novel electromechanical bimorph actuator constituted by a graphene layer and a PVDF layer, is fabricated through a simple yet versatile solution approach. The bimorph actuator can deflect toward the graphene side under electrical stimulus, due to the differences in coefficient of thermal expansion between the two layers and the converse piezoelectric effect and electrostrictive property of the PVDF layer. Under low voltage stimulus, the actuator (length: 20 mm, width: 3 mm) can generate large actuation motion with a maximum deflection of about 14.0 mm within 0.262 s and produce high actuation stress (more than 312.7 MPa/g). The bimorph actuator also can display reversible swing behavior with long cycle life under high frequencies. on this basis, a fish-like robot that can swim at the speed of 5.02 mm/s is designed and demonstrated. The designed graphene-PVDF bimorph actuator exhibits the overall novel performance compared with many other electromechanical avtuators, and may contribute to the practical actuation applications of graphene-based materials at a macro scale.

  12. Construction of a Fish‐like Robot Based on High Performance Graphene/PVDF Bimorph Actuation Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Peishuang; Yi, Ningbo; Zhang, Tengfei; Chang, Huicong; Yang, Yang; Zhou, Ying

    2016-01-01

    Smart actuators have many potential applications in various areas, so the development of novel actuation materials, with facile fabricating methods and excellent performances, are still urgent needs. In this work, a novel electromechanical bimorph actuator constituted by a graphene layer and a PVDF layer, is fabricated through a simple yet versatile solution approach. The bimorph actuator can deflect toward the graphene side under electrical stimulus, due to the differences in coefficient of thermal expansion between the two layers and the converse piezoelectric effect and electrostrictive property of the PVDF layer. Under low voltage stimulus, the actuator (length: 20 mm, width: 3 mm) can generate large actuation motion with a maximum deflection of about 14.0 mm within 0.262 s and produce high actuation stress (more than 312.7 MPa/g). The bimorph actuator also can display reversible swing behavior with long cycle life under high frequencies. on this basis, a fish‐like robot that can swim at the speed of 5.02 mm/s is designed and demonstrated. The designed graphene‐PVDF bimorph actuator exhibits the overall novel performance compared with many other electromechanical avtuators, and may contribute to the practical actuation applications of graphene‐based materials at a macro scale. PMID:27818900

  13. Dynamic Electromechanical Coupling of Piezoelectric Bending Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mostafa R. A. Nabawy

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Electromechanical coupling defines the ratio of electrical and mechanical energy exchanged during a flexure cycle of a piezoelectric actuator. This paper presents an analysis of the dynamic electromechanical coupling factor (dynamic EMCF for cantilever based piezoelectric actuators and provides for the first time explicit expressions for calculation of dynamic EMCF based on arrangement of passive and active layers, layer geometry, and active and passive materials selection. Three main cantilever layer configurations are considered: unimorph, dual layer bimorph and triple layer bimorph. The actuator is modeled using standard constitutive dynamic equations that relate deflection and charge to force and voltage. A mode shape formulation is used for the cantilever dynamics that allows the generalized mass to be the actual mass at the first resonant frequency, removing the need for numerical integration in the design process. Results are presented in the form of physical insight from the model structure and also numerical evaluations of the model to provide trends in dynamic EMCF with actuator design parameters. For given material properties of the active and passive layers and given system overall damping ratio, the triple layer bimorph topology is the best in terms of theoretically achievable dynamic EMCF, followed by the dual layer bimorph. For a damping ratio of 0.035, the dynamic EMCF for an example dual layer bimorph configuration is 9% better than for a unimorph configuration. For configurations with a passive layer, the ratio of thicknesses for the passive and active layers is the primary geometric design variable. Choice of passive layer stiffness (Young’s modulus relative to the stiffness of the material in the active layer is an important materials related design choice. For unimorph configurations, it is beneficial to use the highest stiffness possible passive material, whereas for triple layer bimorph configurations, the passive

  14. High-displacement spiral piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadi, F.; Kholkin, A. L.; Jadidian, B.; Safari, A.

    1999-10-01

    A high-displacement piezoelectric actuator, employing spiral geometry of a curved piezoelectric strip is described. The monolithic actuators are fabricated using a layered manufacturing technique, fused deposition of ceramics, which is capable of prototyping electroceramic components with complex shapes. The spiral actuators (2-3 cm in diameter) consisted of 4-5 turns of a lead zirconate titanate ceramic strip with an effective length up to 28 cm. The width was varied from 0.9 to 1.75 mm with a height of 3 mm. When driven by the electric field applied across the width of the spiral wall, the tip of the actuator was found to displace in both radial and tangential directions. The tangential displacement of the tip was about 210 μm under the field of 5 kV/cm. Both the displacement and resonant frequency of the spirals could be tailored by changing the effective length and wall width. The blocking force of the actuator in tangential direction was about 1 N under the field of 5 kV/cm. These properties are advantageous for high-displacement low-force applications where bimorph or monomorph actuators are currently employed.

  15. Characterization of Piezoelectric Actuators for Flow Control over a Wing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mossi, Karla M.; Bryant, Robert G.

    2004-01-01

    During the past decade, piezoelectric actuators as the active element in synthetic jets demonstrated that they could significantly enhance the overall lift on an airfoil. However, durability, system weight, size, and power have limited their use outside a laboratory. These problems are not trivial, since piezoelectric actuators are physically brittle and display limited displacement. The objective of this study is to characterize the relevant properties for the design of a synthetic jet utilizing three types of piezoelectric actuators as mechanical diaphragms, Radial Field Diaphragms, Thunders, and Bimorphs so that the shape cavity volume does not exceed 147.5 cubic centimeters on a 7centimeter x 7centimeter aerial coverage. These piezoelectric elements were selected because of their geometry, and overall free-displacement. Each actuator was affixed about its perimeter in a cavity, and relevant parameters such as clamped displacement variations with voltage and frequency, air velocities produced through an aperture, and sound pressure levels produced by the piezoelectric diaphragms were measured.

  16. Determination of maximum power transfer conditions of bimorph piezoelectric energy harvesters

    KAUST Repository

    Ahmad, Mahmoud Al; Alshareef, Husam N.; Elshurafa, Amro M.; Salama, Khaled N.

    2012-01-01

    the bimorph based on the electromechanical, single degree of freedom, analogy. Further, by taking into account the intrinsic capacitance of the piezoelectric harvester, a more descriptive expression of the resonant frequency in piezoelectric bimorphs

  17. Performance Analysis of Wind-Induced Piezoelectric Vibration Bimorph Cantilever for Rotating Machinery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gongbo Zhou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Harvesting the energy contained in the running environment of rotating machinery would be a good way to supplement energy to the wireless sensor. In this paper, we take piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam with parallel connection mode as energy collector and analyze the factors which can influence the generation performance. First, a modal response theory model is built. Second, the static analysis, modal analysis, and piezoelectric harmonic response analysis of the wind-induced piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam are given in detail. Finally, an experiment is also conducted. The results show that wind-induced piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam has low resonant frequency and stable output under the first modal mode and can achieve the maximum output voltage under the resonant condition. The output voltage increases with the increase of the length and width of wind-induced piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam, but the latter increasing amplitude is relatively smaller. In addition, the output voltage decreases with the increase of the thickness and the ratio of metal substrate to piezoelectric patches thickness. The experiment showed that the voltage amplitude generated by the piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam can reach the value simulated in ANSYS, which is suitable for actual working conditions.

  18. Active control of flow noise sources in turbulent boundary layer on a flat-plate using piezoelectric bimorph film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Woo Seog; Lee, Seung Bae; Shin, Dong Shin; Na, Yang

    2006-01-01

    The piezoelectric bimorph film, which, as an actuator, can generate more effective displacement than the usual PVDF film, is used to control the turbulent boundary-layer flow. The change of wall pressures inside the turbulent boundary layer is observed by using the multi-channel microphone array flush-mounted on the surface when actuation at the non-dimensional frequency f b + =0.008 and 0.028 is applied to the turbulent boundary layer. The wall pressure characteristics by the actuation to produce local displacement are more dominantly influenced by the size of the actuator module than the actuation frequency. The movement of large-scale turbulent structures to the upper layer is found to be the main mechanism of the reduction in the wall-pressure energy spectrum when the 700ν/u τ -long bimorph film is periodically actuated at the non-dimensional frequency f b + =0.008 and 0.028. The bimorph actuator is triggered with the time delay for the active forcing at a single frequency when a 1/8' pressure-type, pin-holed microphone sensor detects the large-amplitude pressure event by the turbulent spot. The wall-pressure energy in the late-transitional boundary layer is partially reduced near the convection wavenumber by the open-loop control based on the large amplitude event

  19. Thermo-Electro-Mechanical Analysis of a Curved Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Actuator with Sandwich Structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liying Jiang

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available In this work, the problem of a curved functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP actuator with sandwich structure under electrical and thermal loads is investigated. The middle layer in the sandwich structure is functionally graded with the piezoelectric coefficient g31 varying continuously along the radial direction of the curved actuator. Based on the theory of linear piezoelectricity, analytical solutions are obtained by using Airy stress function to examine the effects of material gradient and heat conduction on the performance of the curved actuator. It is found that the material gradient and thermal load have significant influence on the electroelastic fields and the mechanical response of the curved FGP actuator. Without the sacrifice of actuation deflection, smaller internal stresses are generated by using the sandwich actuator with functionally graded piezoelectric layer instead of the conventional bimorph actuator. This work is very helpful for the design and application of curved piezoelectric actuators under thermal environment.

  20. Thermo-Electro-Mechanical Analysis of a Curved Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Actuator with Sandwich Structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Zhi; Zaman, Mostafa; Jiang, Liying

    2011-12-12

    In this work, the problem of a curved functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) actuator with sandwich structure under electrical and thermal loads is investigated. The middle layer in the sandwich structure is functionally graded with the piezoelectric coefficient g 31 varying continuously along the radial direction of the curved actuator. Based on the theory of linear piezoelectricity, analytical solutions are obtained by using Airy stress function to examine the effects of material gradient and heat conduction on the performance of the curved actuator. It is found that the material gradient and thermal load have significant influence on the electroelastic fields and the mechanical response of the curved FGP actuator. Without the sacrifice of actuation deflection, smaller internal stresses are generated by using the sandwich actuator with functionally graded piezoelectric layer instead of the conventional bimorph actuator. This work is very helpful for the design and application of curved piezoelectric actuators under thermal environment.

  1. Modeling and Tuning for Vibration Energy Harvesting using a Piezoelectric Bimorph

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Yongqing

    With the development of wireless sensors and other devices, the need for continuous power supply with high reliability is growing ever more. The traditional battery power supply has the disadvantage of limited duration of continuous power supply capability so that replacement for new batteries has to be done regularly. This can be quite inconvenient and sometimes quite difficult especially when the sensors are located in places not easily accessible such as the inside of a machine or wild field. This situation stimulates the development of renewable power supply which can harvest energy from the environment. The use of piezoelectric materials to converting environment vibration to electrical energy is one of the alternatives of which a broad range of research has been done by many researchers, focusing on different issues. The improvement of efficiency is one of the most important issues in vibration based energy harvesting. For this purpose different methods are devised and more accurate modeling of coupled piezoelectric mechanical systems is investigated. In the current paper, the research is focused on improving voltage generation of a piezoelectric bimorph on a vibration beam, as well as the analytical modeling of the same system. Also an initial study is conducted on the characteristics of the vibration of Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire, which is a promising material for its coupled semiconducting and piezoelectric properties. The effect on the voltage generation by different placement of the piezoelectric bimorph on the vibrating beam is investigated. The relation between the voltage output and the curvature is derived which is used to explain the effect of placement on voltage generation. The effect of adding a lumped mass on the modal frequencies of the beam and on the curvature distribution is investigated. The increased voltage output from the piezoelectric bimorph by using appropriately selected mass is proved analytically and also verified by experiment. For

  2. Flow energy piezoelectric bimorph nozzle harvester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Lee, Hyeong Jae; Walkemeyer, Phillip; Hasenoehrl, Jennifer; Hall, Jeffrey L.; Colonius, Tim; Tosi, Luis Phillipe; Arrazola, Alvaro; Kim, Namhyo; Sun, Kai; Corbett, Gary

    2014-04-01

    There is a need for a long-life power generation scheme that could be used downhole in an oil well to produce 1 Watt average power. There are a variety of existing or proposed energy harvesting schemes that could be used in this environment but each of these has its own limitations. The vibrating piezoelectric structure is in principle capable of operating for very long lifetimes (decades) thereby possibly overcoming a principle limitation of existing technology based on rotating turbo-machinery. In order to determine the feasibility of using piezoelectrics to produce suitable flow energy harvesting, we surveyed experimentally a variety of nozzle configurations that could be used to excite a vibrating piezoelectric structure in such a way as to enable conversion of flow energy into useful amounts of electrical power. These included reed structures, spring mass-structures, drag and lift bluff bodies and a variety of nozzles with varying flow profiles. Although not an exhaustive survey we identified a spline nozzle/piezoelectric bimorph system that experimentally produced up to 3.4 mW per bimorph. This paper will discuss these results and present our initial analyses of the device using dimensional analysis and constitutive electromechanical modeling. The analysis suggests that an order-of-magnitude improvement in power generation from the current design is possible.

  3. Determination of maximum power transfer conditions of bimorph piezoelectric energy harvesters

    KAUST Repository

    Ahmad, Mahmoud Al

    2012-07-23

    In this paper, a method to find the maximum power transfer conditions in bimorph piezoelectric-based harvesters is proposed. Explicitly, we derive a closed form expression that relates the load resistance to the mechanical parameters describing the bimorph based on the electromechanical, single degree of freedom, analogy. Further, by taking into account the intrinsic capacitance of the piezoelectric harvester, a more descriptive expression of the resonant frequency in piezoelectric bimorphs was derived. In interest of impartiality, we apply the proposed philosophy on previously published experimental results and compare it with other reported hypotheses. It was found that the proposed method was able to predict the actual optimum load resistance more accurately than other methods reported in the literature. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.

  4. A spongy graphene based bimorph actuator with ultra-large displacement towards biomimetic application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Ying; Lan, Tian; Wu, Guan; Zhu, Zicai; Chen, Wei

    2014-11-07

    Bimorph actuators, consisting of two layers with asymmetric expansion and generating bending displacement, have been widely researched. Their actuation performances greatly rely on the difference of coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between the two material layers. Here, by introducing a spongy graphene (sG) paper with a large negative CTE as well as high electrical-to-thermal properties, an electromechanical sG/PDMS bimorph actuator is designed and fabricated, showing an ultra-large bending displacement output under low voltage stimulation (curvature of about 1.2 cm(-1) at 10 V for 3 s), a high displacement-to-length ratio (∼0.79), and vibration motion at AC voltage (up to 10 Hz), which is much larger and faster than that of the other electromechanical bimorph actuators. Based on the sG/PDMS bimorph serving as the "finger", a mechanical gripper is constructed to realize the fast manipulation of the objects under 0.1 Hz square wave voltage stimulation (0-8 V). The designed bimorph actuator coupled with ultra-large bending displacement, low driven voltage, and the ease of fabrication may open up substantial possibilities for the utilization of electromechanical actuators in practical biomimetic device applications.

  5. Analysis of an x-ray mirror made from piezoelectric bimorph

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yao; Li, Ming; Tang, Shanzhi; Gao, Junxiang; Zhang, Weiwei; Zhu, Peiping

    2017-07-01

    Theoretical analysis of the mechanical behavior of an x-ray mirror made from piezoelectric bimorph is presented. A complete two-dimensional relationship between the radius of curvature of the mirror and the applied voltage is derived. The accuracy of this relationship is studied by comparing the figures calculated by the relationship and Finite Element Analysis. The influences of several critical parameters in the relationship on the radius of curvature are analyzed. It is found that piezoelectric coefficient d31 is the main material property parameter that dominates the radius of curvature, and that the optimal thickness of PZT plate corresponding to largest bending range is 2.5 times of that of faceplate. It is demonstrated that the relationship is helpful for us to complete the primary design of the x-ray mirror made from piezoelectric bimorph.

  6. Design of a bimorph piezoelectric energy harvester for railway monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Jingcheng; Jang, Shinae; Tang, Jiong [Univ. of Connecticut, Connecticut (United States)

    2012-12-15

    Wireless sensor network is one of prospective methods for railway monitoring due to the long term operation and low maintenance performances. How to supply power to the wireless sensor nodes has drawn much attention recently. In railway monitoring, the idea of converting ambient vibration energy from vibration of railway track induced by passing trains to electric energy has made it a potential way for powering the wireless sensor nodes. In this paper, a bimorph cantilever piezoelectric energy harvester was designed based on a single degree of freedom model. Experimental test was also performed to validate the design. The first natural frequency of the bimorph piezoelectric energy harvester was decreased from 117.1 Hz to 65.2 Hz by adding 4 gram tip mass to the free end of the 8.6 gram energy harvester. In addition, the power generation of the piezoelectric energy harvester with 4 gram tip mass at resonant frequency was increased from 0.14 mW to 0.74 mW from 2.06 m/s{sup 2} base excitation compared to stand alone piezoelectric energy harvester without tip mass.

  7. Design of a bimorph piezoelectric energy harvester for railway monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Jingcheng; Jang, Shinae; Tang, Jiong

    2012-01-01

    Wireless sensor network is one of prospective methods for railway monitoring due to the long term operation and low maintenance performances. How to supply power to the wireless sensor nodes has drawn much attention recently. In railway monitoring, the idea of converting ambient vibration energy from vibration of railway track induced by passing trains to electric energy has made it a potential way for powering the wireless sensor nodes. In this paper, a bimorph cantilever piezoelectric energy harvester was designed based on a single degree of freedom model. Experimental test was also performed to validate the design. The first natural frequency of the bimorph piezoelectric energy harvester was decreased from 117.1 Hz to 65.2 Hz by adding 4 gram tip mass to the free end of the 8.6 gram energy harvester. In addition, the power generation of the piezoelectric energy harvester with 4 gram tip mass at resonant frequency was increased from 0.14 mW to 0.74 mW from 2.06 m/s 2 base excitation compared to stand alone piezoelectric energy harvester without tip mass

  8. Uncertainty quantification for PZT bimorph actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bravo, Nikolas; Smith, Ralph C.; Crews, John

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, we discuss the development of a high fidelity model for a PZT bimorph actuator used for micro-air vehicles, which includes the Robobee. We developed a high-fidelity model for the actuator using the homogenized energy model (HEM) framework, which quantifies the nonlinear, hysteretic, and rate-dependent behavior inherent to PZT in dynamic operating regimes. We then discussed an inverse problem on the model. We included local and global sensitivity analysis of the parameters in the high-fidelity model. Finally, we will discuss the results of Bayesian inference and uncertainty quantification on the HEM.

  9. PZT-5A4/PA and PZT-5A4/PDMS piezoelectric composite bimorphs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Babu, I.; Hendrix, M.M.R.M.; With, de G.

    2014-01-01

    Disc type reinforced piezoelectric composite bimorphs with series connection were designed and the performance was investigated. The composite bimorphs (PZT/PA and PZT/PDMS (40/60 vol%)) were successfully fabricated by a compression molding and solution casting technique. The charge developed at an

  10. Out-of-plane platforms with bi-directional thermal bimorph actuation for transducer applications

    KAUST Repository

    Conchouso Gonzalez, David

    2015-04-01

    This paper reports on the Buckled Cantilever Platform (BCP) that allows the manipulation of the out of plane structures through the adjustment of the pitch angle using thermal bimorph micro-Actuators. Due to the micro-fabrication process used, the bimorph actuators can be designed to move in both: Counter Clockwise (CCW) and Clockwise (CW) directions with a resolution of up to 110 μm/V, with smallest step in the range of nanometers. Thermal and electrical characterization of the thermal bimorph actuators showed low influence in the platforms temperature and low power consumption (< 35μW) mainly due to the natural isolation of the structure. Tip displacements larger than 500μm were achieved. The precise angle adjustment achieved through these mechanisms makes them optimal for a range of different MEMS applications, like optical benches and low frequency sweeping sensors and antennas. © 2015 IEEE.

  11. Electromechanical properties of nanotube-PVA composite actuator bimorphs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartholome, Christele; Derre, Alain; Roubeau, Olivier; Zakri, Cecile; Poulin, Philippe

    2008-01-01

    Oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotube (oxidized-MWNT)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite sheets have been prepared for electromechanical actuator applications. MWNT have been oxidized by nitric acid treatments. They were then dispersed in water and mixed with various amounts of PVA of high molecular weight (198 000 g mol -1 ). The composite sheets were then obtained through a membrane filtration process. The composition of the systems has been optimized to combine suitable mechanical and electrical properties. Thermogravimetric analysis, mechanical tensile tests and conductivity measurements show that the best compromise of mechanical and electrical properties was obtained for a PVA weight fraction of about 30 wt%. In addition, one face of the sheets was coated with gold to increase the conductivity of the sheets and promote uniform actuation. Pseudo-bimorph devices have been realized by subsequently coating the composite sheets with an inert layer of PVA. The devices have been tested electromechanically in a liquid electrolyte (tetrabutylammonium/tetrafluoroborate (TBA/TFB) in acetonitrile) at constant frequency and different applied voltages, from 2 to 10 V. Measurements of the bimorph deflections were used to determine the stress generated by the nanotube-PVA sheets. The results show that the stress generated increases with increasing amplitude of the applied voltage and can reach 1.8 MPa. This value compares well with and even exceeds the stress generated by recently obtained bimorphs made of gold nanoparticles

  12. Piezoelectric Bimorph Cantilever for Vibration-Producing-Hydrogen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guangming Cheng

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available A device composed of a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever and a water electrolysis device was fabricated to realize piezoelectrochemical hydrogen production. The obvious output of the hydrogen and oxygen through application of a mechanical vibration of ~0.07 N and ~46.2 Hz was observed. This method provides a cost-effective, recyclable, environment-friendly and simple way to directly split water for hydrogen fuels by scavenging mechanical waste energy forms such as noise or traffic vibration in the environment.

  13. A low frequency piezoelectric power harvester using a spiral-shaped bimorph

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    HU; Yuantai; HU; Hongping; YANG; Jiashi

    2006-01-01

    We propose a spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph power harvester operating with coupled flexural and extensional vibration modes for applications to low frequency energy sources.A theoretical analysis is performed and the computational results show that the spiral structure has relatively low operating frequency compared to beam power harvesters of the same size.It is found that to optimize the performance of a piezoelectric spiral-shaped harvester careful design is needed.

  14. Development of multilayer piezoelectric actuator valve for JT-60

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyo, Yasuhiko; Hiratsuka, Hajime; Masui, Hiroshi; Hosogane, Nobuyuki; Miya, Naoyuki

    2001-11-01

    In order to improve the gas injection valve used for the operation of JT-60, a new type of valve (multilayer piezoelectric actuator valve) was developed. The conventional valve (bimorph piezoelectric valve) has been used for 15 years since the beginning of experimental operation in April, 1985. However, it came to be hard to keep the performance of the valve because of the deterioration of the driving source, i.e. piezoelectric element. Developments of the new valve were carried out based on experiences through experimental operations in JT-60. Requirements for the design are: (1) to be hard structure for making a sheet leak, (2) to allow a repair work at atmosphere side without an air vent of the vacuum vessel, (3) to be more smaller and lighter compared with the conventional one, and (4) to have a high maintenance efficiency by utilizing of the commercial piezoelectric elements and power supplies. The newly developed valve was examined with various tests such as gas flow characteristic test, high magnetic field proof test, high temperature proof test and gas flow rate test for aged deterioration. Results, confirm that the performance of the valve is applicable for JT-60 operations. (author)

  15. MODELLING AND OPTIMISATION OF A BIMORPH PIEZOELECTRIC CANTILEVER BEAM IN AN ENERGY HARVESTING APPLICATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CHUNG KET THEIN

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric materials are excellent transducers in converting vibrational energy into electrical energy, and vibration-based piezoelectric generators are seen as an enabling technology for wireless sensor networks, especially in selfpowered devices. This paper proposes an alternative method for predicting the power output of a bimorph cantilever beam using a finite element method for both static and dynamic frequency analyses. Experiments are performed to validate the model and the simulation results. In addition, a novel approach is presented for optimising the structure of the bimorph cantilever beam, by which the power output is maximised and the structural volume is minimised simultaneously. Finally, the results of the optimised design are presented and compared with other designs.

  16. A combined piezoelectric composite actuator and its application to wing/blade tips

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Kwangtae

    A novel combined piezoelectric-composite actuator configuration is proposed and analytically modeled in this work. The actuator is a low complexity, active compliant mechanism obtained by coupling a modified star cross sectional configuration composite beam with a helicoidal bimorph piezoelectric actuator coiled around it. This novel actuator is a good candidate as a hinge tension-torsion bar actuator for a helicopter rotor blade flap or blade tip and mirror rotational positioning. In the wing tip case, the tip deflection angle is different only according to the aerodynamic moment depending on the hinge position of the actuator along the chord and applied voltage because there is no centrifugal force. For an active blade tip subject to incompressible flow and 2D quasi steady airloads, its twist angle is related not only to aerodynamic moment and applied voltage but also to coupling terms, such as the trapeze effect and the tennis racquet effect. Results show the benefit of hinge position aft of the aerodynamic center, such that the blade tip response is amplified by airloads. Contrary to this effect, results also show that the centrifugal effects and inertial effect cause an amplitude reduction in the response. Summation of these effects determines the overall blade tip response. The results for a certain hinge position of Xh=1.5% chord aft of the quarter chord point proves that the tip deflection target design range of beta ∈ [-2,+2] can be achieved for all pitch angle configurations chosen.

  17. An experimentally validated bimorph cantilever model for piezoelectric energy harvesting from base excitations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erturk, A; Inman, D J

    2009-01-01

    Piezoelectric transduction has received great attention for vibration-to-electric energy conversion over the last five years. A typical piezoelectric energy harvester is a unimorph or a bimorph cantilever located on a vibrating host structure, to generate electrical energy from base excitations. Several authors have investigated modeling of cantilevered piezoelectric energy harvesters under base excitation. The existing mathematical modeling approaches range from elementary single-degree-of-freedom models to approximate distributed parameter solutions in the sense of Rayleigh–Ritz discretization as well as analytical solution attempts with certain simplifications. Recently, the authors have presented the closed-form analytical solution for a unimorph cantilever under base excitation based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam assumptions. In this paper, the analytical solution is applied to bimorph cantilever configurations with series and parallel connections of piezoceramic layers. The base excitation is assumed to be translation in the transverse direction with a superimposed small rotation. The closed-form steady state response expressions are obtained for harmonic excitations at arbitrary frequencies, which are then reduced to simple but accurate single-mode expressions for modal excitations. The electromechanical frequency response functions (FRFs) that relate the voltage output and vibration response to translational and rotational base accelerations are identified from the multi-mode and single-mode solutions. Experimental validation of the single-mode coupled voltage output and vibration response expressions is presented for a bimorph cantilever with a tip mass. It is observed that the closed-form single-mode FRFs obtained from the analytical solution can successfully predict the coupled system dynamics for a wide range of electrical load resistance. The performance of the bimorph device is analyzed extensively for the short circuit and open circuit resonance

  18. V-stack piezoelectric actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ardelean, Emil V.; Clark, Robert L.

    2001-07-01

    Aeroelastic control of wings by means of a distributed, trailing-edge control surface is of interest with regards to maneuvers, gust alleviation, and flutter suppression. The use of high energy density, piezoelectric materials as motors provides an appealing solution to this problem. A comparative analysis of the state of the art actuators is currently being conducted. A new piezoelectric actuator design is presented. This actuator meets the requirements for trailing edge flap actuation in both stroke and force. It is compact, simple, sturdy, and leverages stroke geometrically with minimum force penalties while displaying linearity over a wide range of stroke. The V-Stack Piezoelectric Actuator, consists of a base, a lever, two piezoelectric stacks, and a pre-tensioning element. The work is performed alternately by the two stacks, placed on both sides of the lever. Pre-tensioning can be readily applied using a torque wrench, obviating the need for elastic elements and this is for the benefit of the stiffness of the actuator. The characteristics of the actuator are easily modified by changing the base or the stacks. A prototype was constructed and tested experimentally to validate the theoretical model.

  19. Multilayer laminated piezoelectric bending actuators: design and manufacturing for optimum power density and efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jafferis, Noah T; Lok, Mario; Wei, Gu-Yeon; Wood, Robert J; Winey, Nastasia

    2016-01-01

    In previous work we presented design and manufacturing rules for optimizing the energy density of piezoelectric bimorph actuators through the use of laser-induced melting, insulating edge coating, and features for rigid ground attachments to maximize force output, as well as a pre-stacked technique to enable mass customization. Here we adapt these techniques to bending actuators with four active layers, which utilize thinner material layers. This allows the use of lower operating voltages, which is important for overall power usage optimization, as typical small-scale power supplies are low-voltage and the efficiency of boost-converter and drive circuitry increases with decreasing output voltage. We show that this optimization results in a 24%–47% reduction in the weight of the required power supply (depending on the type of drive circuit used). We also present scaling arguments to determine when multi-layer actuator are preferable to thinner actuators, and show that our techniques are capable of scaling down to sub-mg weight actuators. (paper)

  20. Advanced control techniques for post-buckled precompressed (PBP) flight control actuators

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Groen, M.; Van Schravendijk, M.; Barrett, R.; Vos, R.

    2009-01-01

    The dynamic response of a new class of flight control actuators that rely on post-buckled recompressed (PBP) piezoelectric elements is investigated. While past research has proven that PBP actuators are capable of generating deflections three times higher than conventional bimorph actuators, this

  1. Cylindrical Piezoelectric Fiber Composite Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, Sidney G.; Shams, Qamar A.; Fox, Robert L.

    2008-01-01

    The use of piezoelectric devices has become widespread since Pierre and Jacques Curie discovered the piezoelectric effect in 1880. Examples of current applications of piezoelectric devices include ultrasonic transducers, micro-positioning devices, buzzers, strain sensors, and clocks. The invention of such lightweight, relatively inexpensive piezoceramic-fiber-composite actuators as macro fiber composite (MFC) actuators has made it possible to obtain strains and displacements greater than those that could be generated by prior actuators based on monolithic piezoceramic sheet materials. MFC actuators are flat, flexible actuators designed for bonding to structures to apply or detect strains. Bonding multiple layers of MFC actuators together could increase force capability, but not strain or displacement capability. Cylindrical piezoelectric fiber composite (CPFC) actuators have been invented as alternatives to MFC actuators for applications in which greater forces and/or strains or displacements may be required. In essence, a CPFC actuator is an MFC or other piezoceramic fiber composite actuator fabricated in a cylindrical instead of its conventional flat shape. Cylindrical is used here in the general sense, encompassing shapes that can have circular, elliptical, rectangular or other cross-sectional shapes in the planes perpendicular to their longitudinal axes.

  2. Electrothermally-Actuated Micromirrors with Bimorph Actuators—Bending-Type and Torsion-Type

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng-Hua Tsai

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Three different electrothermally-actuated MEMS micromirrors with Cr/Au-Si bimorph actuators are proposed. The devices are fabricated with the SOIMUMPs process developed by MEMSCAP, Inc. (Durham, NC, USA. A silicon-on-insulator MEMS process has been employed for the fabrication of these micromirrors. Electrothermal actuation has achieved a large angular movement in the micromirrors. Application of an external electric current 0.04 A to the bending-type, restricted-torsion-type, and free-torsion-type mirrors achieved rotation angles of 1.69°, 3.28°, and 3.64°, respectively.

  3. Theoretical modeling and equivalent electric circuit of a bimorph piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sammoura, Firas; Kim, Sang-Gook

    2012-05-01

    An electric circuit model for a circular bimorph piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) was developed for the first time. The model was made up of an electric mesh, which was coupled to a mechanical mesh via a transformer element. The bimorph PMUT consisted of two piezoelectric layers of the same material, having equal thicknesses, and sandwiched between three thin electrodes. The piezoelectric layers, having the same poling axis, were biased with electric potentials of the same magnitude but opposite polarity. The strain mismatches between the two layers created by the converse piezoelectric effect caused the membrane to vibrate and, hence, transmit a pressure wave. Upon receiving the echo of the acoustic wave, the membrane deformation led to the generation of electric charges as a result of the direct piezoelectric phenomenon. The membrane angular velocity and electric current were related to the applied electric field, the impinging acoustic pressure, and the moment at the edge of the membrane using two canonical equations. The transduction coefficients from the electrical to the mechanical domain and vice-versa were shown to be bilateral and the system was shown to be reversible. The circuit parameters of the derived model were extracted, including the transformer ratio, the clamped electric impedance, the spring-softening impedance, and the open-circuit mechanical impedance. The theoretical model was fully examined by generating the electrical input impedance and average plate displacement curves versus frequency under both air and water loading conditions. A PMUT composed of piezoelectric material with a lossy dielectric was also investigated and the maximum possible electroacoustical conversion efficiency was calculated.

  4. Comment on 'Modeling and analysis of a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever beam for voltage generation'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erturk, A; Inman, D J

    2008-01-01

    In a recent paper, Ajitsaria et al (2007 Smart Mater. Struct. 16 447–54) presented a mathematical formulation for the modeling and analysis of a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever beam for voltage generation. Their motivation was the recent increasing trend in using the piezoelectric effect to harvest electrical energy from ambient vibrations. This comment addresses the modeling errors and numerous undefined and missing terms in the mentioned work. (comment)

  5. Hydraulically amplified PZT mems actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miles, Robin R.

    2004-11-02

    A hydraulically amplified microelectromechanical systems actuator. A piece of piezoelectric material or stacked piezo bimorph is bonded or deposited as a thin film. The piece is operatively connected to a primary membrane. A reservoir is operatively connected to the primary membrane. The reservoir contains a fluid. A membrane is operatively connected to the reservoir. In operation, energizing the piezoelectric material causing the piezoelectric material to bow. Bowing of the piezoelectric material causes movement of the primary membrane. Movement of the primary membrane results in a force in being transmitted to the liquid in the reservoir. The force in the liquid causes movement of the membrane. Movement of the membrane results in an operating actuator.

  6. Recent Advances in the Control of Piezoelectric Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ziqiang Chi

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The micro/nano positioning field has made great progress towards enabling the advance of micro/nano technology. Micro/nano positioning stages actuated by piezoelectric actuators are the key devices in micro/nano manipulation. The control of piezoelectric actuators has emerged as a hot topic in recent years. Piezoelectric materials have inherent hysteresis and creep nonlinearity, which can reduce the accuracy of the manipulation, even causing the instability of the whole system. Remarkable efforts have been made to compensate for the nonlinearity of piezoelectric actuation through the mathematical modelling and control approaches. This paper provides a review of recent advances on the control of piezoelectric actuators. After a brief introduction of basic components of typical piezoelectric micro/nano positioning platforms, the working principle and modelling of piezoelectric actuators are outlined in this paper. This is followed with the major control method and recent progress is presented in detail. Finally, some open issues and future work on the control of piezoelectric actuators are extensively discussed.

  7. Out-of-plane platforms with bi-directional thermal bimorph actuation for transducer applications

    KAUST Repository

    Conchouso Gonzalez, David; Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Castro, D.; Foulds, Ian G.

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports on the Buckled Cantilever Platform (BCP) that allows the manipulation of the out of plane structures through the adjustment of the pitch angle using thermal bimorph micro-Actuators. Due to the micro-fabrication process used

  8. Preisach model of hysteresis for the Piezoelectric Actuator Drive

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zsurzsan, Tiberiu-Gabriel; Andersen, Michael A. E.; Zhang, Zhe

    2015-01-01

    The Piezoelectric Actuator Drive (PAD) is a precise piezoelectric motor generating high-torque rotary motion, which employs piezoelectric stack actuators in a wobblestyle actuation to generate rotation. The piezoelectric stacked ceramics used as the basis for motion in the motor suffer from...

  9. Telescoping cylindrical piezoelectric fiber composite actuator assemblies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, Sidney G. (Inventor); Shams, Qamar A. (Inventor); Fox, Robert L. (Inventor); Fox, legal representative, Christopher L. (Inventor); Fox Chattin, legal representative, Melanie L. (Inventor)

    2010-01-01

    A telescoping actuator assembly includes a plurality of cylindrical actuators in a concentric arrangement. Each cylindrical actuator is at least one piezoelectric fiber composite actuator having a plurality of piezoelectric fibers extending parallel to one another and to the concentric arrangement's longitudinal axis. Each cylindrical actuator is coupled to concentrically-adjacent ones of the cylindrical actuators such that the plurality of cylindrical actuators can experience telescopic movement. An electrical energy source coupled to the cylindrical actuators applies actuation energy thereto to generate the telescopic movement.

  10. LEAD-FREE BNKT PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Moosavi

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available An actuator is a device that converts input energy into mechanical energy. According to various types of input energy, various actuators have been advanced. Displacement in the electromagnetic, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators achieve by moving a piston via electromagnetic force or pressure, however the piezoelectric actuator (piezoceramic plates displace directly. Therefore, accuracy and speed in the piezoelectric device are higher than other types of actuators. In the present work, the high-field electromechanical response of high-quality (1−x(Bi 0.5Na0.5TiO3–x(Bi0.5K0.5TiO3 samples abbreviated to BNKTx with x = 0.18, 0.20, 0.22 and 0.24 ceramic materials across its MPB was investigated. The piezoelectrics and actuation characteristics were characterized. Ourresults indicate that x = 0.20, indeed, constitutes the best choice for the MPB composition in the system. Maximum of remanent polarization (37.5 μC cm−2 was obtained for x=0.20. High-field electromechanical responses were also obtained for BNKT0.20 samples. This material exhibited giant field induced strains of 0.13% under 1 kV mm -1 at room temperature.

  11. Bio-inspired aquatic robotics by untethered piezohydroelastic actuation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cen, L; Erturk, A

    2013-01-01

    This paper investigates fish-like aquatic robotics using flexible bimorphs made of macro-fiber composite (MFC) piezoelectric laminates for carangiform locomotion. In addition to noiseless and efficient actuation over a range of frequencies, geometric scalability, and simple design, bimorph propulsors made of MFCs offer a balance between the actuation force and velocity response for performance enhancement in bio-inspired swimming. The experimental component of the presented work focuses on the characterization of an elastically constrained MFC bimorph propulsor for thrust generation in quiescent water as well as the development of a robotic fish prototype combining a microcontroller and a printed-circuit-board amplifier to generate high actuation voltage for untethered locomotion. From the theoretical standpoint, a distributed-parameter electroelastic model including the hydrodynamic effects and actuator dynamics is coupled with the elongated-body theory for predicting the mean thrust in quiescent water. In-air and underwater experiments are performed to verify the incorporation of hydrodynamic effects in the linear actuation regime. For electroelastically nonlinear actuation levels, experimentally obtained underwater vibration response is coupled with the elongated-body theory to predict the thrust output. The measured mean thrust levels in quiescent water (on the order of ∼10 mN) compare favorably with thrust levels of biological fish. An untethered robotic fish prototype that employs a single bimorph fin (caudal fin) for straight swimming and turning motions is developed and tested in free locomotion. A swimming speed of 0.3 body-length/second (7.5 cm s −1 swimming speed for 24.3 cm body length) is achieved at 5 Hz for a non-optimized main body-propulsor bimorph combination under a moderate actuation voltage level. (paper)

  12. Piezoelectric composite morphing control surfaces for unmanned aerial vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohanian, Osgar J., III; Karni, Etan D.; Olien, Chris C.; Gustafson, Eric A.; Kochersberger, Kevin B.; Gelhausen, Paul A.; Brown, Bridget L.

    2011-04-01

    The authors have explored the use of morphing control surfaces to replace traditional servo-actuated control surfaces in UAV applications. The morphing actuation is accomplished using Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) piezoelectric actuators in a bimorph configuration to deflect the aft section of a control surface cross section. The resulting camber change produces forces and moments for vehicle control. The flexible piezoelectric actuators are damage tolerant and provide excellent bandwidth. The large amplitude morphing deflections attained in bench-top experiments demonstrate the potential for excellent control authority. Aerodynamic performance calculations using experimentally measured morphed geometries indicate changes in sectional lift coefficients that are superior to a servo-actuated hinged flap airfoil. This morphing flight control actuation technology could eliminate the need for servos and mechanical linkages in small UAVs and thereby increase reliability and reduce drag.

  13. Note: A novel rotary actuator driven by only one piezoelectric actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Hu; Fu, Lu; Zhao, Hongwei; Shi, Chengli; Ren, Luquan; Li, Jianping; Qu, Han

    2013-09-01

    This paper presents a novel piezo-driven rotary actuator based on the parasitic motion principle. Output performances of the rotary actuator were tested and discussed. Experiment results indicate that using only one piezoelectric actuator and simple sawtooth wave control, the rotary actuator reaches the rotation velocity of about 20,097 μrad/s when the driving voltage is 100 V and the driving frequency is 90 Hz. The actuator can rotate stably with the minimum resolution of 0.7 μrad. This paper verifies feasibility of the parasitic motion principle for applications of rotary actuators, providing new design ideas for precision piezoelectric rotary actuators.

  14. Parameters Identification for a Composite Piezoelectric Actuator Dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Saadeh

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This work presents an approach for identifying the model of a composite piezoelectric (PZT bimorph actuator dynamics, with the objective of creating a robust model that can be used under various operating conditions. This actuator exhibits nonlinear behavior that can be described using backlash and hysteresis. A linear dynamic model with a damping matrix that incorporates the Bouc–Wen hysteresis model and the backlash operators is developed. This work proposes identifying the actuator’s model parameters using the hybrid master-slave genetic algorithm neural network (HGANN. In this algorithm, the neural network exploits the ability of the genetic algorithm to search globally to optimize its structure, weights, biases and transfer functions to perform time series analysis efficiently. A total of nine datasets (cases representing three different voltage amplitudes excited at three different frequencies are used to train and validate the model. Four cases are considered for training the NN architecture, connection weights, bias weights and learning rules. The remaining five cases are used to validate the model, which produced results that closely match the experimental ones. The analysis shows that damping parameters are inversely proportional to the excitation frequency. This indicates that the suggested hysteresis model is too general for the PZT model in this work. It also suggests that backlash appears only when dynamic forces become dominant.

  15. Programmable and functional electrothermal bimorph actuators based on large-area anisotropic carbon nanotube paper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qingwei; Liu, Changhong; Fan, Shoushan

    2018-04-01

    Electro-active polymer (EAP) actuators, such as electronic, ionic and electrothermal (ET) actuators, have become an important branch of next-generation soft actuators in bionic robotics. However, most reported EAP actuators could realize only simple movements, being restricted by the small area of flexible electrodes and simple designs. We prepared large-area flexible electrodes of high anisotropy, made of oriented carbon nanotube (CNT) paper, and carried out artful graphic designs and processing on the electrodes to make functional ET bimorph actuators which can realize large bending deformations (over 220°, curvature > 1.5 cm-1) and bionic movements driven by electricity. The anisotropy of CNT paper benefits electrode designs and multiform actuations for complex actuators. Based on the large-area CNT paper, more interesting and functional actuators can be designed and prepared which will have practical applications in the fields of artificial muscles, complicated actuations, and soft and bionic robotics.

  16. Piezoelectric stack actuator parameter extraction with hysteresis compensation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zsurzsan, Tiberiu-Gabriel; Mangeot, Charles; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2014-01-01

    The Piezoelectric Actuator Drive (PAD) is a type of rotary motor that transforms the linear motion of piezoelectric stack actuators into a precise rotational motion. The very high stiffness of the actuators employed make this type of motor suited for open-loop control, but the inherent hysteresis...

  17. Piezoelectric actuation of helicopter rotor blades

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lieven, Nicholas A. J.

    2001-07-01

    The work presented in this paper is concerned with the application of embedded piezo-electric actuators in model helicopter rotor blades. The paper outlines techniques to define the optimal location of actuators to excite particular modes of vibration whilst the blade is rotating. Using composite blades the distribution of strain energy is defined using a Finite Element model with imposed rotor-dynamic and aerodynamics loads. The loads are specified through strip theory to determine the position of maximum bending moment and thus the optimal location of the embedded actuators. The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated on a 1/4 scale fixed cyclic pitch rotor head. Measurement of the blade displacement is achieved by using strain gauges. In addition a redundant piezo-electric actuator is used to measure the blades' response characteristics. The addition of piezo-electric devices in this application has been shown to exhibit adverse aeroelastic effects, such as counter mass balancing and increased drag. Methods to minimise these effects are suggested. The outcome of the paper is a method for defining the location and orientation of piezo-electric devices in rotor-dynamic applications.

  18. Design and fabrication of aspherical bimorph PZT optics

    CERN Document Server

    Tseng, T C; Yeh, Z C; Perng, S Y; Wang, D J; Kuan, C K; Chen, J R; Chen, C T

    2001-01-01

    Bimorph piezoelectric optics with a third-order-polynomial surface is designed and a prototype is fabricated as active optics. Two pairs of silicon (Si) and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic are bonded as Si-PZT-PZT-Si together with a multi-electrode or thin film resistor coating used as the control electrode between Si and PZT and metallic films as grounding between the interface of PZT ceramics. A linear voltage is applied to the bimorph PZT optics by probing the control electrodes from a two-channel controllable power supplier. In doing so, the optics surface can achieve a desired third-order-polynomial surface. Reducing hysteresis and creep in bimorph PZT X-ray optics is the only feasible way by inserting an appropriate capacitor in series with bimorph PZT optics to significantly reduce both effects.

  19. Piezoelectric energy harvesting in internal fluid flow.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hyeong Jae; Sherrit, Stewart; Tosi, Luis Phillipe; Walkemeyer, Phillip; Colonius, Tim

    2015-10-14

    We consider piezoelectric flow energy harvesting in an internal flow environment with the ultimate goal powering systems such as sensors in deep oil well applications. Fluid motion is coupled to structural vibration via a cantilever beam placed in a converging-diverging flow channel. Two designs were considered for the electromechanical coupling: first; the cantilever itself is a piezoelectric bimorph; second; the cantilever is mounted on a pair of flextensional actuators. We experimentally investigated varying the geometry of the flow passage and the flow rate. Experimental results revealed that the power generated from both designs was similar; producing as much as 20 mW at a flow rate of 20 L/min. The bimorph designs were prone to failure at the extremes of flow rates tested. Finite element analysis (FEA) showed fatigue failure was imminent due to stress concentrations near the bimorph's clamped region; and that robustness could be improved with a stepped-joint mounting design. A similar FEA model showed the flextensional-based harvester had a resonant frequency of around 375 Hz and an electromechanical coupling of 0.23 between the cantilever and flextensional actuators in a vacuum. These values; along with the power levels demonstrated; are significant steps toward building a system design that can eventually deliver power in the Watts range to devices down within a well.

  20. Theoretical and experimental research on the influence of multiple piezoelectric effects on physical parameters of piezoelectric actuator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liping Shi

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Compared with the traditional actuator of machinery and electricity, the piezoelectric actuator has the advantages of a compact structure, small volume, no mechanical friction, athermancy and no electromagnetic interference. Therefore, it has high application value in the fields of MEMS, bioengineering, medical science and so on. This article draws conclusions from the influence of multiple piezoelectric effects on the physical parameters (dielectric coefficient, equivalent capacity, energy conversion and piezoelectric coefficient of piezoelectric actuators. These data from theoretical and experimental research show the following: (1 The rate between the dielectric coefficient of piezoelectric in mechanical freedom and clamping is obtained from the secondary direct piezoelectric effect, which enhances the dielectric property, increases the dielectric coefficient and decreases the coefficient of dielectric isolation; (2 Under external field, E n ( ex = E 1 , exterior stress T = 0, that is to say, under the boundary condition of mechanical freedom, piezoelectric can store electric energy and elasticity, which obtains power density, elastic density and an electromechanical coupling factor; (3 According to the piezoelectric strain S i ( 1 , piezoelectric displacement D m ( 2 and piezoelectric strain S i ( 3 of multiple piezoelectric effects, when the dielectric coefficient of the first converse piezoelectric effect ε33 is 1326 and the dielectric coefficient of the secondary direct piezoelectric effect increases to 3336, the dielectric coefficient of the ceramic chip increases. When the piezoelectric coefficient of the first converse piezoelectric effect d33 is 595 and the piezoelectric coefficient of the secondary direct piezoelectric effect decreases to 240, the piezoelectric coefficient of the ceramic chip will decrease. It is of major significance both in the applications and in basic theory to research the influence of multiple piezoelectric

  1. Hysteresis compensation for piezoelectric actuators in single-point diamond turning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Haifeng; Hu, Dejin; Wan, Daping; Liu, Hongbin

    2006-02-01

    In recent years, interests have been growing for fast tool servo (FTS) systems to increase the capability of existing single-point diamond turning machines. Although piezoelectric actuator is the most universal base of FTS system due to its high stiffness, accuracy and bandwidth, nonlinearity in piezoceramics limits both the static and dynamic performance of piezoelectric-actuated control systems evidently. To compensate the nonlinear hysteresis behavior of piezoelectric actuators, a hybrid model coupled with Preisach model and feedforward neural network (FNN) has been described. Since the training of FNN does not require a special calibration sequence, it is possible for on-line identification and real-time implementation with general operating data of a specific piezoelectric actuator. To describe the rate dependent behavior of piezoelectric actuators, a hybrid dynamic model was developed to predict the response of piezoelectric actuators in a wider range of input frequency. Experimental results show that a maximal error of less than 3% was accomplished by this dynamic model.

  2. Exact analysis of two kinds of piezoelectric actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Rong; Shi Zhifei

    2008-01-01

    Two kinds of piezoelectric hollow cylinder actuator are studied in this paper. One is the expansion actuator and the other is the contraction actuator. Using the Airy stress function method, the analytical solutions of these two kinds of actuators are obtained based on the theory of piezo-elasticity. The solutions are compared with numerical results and good agreement is found. Inherent properties of these two kinds of piezoelectric cylinder actuator are presented and discussed. Findings have applications in the field of micromechanics and microengineering

  3. Piezoelectric Actuator with Frequency Characteristics for a Middle-Ear Implant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Dong Ho; Cho, Jin-Ho

    2018-05-24

    The design and implementation of a novel piezoelectric-based actuator for an implantable middle-ear hearing aid is described in this paper. The proposed actuator has excellent low-frequency output characteristics, and can generate high output in a specific frequency band by adjusting the mechanical resonance. The actuator consists of a piezoelectric element, a miniature bellows, a cantilever membrane, a metal ring support, a ceramic tip, and titanium housing. The optimal structure of the cantilever-membrane design, which determines the frequency characteristics of the piezoelectric actuator, was derived through finite element analysis. Based on the results, the piezoelectric actuator was implemented, and its performance was verified through a cadaveric experiment. It was confirmed that the proposed actuator provides better performance than currently used actuators, in terms of frequency characteristics.

  4. Force-deflection behavior of piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Ashok K.; Nagpal, Pawan

    2001-11-01

    In the present endeavour, force - deflection behavior of various piezoelectric actuator configurations has been analyzed for performance comparison. The response of stack actuator has been simulated using MATLAB Simulink, in a stack actuator-pendulum configuration. During simulation, stack actuator has been used in charge control feedback mode, because of the advantage of low hysteresis, and high linearity. The model incorporates three compensation blocks, viz 1) a PID position controller, 2) a PI piezoelectric current controller, and 3) a dynamic force feedback. A typical stack actuator, having 130 layers, 1.20x10-4 m thickness, 3.46x10-5m2 cross sectional area, of PZT-5H type, has been utilized for simulation. The response of the system has been tested by applying a sinusoidal input of frequency 500 Hz, and waveform amplitude of 1x10-3V.

  5. Mathematical model and characteristic analysis of hybrid photovoltaic/piezoelectric actuation mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Jing; Li, Xiaonan; Ding, Jincheng; Yue, Honghao; Deng, Zongquan

    2016-12-01

    Photovoltaic materials can turn light energy into electric energy directly, and thus have the advantages of high electrical output voltages and the ability to realize remote or non-contact control. When high-energy ultraviolet light illuminates polarized PbLaZrTi (PLZT) materials, high photovoltages will be generated along the spontaneous polarization direction due to the photovoltaic effect. In this paper, a novel hybrid photovoltaic/piezoelectric actuation mechanism is proposed. PLZT ceramics are used as a photovoltaic generator to drive a piezoelectric actuator. A mathematical model is established to define the time history of the actuation voltage between two electrodes of the piezoelectric actuator, which is experimentally validated by the test results of a piezoelectric actuator with different geometrical parameters under irradiation at different light intensities. Some important characteristics of this novel actuation mechanism are analyzed and it can be concluded that (1) it is experimentally validated that there is no hysteresis between voltage and deformation which exists in a PLZT actuator; (2) the saturated voltage and response speed can be improved by using a multi-patch PLZT generator to drive the piezoelectric actuator; and (3) the initial voltage of the piezoelectric actuator can be acquired by controlling the logical switch between the PLZT and the piezoelectric actuator while the initial voltages increase with the rise of light intensity.

  6. Piezoelectric Actuator Modeling Using MSC/NASTRAN and MATLAB

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reaves, Mercedes C.; Horta, Lucas G.

    2003-01-01

    This paper presents a procedure for modeling structures containing piezoelectric actuators using MSCMASTRAN and MATLAB. The paper describes the utility and functionality of one set of validated modeling tools. The tools described herein use MSCMASTRAN to model the structure with piezoelectric actuators and a thermally induced strain to model straining of the actuators due to an applied voltage field. MATLAB scripts are used to assemble the dynamic equations and to generate frequency response functions. The application of these tools is discussed using a cantilever aluminum beam with a surface mounted piezoelectric actuator as a sample problem. Software in the form of MSCINASTRAN DMAP input commands, MATLAB scripts, and a step-by-step procedure to solve the example problem are provided. Analysis results are generated in terms of frequency response functions from deflection and strain data as a function of input voltage to the actuator.

  7. Vibration control for precision manufacturing using piezoelectric actuators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martinez, D.R.; Hinnerichs, T.D.; Redmond, J.M.

    1995-12-31

    Piezoelectric actuators provide high frequency, force, and stiffness capabilities along with reasonable Stroke limits, all of which can be used to increase performance levels in precision manufacturing systems. This paper describes two examples of embedding piezoelectric actuators in structural components for vibration control. One example involves suppressing the self excited chatter phenomenon in the metal cutting process of a milling machine and the other involves damping vibrations induced by rigid body stepping of a photolithography platen. Finite element modeling and analyses are essential for locating and sizing the actuators and permit further simulation studies of the response of the dynamic system. Experimental results are given for embedding piezoelectric actuators in a cantilevered bar configuration, which was used as a surrogate machine tool structure. These results are incorporated into a previously developed milling process simulation and the effect of the control on the cutting process stability diagram is quantified. Experimental results are also given for embedding three piezoelectric actuators in a surrogate photolithography platen to suppress vibrations. These results demonstrate the potential benefit that can be realized by applying advances from the field of adaptive structures to problems in precision manufacturing.

  8. Nonlinear vibration of an electrically actuated microresonator tuned by combined DC piezoelectric and electric actuations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zamanian, M; Khadem, S E

    2010-01-01

    This paper studies the nonlinear vibration of a clamped–clamped microresonator under combined electric and piezoelectric actuations. The electric actuation is induced by applying an AC–DC voltage between the microbeam and the electrode plate that lies on opposite sides of the microbeam, and the piezoelectric actuation is induced by applying the DC voltage between upper and lower sides of the piezoelectric layer deposited on the microbeam length. It is assumed that the neutral axis of bending is stretched when the microbeam is deflected. The equations of motion are derived using Newton's second law, and are solved using the multiple-scale perturbation method. It is shown that, depending on the value of DC electric and piezoelectric actuations, geometry and the bending stiffness of the system. A softening or hardening behavior may be realized. It demonstrates that nonlinear behavior of an electrically actuated microresonator may be tuned to a linear behavior by applying a convenient DC electric voltage to the piezoelectric layer, and so an undesirable shift of resonance frequency may be removed. If one lets the applied voltage to the piezoelectric layer be equal to zero, this paper would be an effort to tailor the linear and nonlinear stiffness coefficients of two layered electrically actuated microresonators without the assumption that the lengths of the two layers are equal

  9. Actuators Using Piezoelectric Stacks and Displacement Enhancers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Sherrit, Stewart; Bao, Xiaoqi; Badescu, Mircea; Lee, Hyeong Jae; Walkenmeyer, Phillip; Lih, Shyh-Shiuh

    2015-01-01

    Actuators are used to drive all active mechanisms including machines, robots, and manipulators to name a few. The actuators are responsible for moving, manipulating, displacing, pushing and executing any action that is needed by the mechanism. There are many types and principles of actuation that are responsible for these movements ranging from electromagnetic, electroactive, thermo-mechanic, piezoelectric, electrostrictive etc. Actuators are readily available from commercial producers but there is a great need for reducing their size, increasing their efficiency and reducing their weight. Studies at JPL’s Non Destructive Evaluation and Advanced Actuators (NDEAA) Laboratory have been focused on the use of piezoelectric stacks and novel designs taking advantage of piezoelectric’s potential to provide high torque/force density actuation and high electromechanical conversion efficiency. The actuators/motors that have been developed and reviewed in this paper are operated by various horn configurations as well as the use of pre-stress flexures that make them thermally stable and increases their coupling efficiency. The use of monolithic designs that pre-stress the piezoelectric stack eliminates the use of compression stress bolt. These designs enable the embedding of developed solid-state motors/actuators in any structure with the only macroscopically moving parts are the rotor or the linear translator. Finite element modeling and design tools were used to determine the requirements and operation parameters and the results were used to simulate, design and fabricate novel actuators/motors. The developed actuators and performance will be described and discussed in this paper.

  10. Wave propagations of curvilinear motors driven by partially laminated piezoelectric actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smithmaitrie, Pruittikorn; Suybangdum, Panumas; Muensit, Supasarote; Tzou, Horn-Sen

    2008-01-01

    A piezoelectric arc stator is the key component delivering driving actions to an ultrasonic curvilinear motor. The arc stator drives the rotor along the arc structure to any specific angular position. Usually conventional stators in ultrasonic motors are fully bounded with piezoelectric patch actuators. To reduce production costs while maintaining similar driving characteristics, an arc stator partially bonded with piezoelectric actuators is proposed and its dynamic characteristics are analyzed in this study. The effect of actuator locations on the wave propagation is investigated. Both analytical and finite element results demonstrate similar dynamic responses. That is, the response of the wave propagation depends on specific locations of piezoelectric actuators. One of the two configurations investigated shows that the partially laminated piezoelectric actuator pattern can also generate rather steady traveling waves on the stator with consistent wave amplitude. This implies that the partially laminated actuator technique could be an alternative actuator pattern to the fully laminated actuators in the design of ultrasonic curvilinear motors or other finite-length ultrasonic motors

  11. Ferroelectric materials for piezoelectric actuators by optimal design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayachandran, K.P.; Guedes, J.M.; Rodrigues, H.C.

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → Microstructure optimization of ferroelectric materials by stochastic optimization. → Polycrystalline ferroelectrics possess better piezo actuation than single crystals. → Randomness of the grain orientations would enhance the overall piezoelectricity. - Abstract: Optimization methods provide a systematic means of designing heterogeneous materials with tailored properties and microstructures focussing on a specific objective. An optimization procedure incorporating a continuum modeling is used in this work to identify the ideal orientation distribution of ferroelectrics (FEs) for application in piezoelectric actuators. Piezoelectric actuation is dictated primarily by the piezoelectric strain coefficients d iμ . Crystallographic orientation is inextricably related to the piezoelectric properties of FEs. This suggests that piezoelectric properties can be tailored by a proper choice of the parameters which control the orientation distribution. Nevertheless, this choice is complicated and it is impossible to analyze all possible combinations of the distribution parameters or the angles themselves. Stochastic optimization combined with a generalized Monte Carlo scheme is used to optimize the objective functions, the effective piezoelectric coefficients d 31 and d 15 . The procedure is applied to heterogeneous, polycrystalline, FE ceramics which are essentially an aggregate of variously oriented grains (crystallites). Global piezoelectric properties are calculated using the homogenization method at each grain configuration chosen by the optimization algorithm. Optimal design variables and microstructure that would generate polycrystalline configurations that multiply the macroscopic piezoelectricity are identified.

  12. Iterative Learning Control of Hysteresis in Piezoelectric Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guilin Zhang

    2014-01-01

    input in hysteretic systems. In the analysis, the Prandtl-Ishlinskii model is utilized to capture the nonlinear behavior in piezoelectric actuators. Finally, we apply the control algorithm to an experimental piezoelectric actuator and conclude that the tracking error is reduced to 0.15% of the total displacement, which is approximately the noise level of the sensor measurement.

  13. Model and Design of a Power Driver for Piezoelectric Stack Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiaberge M

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available A power driver has been developed to control piezoelectric stack actuators used in automotive application. An FEM model of the actuator has been implemented starting from experimental characterization of the stack and mechanical and piezoelectric parameters. Experimental results are reported to show a correct piezoelectric actuator driving method and the possibility to obtain a sensorless positioning control.

  14. A distributed parameter electromechanical model for bimorph piezoelectric energy harvesters based on the refined zigzag theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chung-De

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, a distributed parameter electromechanical model for bimorph piezoelectric energy harvesters based on the refined zigzag theory (RZT) is developed. In this model, the zigzag function is incorporated into the axial displacement, and the zigzag distribution of the displacement between the adjacent layers of the bimorph structure can be considered. The governing equations, including three equations of motions and one equation of circuit, are derived using Hamilton’s principle. The natural frequency, its corresponding modal function and the steady state response of the base excitation motion are given in exact forms. The presented results are benchmarked with the finite element method and two beam theories, the first-order shear deformation theory and the classical beam theory. Comparing examples shows that the RZT provides predictions of output voltage and generated power at high accuracy, especially for the case of a soft middle layer. Variation of the parameters, such as the beam thickness, excitation frequencies and the external electrical loads, is investigated and its effects on the performance of the energy harvesters are studied by using the RZT developed in this paper. Based on this refined theory, analysts and engineers can capture more details on the electromechanical behavior of piezoelectric harvesters.

  15. Design and performance testing of an ultrasonic linear motor with dual piezoelectric actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smithmaitrie, Pruittikorn; Suybangdum, Panumas; Laoratanakul, Pitak; Muensit, Nantakan

    2012-05-01

    In this work, design and performance testing of an ultrasonic linear motor with dual piezoelectric actuator patches are studied. The motor system consists of a linear stator, a pre-load weight, and two piezoelectric actuator patches. The piezoelectric actuators are bonded with the linear elastic stator at specific locations. The stator generates propagating waves when the piezoelectric actuators are subjected to harmonic excitations. Vibration characteristics of the linear stator are analyzed and compared with finite element and experimental results. The analytical, finite element, and experimental results show agreement. In the experiments, performance of the ultrasonic linear motor is tested. Relationships between velocity and pre-load weight, velocity and applied voltage, driving force and applied voltage, and velocity and driving force are reported. The design of the dual piezoelectric actuators yields a simpler structure with a smaller number of actuators and lower stator stiffness compared with a conventional design of an ultrasonic linear motor with fully laminated piezoelectric actuators.

  16. Using Diffusion Bonding in Making Piezoelectric Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sager, Frank E.

    2003-01-01

    A technique for the fabrication of piezoelectric actuators that generate acceptably large forces and deflections at relatively low applied voltages involves the stacking and diffusion bonding of multiple thin piezoelectric layers coated with film electrodes. The present technique stands in contrast to an older technique in which the layers are bonded chemically, by use of urethane or epoxy agents. The older chemical-bonding technique entails several disadvantages, including the following: It is difficult to apply the bonding agents to the piezoelectric layers. It is difficult to position the layers accurately and without making mistakes. There is a problem of disposal of hazardous urethane and epoxy wastes. The urethane and epoxy agents are nonpiezoelectric materials. As such, they contribute to the thickness of a piezoelectric laminate without contributing to its performance; conversely, for a given total thickness, the performance of the laminate is below that of a unitary piezoelectric plate of the same thickness. The figure depicts some aspects of the fabrication of a laminated piezoelectric actuator by the present diffusion- bonding technique. First, stock sheets of the piezoelectric material are inspected and tested. Next, the hole pattern shown in the figure is punched into the sheets. Alternatively, if the piezoelectric material is not a polymer, then the holes are punched in thermoplastic films. Then both faces of each punched piezoelectric sheet or thermoplastic film are coated with a silver-ink electrode material by use of a silkscreen printer. The electrode and hole patterns are designed for minimal complexity and minimal waste of material. After a final electrical test, all the coated piezoelectric layers (or piezoelectric layers and coated thermoplastic films) are stacked in an alignment jig, which, in turn, is placed in a curved press for the diffusion-bonding process. In this process, the stack is pressed and heated at a specified curing temperature

  17. Energy Harvesting Characteristics from Water Flow by Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Device Using Cr/Nb Doped Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Bimorph Cantilever

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kyoung-Bum; Kim, Chang Il; Jeong, Young Hun; Cho, Jeong-Ho; Paik, Jong-Hoo; Nahm, Sahn; Lim, Jong Bong; Seong, Tae-Hyeon

    2013-10-01

    A water flow energy harvester, which can convert water flow energy to electric energy, was fabricated for its application to rivers. This harvester can generate power from the bending and releasing motion of piezoelectric bimorph cantilevers. A Pb(Zr0.54Ti0.46)O3 + 0.2 wt % Cr2O3 + 1.0 wt % Nb2O5 (PZT-CN) thick film and a 250-µm-thick stainless steel were used as a bimorph cantilever. The electrical impedance matching was achieved across a resistive load of 1 kΩ. Four bimorph cantilevers can generate power from 5 to 105 rpm. The output powers were steadily increased by increasing the rpm. The maximum output power was 68 mW by 105 rpm. It was found that the water flow energy harvester can generate 58 mW by a flow velocity of (2 m/s) from the stream with the four bimorph cantilevers.

  18. Auxetic piezoelectric energy harvesters for increased electric power output

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiang Li

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This letter presents a piezoelectric bimorph with auxetic (negative Poisson’s ratio behaviors for increased power output in vibration energy harvesting. The piezoelectric bimorph comprises a 2D auxetic substrate sandwiched between two piezoelectric layers. The auxetic substrate is capable of introducing auxetic behaviors and thus increasing the transverse stress in the piezoelectric layers when the bimorph is subjected to a longitudinal stretching load. As a result, both 31- and 32-modes are simultaneously exploited to generate electric power, leading to an increased power output. The increasing power output principle was theoretically analyzed and verified by finite element (FE modelling. The FE modelling results showed that the auxetic substrate can increase the transverse stress of a bimorph by 16.7 times. The average power generated by the auxetic bimorph is 2.76 times of that generated by a conventional bimorph.

  19. Influence of piezoceramic to fused silica plate thickness on the radii of curvature of piezoelectric bimorph mirror

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Libu, M.; Susanth, S.; Vasanthakumari, K. G.; Dileep Kumar, C. J.; Raghu, N.

    2012-01-01

    Piezoelectric based bimorph mirrors (PBM) find extensive use in focusing of x-ray beams. Many optical instruments require use of PBM whose radii of curvature can be tuned precisely. The 100 mm and 300 mm PBMs were fabricated with varying piezoelectric to fused silica plate thicknesses. The radii of curvature of free standing mirrors were measured as a function of voltage and it was found to decrease with increasing voltage. For a given piezoelectric plate thickness, as the fused silica thickness increases, the radii of curvature was found to increase owing to increase in stiffness of the mirror. On the other hand, for a given fused silica plate thickness, when the piezoelectric plate thickness is increased, the radii of curvature are decreased for a given electric field, due to increase in generated force. This study brings out the influence of piezoceramic to fused silica plate thickness on the radii of curvature of PBM.

  20. Quantitative electromechanical impedance method for nondestructive testing based on a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, Ji; Tan, Chi; Li, Faxin

    2015-01-01

    The electromechanical impedance (EMI) method, which holds great promise in structural health monitoring (SHM), is usually treated as a qualitative method. In this work, we proposed a quantitative EMI method based on a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever using the sample’s local contact stiffness (LCS) as the identification parameter for nondestructive testing (NDT). Firstly, the equivalent circuit of the contact vibration system was established and the analytical relationship between the cantilever’s contact resonance frequency and the LCS was obtained. As the LCS is sensitive to typical defects such as voids and delamination, the proposed EMI method can then be used for NDT. To verify the equivalent circuit model, two piezoelectric bimorph cantilevers were fabricated and their free resonance frequencies were measured and compared with theoretical predictions. It was found that the stiff cantilever’s EMI can be well predicted by the equivalent circuit model while the soft cantilever’s cannot. Then, both cantilevers were assembled into a homemade NDT system using a three-axis motorized stage for LCS scanning. Testing results on a specimen with a prefabricated defect showed that the defect could be clearly reproduced in the LCS image, indicating the validity of the quantitative EMI method for NDT. It was found that the single-frequency mode of the EMI method can also be used for NDT, which is faster but not quantitative. Finally, several issues relating to the practical application of the NDT method were discussed. The proposed EMI-based NDT method offers a simple and rapid solution for damage evaluation in engineering structures and may also shed some light on EMI-based SHM. (paper)

  1. Fuzzy PID Feedback Control of Piezoelectric Actuator with Feedforward Compensation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ziqiang Chi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric actuator is widely used in the field of micro/nanopositioning. However, piezoelectric hysteresis introduces nonlinearity to the system, which is the major obstacle to achieve a precise positioning. In this paper, the Preisach model is employed to describe the hysteresis characteristic of piezoelectric actuator and an inverse Preisach model is developed to construct a feedforward controller. Considering that the analytical expression of inverse Preisach model is difficult to derive and not suitable for practical application, a digital inverse model is established based on the input and output data of a piezoelectric actuator. Moreover, to mitigate the compensation error of the feedforward control, a feedback control scheme is implemented using different types of control algorithms in terms of PID control, fuzzy control, and fuzzy PID control. Extensive simulation studies are carried out using the three kinds of control systems. Comparative investigation reveals that the fuzzy PID control system with feedforward compensation is capable of providing quicker response and better control accuracy than the other two ones. It provides a promising way of precision control for piezoelectric actuator.

  2. Deflection of Cross-Ply Composite Laminates Induced by Piezoelectric Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chi-Sheng Lin

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The coupling effects between the mechanical and electric properties of piezoelectric materials have drawn significant attention for their potential applications as sensors and actuators. In this investigation, two piezoelectric actuators are symmetrically surface bonded on a cross-ply composite laminate. Electric voltages with the same amplitude and opposite sign are applied to the two symmetric piezoelectric actuators, resulting in the bending effect on the laminated plate. The bending moment is derived by using the classical laminate theory and piezoelectricity. The analytical solution of the flexural displacement of the simply supported composite plate subjected to the bending moment is solved by using the plate theory. The analytical solution is compared with the finite element solution to show the validation of present approach. The effects of the size and location of the piezoelectric actuators on the response of the composite laminate are presented through a parametric study. A simple model incorporating the classical laminate theory and plate theory is presented to predict the deformed shape of the simply supported laminate plate.

  3. A measurement method for piezoelectric material properties under longitudinal compressive stress–-a compression test method for thin piezoelectric materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Lae-Hyong; Lee, Dae-Oen; Han, Jae-Hung

    2011-01-01

    We introduce a new compression test method for piezoelectric materials to investigate changes in piezoelectric properties under the compressive stress condition. Until now, compression tests of piezoelectric materials have been generally conducted using bulky piezoelectric ceramics and pressure block. The conventional method using the pressure block for thin piezoelectric patches, which are used in unimorph or bimorph actuators, is prone to unwanted bending and buckling. In addition, due to the constrained boundaries at both ends, the observed piezoelectric behavior contains boundary effects. In order to avoid these problems, the proposed method employs two guide plates with initial longitudinal tensile stress. By removing the tensile stress after bonding a piezoelectric material between the guide layers, longitudinal compressive stress is induced in the piezoelectric layer. Using the compression test specimens, two important properties, which govern the actuation performance of the piezoelectric material, the piezoelectric strain coefficients and the elastic modulus, are measured to evaluate the effects of applied electric fields and re-poling. The results show that the piezoelectric strain coefficient d 31 increases and the elastic modulus decreases when high voltage is applied to PZT5A, and the compression in the longitudinal direction decreases the piezoelectric strain coefficient d 31 but does not affect the elastic modulus. We also found that the re-poling of the piezoelectric material increases the elastic modulus, but the piezoelectric strain coefficient d 31 is not changed much (slightly increased) by re-poling

  4. Investigating the Electromechanical Coupling in Piezoelectric Actuator Drive Motor Under Heavy Load

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zsurzsan, Tiberiu-Gabriel; Andersen, Michael A. E.; Zhang, Zhe

    2014-01-01

    The Piezoelectric Actuator Drive (PAD) is an accurate, high-torque rotary piezoelectric motor that employs piezoelectric stack actuators and inverse hypocycloidal motion to generate rotation. Important factors that determine motor performance are the proper concentric alignment between the motor...

  5. Experimental verification of distributed piezoelectric actuators for use in precision space structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawley, E. F.; De Luis, J.

    1986-01-01

    An analytic model for structures with distributed piezoelectric actuators is experimentally verified for the cases of both surface-bonded and embedded actuators. A technique for the selection of such piezoelectric actuators' location has been developed, and is noted to indicate that segmented actuators are always more effective than continuous ones, since the output of each can be individually controlled. Manufacturing techniques for the bonding or embedding of segmented piezoelectric actuators are also developed which allow independent electrical contact to be made with each actuator. Static tests have been conducted to determine how the elastic properties of the composite are affected by the presence of an embedded actuator, for the case of glass/epoxy laminates.

  6. Experimental measurements and finite element models of High Displacement Piezoelectric Actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camargo, Gilberto; Ashford, Gevale; Naco, Eris; Usher, Tim

    2004-03-01

    Piezoelectric actuators have many applications including morphable wing technology and piezoelectric transformers. A Piezoelectric ceramic is a material that will move when a voltage is applied and conversely produces a charge when a pressure is applied. In our study, we examine THUNDER (Thin Layer Unimorph Ferroelectric Driver and Sensor) actuators (Thunder TM is a trademark of FACE International Corporation.) Thunder actuators are constructed by bonding thin PZT piezoelectric ceramics to metal sheets. We will present physical measurements of piezoelectric actuators, as well as measurements of the displacements due to applied voltages. In our studies we used a laser micrometer to measure the dimensional characteristics of four sizes of THUNDER actuators including TH-8R, TH-9R, TH-10R, and finally the TH-11R. We also developed computer models using a commercial fine element modeling package (FEM) known as ANSYS6.0®. This software enables us to construct our models controlling such attributes as exact dimensions of the three layers of the piezoelectric actuator, the material properties of each element, the type of load that is to be applied as well as the manner in which the layers are bonded together. The computer model compares favorably with the experimental results. Acknowledgements: NASA Grant No. 0051-0078 Department of Defense (DoD) Control No.ISP02-EUG15

  7. Fuzzy PID Feedback Control of Piezoelectric Actuator with Feedforward Compensation

    OpenAIRE

    Ziqiang Chi; Minping Jia; Qingsong Xu

    2014-01-01

    Piezoelectric actuator is widely used in the field of micro/nanopositioning. However, piezoelectric hysteresis introduces nonlinearity to the system, which is the major obstacle to achieve a precise positioning. In this paper, the Preisach model is employed to describe the hysteresis characteristic of piezoelectric actuator and an inverse Preisach model is developed to construct a feedforward controller. Considering that the analytical expression of inverse Preisach model is difficult to deri...

  8. Vibration analysis of a functionally graded piezoelectric cylindrical actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, T T; Shi, Z F; Spencer, B F Jr

    2008-01-01

    This paper focuses on the response of a functionally graded piezoelectric cylindrical actuator placed in a harmonic electric field based on elastic membrane theory and shell theory. The actuator is polarized in the radial direction with its piezoelectric coefficient d 31 varying linearly along the axial direction. In the present investigation, non-dimensional expressions are introduced, and analytical solutions for this class of actuator are obtained. The results provided in the present study are compared with other investigations, with good agreement being found. The major differences between a functionally graded actuator and an actuator with homogeneous material properties are identified, and the advantages of the former are demonstrated. In the last section of this paper, limitations of membrane theory and shell theory models are discussed

  9. Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting in Internal Fluid Flow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyeong Jae Lee

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available We consider piezoelectric flow energy harvesting in an internal flow environment with the ultimate goal powering systems such as sensors in deep oil well applications. Fluid motion is coupled to structural vibration via a cantilever beam placed in a converging-diverging flow channel. Two designs were considered for the electromechanical coupling: first; the cantilever itself is a piezoelectric bimorph; second; the cantilever is mounted on a pair of flextensional actuators. We experimentally investigated varying the geometry of the flow passage and the flow rate. Experimental results revealed that the power generated from both designs was similar; producing as much as 20 mW at a flow rate of 20 L/min. The bimorph designs were prone to failure at the extremes of flow rates tested. Finite element analysis (FEA showed fatigue failure was imminent due to stress concentrations near the bimorph’s clamped region; and that robustness could be improved with a stepped-joint mounting design. A similar FEA model showed the flextensional-based harvester had a resonant frequency of around 375 Hz and an electromechanical coupling of 0.23 between the cantilever and flextensional actuators in a vacuum. These values; along with the power levels demonstrated; are significant steps toward building a system design that can eventually deliver power in the Watts range to devices down within a well.

  10. Fatigue and retention properties of shape memory piezoelectric actuator with non-180° domain switching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kadota, Y; Morita, T

    2012-01-01

    A shape memory piezoelectric actuator can maintain a piezoelectric displacement without an operating voltage. It has two stable strain states at zero voltage: a poled state and a depoled state. The driving principle of the shape memory piezoelectric actuator is based on reorientation of the non-180° domains in the ferroelectric materials. In this study, a unimorph shape memory piezoelectric actuator with a soft lead zirconate titanate was fabricated. The fatigue and retention properties of this shape memory piezoelectric actuator were investigated. The fatigue behavior of the actuator in the early stages is considered to be closely related to the domain stabilization process. Continuous cycle fatigue tests revealed that the shape memory piezoelectric actuator continues to operate even after 10 6 cycles. Retention measurements revealed that the depoled state of the actuator was more stable than the poled state. The drift in the actuator displacement over one year was estimated to be less than 10% of the initial shape memory displacement. (paper)

  11. Piezoelectric Actuator/Sensor Technology at Rockwell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neurgaonkar, Ratnakar R.

    1996-01-01

    We describe the state-of-the art of piezoelectric materials based on perovskite and tungsten bronze families for sensor, actuator and smart structure applications. The microstructural defects in these materials have been eliminated to a large extent and the resulting materials exhibit exceedingly high performance for various applications. The performance of Rockwell actuators/sensors is at least 3 times better than commercially available products. These high performance actuators are being incorporated into various applications including, DOD, NASA and commercial. The multilayer actuator stacks fabricated from our piezoceramics are advantageous for sensing and high capacitance applications. In this presentation, we will describe the use of our high performance piezo-ceramics for actuators and sensors, including multilayer stacks and composite structures.

  12. Wafer-scale integration of piezoelectric actuation capabilities in nanoelectromechanical systems resonators

    OpenAIRE

    DEZEST, Denis; MATHIEU, Fabrice; MAZENQ, Laurent; SOYER, Caroline; COSTECALDE, Jean; REMIENS, Denis; THOMAS, Olivier; DEÜ, Jean-François; NICU, Liviu

    2013-01-01

    In this work, we demonstrate the integration of piezoelectric actuation means on arrays of nanocantilevers at the wafer scale. We use lead titanate zirconate (PZT) as piezoelectric material mainly because of its excellent actuation properties even when geometrically constrained at extreme scale

  13. Full Piezoelectric Multilayer-Stacked Hybrid Actuation/Transduction Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Ji; Jiang, Xiaoning; Zu, Tian-Bing

    2011-01-01

    The Stacked HYBATS (Hybrid Actuation/Transduction system) demonstrates significantly enhanced electromechanical performance by using the cooperative contributions of the electromechanical responses of multilayer, stacked negative strain components and positive strain components. Both experimental and theoretical studies indicate that, for Stacked HYBATS, the displacement is over three times that of a same-sized conventional flextensional actuator/transducer. The coupled resonance mode between positive strain and negative strain components of Stacked HYBATS is much stronger than the resonance of a single element actuation only when the effective lengths of the two kinds of elements match each other. Compared with the previously invented hybrid actuation system (HYBAS), the multilayer Stacked HYBATS can be designed to provide high mechanical load capability, low voltage driving, and a highly effective piezoelectric constant. The negative strain component will contract, and the positive strain component will expand in the length directions when an electric field is applied on the device. The interaction between the two elements makes an enhanced motion along the Z direction for Stacked-HYBATS. In order to dominate the dynamic length of Stacked-HYBATS by the negative strain component, the area of the cross-section for the negative strain component will be much larger than the total cross-section areas of the two positive strain components. The transverse strain is negative and longitudinal strain positive in inorganic materials, such as ceramics/single crystals. Different piezoelectric multilayer stack configurations can make a piezoelectric ceramic/single-crystal multilayer stack exhibit negative strain or positive strain at a certain direction without increasing the applied voltage. The difference of this innovation from the HYBAS is that all the elements can be made from one-of-a-kind materials. Stacked HYBATS can provide an extremely effective piezoelectric

  14. Touching force response of the piezoelectric Braille cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smithmaitrie, Pruittikorn; Kanjantoe, Jinda; Tandayya, Pichaya

    2008-11-01

    The objective of this research is to investigate dynamic responses of the piezoelectric Braille cell when it is subjected to both electrical signal and touching force. Physical behavior of the piezoelectric actuator inside the piezoelectric Braille cell is analyzed. The mathematical model of the piezoelectric Braille system is presented. Then, data of visually impaired people using a Braille Note is studied as design information and a reference input for calculation of the piezoelectric Braille response under the touching force. The results show dynamic responses of the piezoelectric Braille cell. The designed piezoelectric bimorph has a settling time of 0.15 second. The relationship between the Braille dot height and applied voltage is linear. The behavior of the piezoelectric Braille dot when it is touched during operation shows that the dot height is decreased as the force increases. The result provides understanding of the piezoelectric Braille cell behavior under both touching force and electrical excitation simultaneously. This is the important issue for the design and development of piezoelectric Braille cells in senses of controlling Braille dot displacement or force-feedback in the future.

  15. Active-passive hybrid piezoelectric actuators for high-precision hard disk drive servo systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Kwong Wah; Liao, Wei-Hsin

    2006-03-01

    Positioning precision is crucial to today's increasingly high-speed, high-capacity, high data density, and miniaturized hard disk drives (HDDs). The demand for higher bandwidth servo systems that can quickly and precisely position the read/write head on a high track density becomes more pressing. Recently, the idea of applying dual-stage actuators to track servo systems has been studied. The push-pull piezoelectric actuated devices have been developed as micro actuators for fine and fast positioning, while the voice coil motor functions as a large but coarse seeking. However, the current dual-stage actuator design uses piezoelectric patches only without passive damping. In this paper, we propose a dual-stage servo system using enhanced active-passive hybrid piezoelectric actuators. The proposed actuators will improve the existing dual-stage actuators for higher precision and shock resistance, due to the incorporation of passive damping in the design. We aim to develop this hybrid servo system not only to increase speed of track seeking but also to improve precision of track following servos in HDDs. New piezoelectrically actuated suspensions with passive damping have been designed and fabricated. In order to evaluate positioning and track following performances for the dual-stage track servo systems, experimental efforts are carried out to implement the synthesized active-passive suspension structure with enhanced piezoelectric actuators using a composite nonlinear feedback controller.

  16. The effects of substrate layer thickness on piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting with a bimorph type cantilever

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palosaari, Jaakko; Leinonen, Mikko; Juuti, Jari; Jantunen, Heli

    2018-06-01

    In this research four piezoelectric bimorph type cantilevers for energy harvesting were manufactured, measured and analyzed to study the effects of substrate layer thickness on energy harvesting efficiency and durability under different accelerations. The cantilevers had the same dimensions of the piezoelectric ceramic components, but had different thicknesses of the steel substrate (no steel, 30 μm, 50 μm and 75 μm). The cantilevers were tuned to the same resonance frequency with different sizes of tip mass (2.13 g, 3.84 g, 4.17 g and 5.08 g). The energy harvester voltage outputs were then measured across an electrical load near to the resonance frequency (∼40 Hz) with sinusoidal vibrations under different accelerations. The stress exhibited by the four cantilevers was compared and analyzed and their durability was tested with accelerations up to 2.5 g-forces.

  17. Finite Element Study on Performance of Piezoelectric Bimorph Cantilevers Using Porous/Ceramic 0-3 Polymer Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiran, Raj; Kumar, Anuruddh; Chauhan, Vishal S.; Kumar, Rajeev; Vaish, Rahul

    2018-01-01

    Finite element analysis of 0-3 composites made of piezoceramic particles and pores embedded in polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) has been carried out. The representative volume element (RVE) approach was used to calculate the effective elastic and piezoelectric properties of the periodic isotropic 0-3 piezoelectric composites. It was observed that the elastic and piezoelectric properties increased with the volume fraction of {K}_{0.475} {Na}_{0.475} {Li}_{0.05} ( {{Nb}_{0.92} {Ta}_{0.05} {Sb}_{0.03} } ){O}3 (KNLNTS) particles but decreased for the porous composites. These effective properties were further used to analyze the potential use of such bimorph cantilever beams in sensing and energy harvesting applications. Sensing voltage continuously increased for KNLNTS filled composites while for porous materials it increased up to 15% volume fraction porosity and then decreased. The same trend was also observed for the power produced by the harvester. However, the sensing voltage and power produced by harvesters made of porous composites were lower than for harvesters made of pure PVDF.

  18. Actuation Using Piezoelectric Materials: Application in Augmenters, Energy Harvesters, and Motors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasenoehrl, Jennifer

    2012-01-01

    Piezoelectric actuators are used in many manipulation, movement, and mobility applications as well as transducers and sensors. When used at the resonance frequencies of the piezoelectric stack, the actuator performs at its maximum actuation capability. In this Space Grant internship, three applications of piezoelectric actuators were investigated including hammering augmenters of rotary drills, energy harvesters, and piezo-motors. The augmenter shows improved drill performance over rotation only. The energy harvesters rely on moving fluid to convert mechanical energy into electrical power. Specific designs allow the harvesters more freedom to move, which creates more power. The motor uses the linear movement of the actuator with a horn applied to the side of a rotor to create rotational motion. Friction inhibits this motion and is to be minimized for best performance. Tests and measurements were made during this internship to determine the requirements for optimal performance of the studied mechanisms and devices.

  19. Modeling and simulations of new electrostatically driven, bimorph actuator for high beam steering micromirror deflection angles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walton, John P.; Coutu, Ronald A.; Starman, LaVern

    2015-02-01

    There are numerous applications for micromirror arrays seen in our everyday lives. From flat screen televisions and computer monitors, found in nearly every home and office, to advanced military weapon systems and space vehicles, each application bringing with it a unique set of requirements. The microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) industry has researched many ways micromirror actuation can be accomplished and the different constraints on performance each design brings with it. This paper investigates a new "zipper" approach to electrostatically driven micromirrors with the intent of improving duel plane beam steering by coupling large deflection angles, over 30°, and a fast switching speed. To accomplish this, an extreme initial deflection is needed which can be reached using high stress bimorph beams. Currently this requires long beams and high voltage for the electrostatic pull in or slower electrothermal switching. The idea for this "zipper" approach is to stack multiple beams of a much shorter length and allow for the deflection of each beam to be added together in order to reach the required initial deflection height. This design requires much less pull-in voltage because the pull-in of one short beam will in turn reduce the height of the all subsequent beams, making it much easier to actuate. Using modeling and simulation software to characterize operations characteristics, different bimorph cantilever beam configurations are explored in order to optimize the design. These simulations show that this new "zipper" approach increases initial deflection as additional beams are added to the assembly without increasing the actuation voltage.

  20. Parameter identification and model validation for the piezoelectric actuator in an inertia motor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hunstig, Matthias; Hemsel, Tobias

    2010-01-01

    Piezoelectric inertia motors make use of the inertia of a slider to drive the slider by friction contact in a series of small steps which are generally composed of a stick phase and a slip phase. If the best electrical drive signal for the piezoelectric actuator in an inertia motor is to be determined, its dynamical behaviour must be known. A classic dynamic lumped parameter model for piezoelectric actuators is valid only in resonance and, therefore, is not suitable for modelling the actuator in an inertia motor. A reduced dynamic model is used instead. Its parameters are identified using a step response measurement. This model is used to predict the movement of the actuator in response to a velocity-optimized signal introduced in a separate contribution. Results show that the model cannot represent the dynamical characteristics of the actuator completely. For determining voltage signals that let piezoelectric actuators follow a calculated movement pattern exactly, the model can, therefore, only be used with limitations.

  1. Fpga-based control of piezoelectric actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juhász László

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In many industrial applications like semiconductor production and optical inspection systems, the availability of positioning systems capable to follow trajectory paths in the range of several centimetres, featuring at the same time a nanometre-range precision, is demanding. Pure piezoelectric stages and standard positioning systems with motor and spindle are not able to meet such requirements, because of the small operation range and inadequacies like backlash and friction. One concept for overcoming these problems consists of a hybrid positioning system built through the integration of a DC-drive in series with a piezoelectric actuator. The wide range of potential applications enables a considerable market potential for such an actuator, but due to the high variety of possible positioned objects and dynamic requirements, the required control complexity may be significant. In this paper, a real-time capable state-space control concept for the piezoelectric actuators, embedded in such a hybrid micropositioning system, is presented. The implementation of the controller together with a real-time capable hysteresis compensation measure is performed using a low-budget FPGA-board, whereas the superimposed integrated controller is realized with a dSPACE RCP-system. The advantages of the designed control over a traditional proportional-integral control structure are proven through experimental results using a commercially available hybrid micropositioning system. Positioning results by different dynamic requirements featuring positioning velocities from 1 μm/s up to 5 cm/s are given.

  2. More Insight of Piezoelectric-based Synthetic Jet Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Housley, Kevin; Amitay, Michael

    2016-11-01

    Increased understanding of the internal flow of piezoelectric-based synthetic jet actuators is needed for the development of specialized actuator cavity geometries to increase jet momentum coefficients and tailor acoustic resonant frequencies. Synthetic jet actuators can benefit from tuning of the structural resonant frequency of the piezoelectric diaphragm(s) and the acoustic resonant frequency of the actuator cavity such that they experience constructive coupling. The resulting coupled behavior produces increased jet velocities. The ability to design synthetic jet actuators to operate with this behavior at select driving frequencies allows for them to be better used in flow control applications, which sometimes require specific jet frequencies in order to utilize the natural instabilities of a given flow field. A parametric study of varying actuator diameters was conducted to this end. Phase-locked data were collected on the jet velocity, the cavity pressure at various locations, and the three-dimensional deformation of the surface of the diaphragm. These results were compared to previous analytical work on the interaction between the structural resonance of the diaphragm and the acoustic resonance of the cavity. Funded by the Boeing Company.

  3. A novel traveling wave piezoelectric actuated tracked mobile robot utilizing friction effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Liang; Shu, Chengyou; Jin, Jiamei; Zhang, Jianhui

    2017-03-01

    A novel traveling wave piezoelectric-actuated tracked mobile robot with potential application to robotic rovers was proposed and investigated in this study. The proposed tracked mobile robot is composed of a parallelogram-frame-structure piezoelectric transducer with four rings and a metal track. Utilizing the converse piezoelectric and friction effects, traveling waves were propagated in the rings and then the metal track was actuated by the piezoelectric transducer. Compared with traditional tracked mechanisms, the proposed tracked mobile robot has a simpler and more compact structure without lubricant, which eliminates the problem of lubricant volatilization and deflation, thus, it could be operated in the vacuum environment. Dynamic characteristics were simulated and measured to reveal the mechanism of actuating track of the piezoelectric transducer. Experimental investigations of the traveling wave piezoelectric-actuated tracked mobile robot were then carried out, and the results indicated that the robot prototype with a pair of exciting voltages of 460 Vpp is able to achieve a maximum velocity of 57 mm s-1 moving on the foam plate and possesses the obstacle crossing capability with a maximum height of 27 mm. The proposed tracked mobile robot exhibits potential to be the driving system of robotic rovers.

  4. Robust Tracking Control for a Piezoelectric Actuator

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Salah, M; McIntyre, M; Dawson, D; Wagner, J

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, a hysteresis model-based nonlinear robust controller is developed for a piezoelectric actuator, utilizing a Lyapunov-based stability analysis, which ensures that a desired displacement...

  5. Characterization of Multilayer Piezoelectric Actuators for Use in Active Isolation Mounts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wise, Stephanie A.; Hooker, Matthew W.

    1997-01-01

    Active mounts are desirable for isolating spacecraft science instruments from on-board vibrational sources such as motors and release mechanisms. Such active isolation mounts typically employ multilayer piezoelectric actuators to cancel these vibrational disturbances. The actuators selected for spacecraft systems must consume minimal power while exhibiting displacements of 5 to 10 micron under load. This report describes a study that compares the power consumption, displacement, and load characteristics of four commercially available multilayer piezoelectric actuators. The results of this study indicate that commercially available actuators exist that meet or exceed the design requirements used in spacecraft isolation mounts.

  6. Modelling the nonlinearity of piezoelectric actuators in active ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Piezoelectric actuators have great capabilities as elements of intelligent structures for active vibration cancellation. One problem with this type of actuator is its nonlinear behaviour. In active vibration control systems, it is important to have an accurate model of the control branch. This paper demonstrates the ability of neural ...

  7. Modeling of a partially debonded piezoelectric actuator in smart composite laminates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Bin; Soo Kim, Heung; Ho Yoon, Gil

    2015-01-01

    A partially debonded piezoelectric actuator in smart composite laminates was modeled using an improved layerwise displacement field and Heaviside unit step functions. The finite element method with four node plate element and the extended Hamilton principle were used to derive the governing equation. The effects of actuator debonding on the smart composite laminate were investigated in both the frequency and time domains. The frequency and transient responses were obtained using the mode superposition method and the Newmark time integration algorithm, respectively. Two partial actuator debonding cases were studied to investigate the debonding effects on the actuation capability of the piezoelectric actuator. The effect of actuator debonding on the natural frequencies was subtler, but severe reductions of the actuation ability were observed in both the frequency and time responses, especially in the edge debonded actuator case. The results provided confirmation that the proposed modeling could be used in virtual experiments of actuator failure in smart composite laminates. (paper)

  8. Screen printed PZT/PZT thick film bimorph MEMS cantilever device for vibration energy harvesting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xu, R.; Lei, A.; Christiansen, T. L.

    2011-01-01

    We present a MEMS-based PZT/PZT thick film bimorph vibration energy harvester with an integrated silicon proof mass. The most common piezoelectric energy harvesting devices utilize a cantilever beam of a non piezoelectric material as support beneath or in-between the piezoelectric material...

  9. Three-dimensional static shape control analysis of composite plates using distributed piezoelectric actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaik Dawood, M S I; Iannucci, L; Greenhalgh, E S

    2008-01-01

    In this work, based on a linear piezoelectric constitutive model, a three-dimensional finite element code using an eight-node brick element that includes the anisotropic and coupled field effects of piezoelectric actuators has been developed for the static shape control analysis of fibre reinforced composite laminates. The code was used to study voltage sensing and actuation capabilities of piezoelectric actuators on composite laminates. The required input voltages to the actuators in order to achieve a specified structural shape were determined using a weighted shape control method. The code was validated using two test cases obtained from the literature. The results were found to show good correlation for voltage actuation. However, since determining input voltages to achieve the desired structural shape is a type of inverse problem, there are no explicit solutions and hence the results obtained from the present model were not similar to those reported in the literature. The second validation also suggests that the anisotropic and coupled field effects of the piezoelectric actuators cannot be neglected as this has been shown to underestimate the required control voltages. The effects of different lamination angles, boundary conditions, plate length-to-thickness ratios and actuator dimensions on the control voltages have also been reported

  10. Anisotropic piezoelectric twist actuation of helicopter rotor blades: Aeroelastic analysis and design optimization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkie, William Keats

    1997-12-01

    An aeroelastic model suitable for control law and preliminary structural design of composite helicopter rotor blades incorporating embedded anisotropic piezoelectric actuator laminae is developed. The aeroelasticity model consists of a linear, nonuniform beam representation of the blade structure, including linear piezoelectric actuation terms, coupled with a nonlinear, finite-state unsteady aerodynamics model. A Galerkin procedure and numerical integration in the time domain are used to obtain a soluti An aeroelastic model suitable for control law and preliminary structural design of composite helicopter rotor blades incorporating embedded anisotropic piezoelectric actuator laminae is developed. The aeroelasticity model consists of a linear, nonuniform beam representation of the blade structure, including linear piezoelectric actuation terms, coupled with a nonlinear, finite-state unsteady aerodynamics model. A Galerkin procedure and numerical integration in the time domain are used to obtain amited additional piezoelectric material mass, it is shown that blade twist actuation approaches which exploit in-plane piezoelectric free-stain anisotropies are capable of producing amplitudes of oscillatory blade twisting sufficient for rotor vibration reduction applications. The second study examines the effectiveness of using embedded piezoelectric actuator laminae to alleviate vibratory loads due to retreating blade stall. A 10 to 15 percent improvement in dynamic stall limited forward flight speed, and a 5 percent improvement in stall limited rotor thrust were numerically demonstrated for the active twist rotor blade relative to a conventional blade design. The active twist blades are also demonstrated to be more susceptible than the conventional blades to dynamic stall induced vibratory loads when not operating with twist actuation. This is the result of designing the active twist blades with low torsional stiffness in order to maximize piezoelectric twist authority

  11. High Reliability Cryogenic Piezoelectric Valve Actuator, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Piezoelectric actuators constructed with the "smart material" PZT offer many potential advantages for use in NASA cryo-valve missions relative to conventional...

  12. High Reliability Cryogenic Piezoelectric Valve Actuator, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Cryogenic fluid valves are subject to harsh exposure and actuators to drive these valves require robust performance and high reliability. DSM's piezoelectric...

  13. Use of piezoelectric actuators in active vibration control of rotating machinery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Reng Rong; Palazzolo, Alan B.; Kascak, Albert F.; Montague, Gerald

    1990-01-01

    Theoretical and test results for the development of piezoelectric-actuator-based active vibration control (AVC) are presented. The evolution of this technology starts with an ideal model of the actuator and progresses to a more sophisticated model where the pushers force the squirrel cage ball bearing supports of a rotating shaft. The piezoelectric pushers consist of a stack of piezoelectric ceramic disks that are arranged on top of one another and connected in parallel electrically. This model consists of a prescribed displacement that is proportional to the input voltage and a spring that represents the stiffness of the stack of piezoelectric disks. System tests were carried out to stabilize the AVC system, verify its effectiveness in controlling vibration, and confirm the theory presented.

  14. A New Piezoelectric Actuator Induces Bone Formation In Vivo: A Preliminary Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joana Reis

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This in vivo study presents the preliminary results of the use of a novel piezoelectric actuator for orthopedic application. The innovative use of the converse piezoelectric effect to mechanically stimulate bone was achieved with polyvinylidene fluoride actuators implanted in osteotomy cuts in sheep femur and tibia. The biological response around the osteotomies was assessed through histology and histomorphometry in nondecalcified sections and histochemistry and immunohistochemistry in decalcified sections, namely, through Masson's trichrome, and labeling of osteopontin, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase. After one-month implantation, total bone area and new bone area were significantly higher around actuators when compared to static controls. Bone deposition rate was also significantly higher in the mechanically stimulated areas. In these areas, osteopontin increased expression was observed. The present in vivo study suggests that piezoelectric materials and the converse piezoelectric effect may be used to effectively stimulate bone growth.

  15. Experimental design and analysis for piezoelectric circular actuators in flow control applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mane, Poorna; Mossi, Karla; Bryant, Robert

    2008-01-01

    Flow control can lead to saving millions of dollars in fuel costs each year by making an aircraft more efficient. Synthetic jets, a device for active flow control, operate by introducing small amounts of energy locally to achieve non-local changes in the flow field with large performance gains. These devices consist of a cavity with an oscillating diaphragm that divides it into active and passive sides. The active side has a small opening where a jet is formed, while the passive side does not directly participate in the fluidic jet. Over the years, research has shown that synthetic jet behavior is dependent on the active diaphragm and the cavity design; hence, the focus of this work. The performance of the synthetic jet is studied under various factors related to the diaphragm and the cavity geometry. Three diaphragms, manufactured from piezoelectric composites, were selected for this study: Bimorph, Thunder ® and Lipca. The overall factors considered are the driving signals, voltage, frequency, cavity height, orifice size, and passive cavity pressure. Using the average maximum jet velocity as the response variable, these factors are individually studied for each actuator, and statistical analysis tools are used to select the relevant factors in the response variable. The factors are divided into two experimental fractional factorial design matrices, with five and four factors, respectively. Both experiments are chosen to be of resolution V, where main factors are confounded with three-factor interactions. In the first experimental design, the results show that frequency is not a significant factor, while waveform is significant for all the actuators. In addition, the magnitude of the regression coefficients suggests that a model that includes the diaphragm as a factor may be possible. These results are valid within the ranges tested, that is low frequencies and sawtooth and sine waveform as driving signals. In the second experimental design, cavity dimensions are

  16. Post-Buckled Precompressed (PBP) piezoelectric actuators for UAV flight control

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vos, R.; Barrett, R.; Krakers, L.; Van Tooren, M.

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents the use of a new class of flight control actuators employing Post-Buckled Precompressed (PBP) piezoelectric elements in morphing wing Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The new actuator relieson axial compression to amplify deflections and control forces simultaneously. Two

  17. Piezoelectric line moment actuator for active radiation control from light-weight structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jandak, Vojtech; Svec, Petr; Jiricek, Ondrej; Brothanek, Marek

    2017-11-01

    This article outlines the design of a piezoelectric line moment actuator used for active structural acoustic control. Actuators produce a dynamic bending moment that appears in the controlled structure resulting from the inertial forces when the attached piezoelectric stripe actuators start to oscillate. The article provides a detailed theoretical analysis necessary for the practical realization of these actuators, including considerations concerning their placement, a crucial factor in the overall system performance. Approximate formulas describing the dependency of the moment amplitude on the frequency and the required electric voltage are derived. Recommendations applicable for the system's design based on both theoretical and empirical results are provided.

  18. Alleviation of Buffet-Induced Vibration Using Piezoelectric Actuators

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Morgenstern, Shawn D

    2006-01-01

    .... The objective of this research was to determine the most critical natural modes of vibration for the F-16 ventral fin and design piezoelectric actuators capable of reducing buffet-induced ventral fin vibration...

  19. Development of a piezoelectric actuator for trailing-edge flap control of rotor blades

    Science.gov (United States)

    Straub, Friedrich K.; Ngo, Hieu T.; Anand, V.; Domzalski, David B.

    1999-06-01

    Piezoelectric actuator technology has now reached a level where macro-positioning applications in the context of smart structures can be considered. One application with high payoffs is vibration reduction, noise reduction, and performance improvements in helicopters. Integration of piezoelectric actuators in the rotor blade is attractive, since it attacks the problem at the source. The present paper covers the development of a piezoelectric actuator for trailing edge flap control on a 34-foot diameter helicopter main rotor. The design of an actuator using bi-axial stack columns, and its bench, shake, and spin testing are described. A series of enhancements lead to an improved version that, together with use of latest stack technology, meets the requirements. Next steps in this DARPA sponsored program are development of the actuator and full scale rotor system for wind tunnel testing in the NASA Ames 40 X 80 foot wind tunnel and flight testing on the MD Explorer.

  20. THUNDER Piezoelectric Actuators as a Method of Stretch-Tuning an Optical Fiber Grating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, Sidney G.; Fox, Robert L.; Froggatt, Mark E.; Childers, Brooks A.

    2000-01-01

    A method of stretching optical fiber holds interest for measuring strain in smart structures where the physical displacement may be used to tune optical fiber lasers. A small, light weight, low power tunable fiber laser is ideal for demodulating strain in optical fiber Bragg gratings attached to smart structures such as the re-usable launch vehicle that is being developed by NASA. A method is presented for stretching optical fibers using the THUNDER piezoelectric actuators invented at NASA Langley Research Center. THUNDER actuators use a piezoelectric layer bonded to a metal backing to enable the actuators to produce displacements larger than the unbonded piezoelectric material. The shift in reflected optical wavelength resulting from stretching the fiber Bragg grating is presented. Means of adapting THUNDER actuators for stretching optical fibers is discussed, including ferrules, ferrule clamp blocks, and plastic hinges made with stereo lithography.

  1. Propellant Flow Actuated Piezoelectric Igniter for Combustion Engines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wollen, Mark A. (Inventor)

    2018-01-01

    A propellant flow actuated piezoelectric igniter device using one or more hammer balls retained by one or more magnets, or other retaining method, until sufficient fluid pressure is achieved in one or more charging chambers to release and accelerate the hammer ball, such that it impacts a piezoelectric crystal to produce an ignition spark. Certain preferred embodiments provide a means for repetitively capturing and releasing the hammer ball after it impacts one or more piezoelectric crystals, thereby oscillating and producing multiple, repetitive ignition sparks. Furthermore, an embodiment is presented for which oscillation of the hammer ball and repetitive impact to the piezoelectric crystal is maintained without the need for a magnet or other retaining mechanism to achieve this oscillating impact process.

  2. Characterization of piezoelectric macrofiber composite actuated winglets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guha, T K; Oates, W S; Kumar, R

    2015-01-01

    The present study primarily focuses on the design, development, and structural characterization of an oscillating winglet actuated using a piezoelectric macrofiber composite (MFC). The primary objective is to study the effect of controlled wingtip oscillations on the evolution of wingtip vortices, with a goal of weakening these potentially harmful tip vortices by introducing controlled instabilities through both spatial and temporal perturbations producible through winglet oscillations. MFC-actuated winglets have been characterized under different input excitation and pressure-loading conditions. The winglet oscillations show bimodal behavior for both structural and actuation modes of resonance. The oscillatory amplitude at these actuation modes increases linearly with the magnitude of excitation. During wind-tunnel tests, fluid-structure interactions led to structural vibrations of the wing. The effect of these vibrations on the overall winglet oscillations decreased when the strength of actuation increased. At high input excitation, the actuated winglet was capable of generating controlled oscillations. As a proof of concept, the current study has demonstrated that microfiber composite-actuated winglets produce sufficient displacements to alter the development of the wingtip vortex. (paper)

  3. Micromachined Piezoelectric Actuators for Cryogenic Adaptive Optics, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — TRS Technologies proposes micromachined single crystal piezoelectric actuator arrays to enable ultra-large stroke, high precision shape control for large aperture,...

  4. A Fast, Large-Stroke Electrothermal MEMS Mirror Based on Cu/W Bimorph

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoyang Zhang

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports a large-range electrothermal bimorph microelectromechanical systems (MEMS mirror with fast thermal response. The actuator of the MEMS mirror is made of three segments of Cu/W bimorphs for lateral shift cancelation and two segments of multimorph beams for obtaining large vertical displacement from the angular motion of the bimorphs. The W layer is also used as the embedded heater. The silicon underneath the entire actuator is completely removed using a unique backside deep-reactive-ion-etching DRIE release process, leading to improved thermal response speed and front-side mirror surface protection. This MEMS mirror can perform both piston and tip-tilt motion. The mirror generates large pure vertical displacement up to 320 μm at only 3 V with a power consumption of 56 mW for each actuator. The maximum optical scan angle achieved is ±18° at 3 V. The measured thermal response time is 15.4 ms and the mechanical resonances of piston and tip-tilt modes are 550 Hz and 832 Hz, respectively.

  5. Control of free-edge interlaminar stresses in composite laminates using piezoelectric actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Bin; Soo Kim, Heung

    2014-01-01

    The control of free-edge interlaminar stresses in laminated composite structures using a stress function-based approach is proposed. The assumed stress fields satisfy pointwise traction and free boundary conditions at surfaces. Governing equations are derived using the principle of complementary virtual work. A general eigenvalue solution procedure was adopted to obtain accurate stress states of the laminated composite structure. The results obtained from the proposed method were compared with those obtained by three-dimensional finite element analyses. It was found that interlaminar stresses generated by mechanical loadings could be significantly reduced by applying proper electric fields to piezoelectric actuators, which were surface bonded or embedded in composite laminates. Locations of piezoelectric actuators also influenced the distributions of interlaminar stresses. The results provided that piezoelectric actuators have potential in the application to actively control interlaminar stresses in composite laminates. (paper)

  6. Underwater thrust and power generation using flexible piezoelectric composites: an experimental investigation toward self-powered swimmer-sensor platforms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erturk, Alper; Delporte, Ghislain

    2011-01-01

    Fiber-based flexible piezoelectric composites offer several advantages to use in energy harvesting and biomimetic locomotion. These advantages include ease of application, high power density, effective bending actuation, silent operation over a range of frequencies, and light weight. Piezoelectric materials exhibit the well-known direct and converse piezoelectric effects. The direct piezoelectric effect has received growing attention for low-power generation to use in wireless electronic applications while the converse piezoelectric effect constitutes an alternative to replace the conventional actuators used in biomimetic locomotion. In this paper, underwater thrust and electricity generation are investigated experimentally by focusing on biomimetic structures with macro-fiber composite piezoelectrics. Fish-like bimorph configurations with and without a passive caudal fin (tail) are fabricated and compared. The favorable effect of having a passive caudal fin on the frequency bandwidth is reported. The presence of a passive caudal fin is observed to bring the second bending mode close to the first one, yielding a wideband behavior in thrust generation. The same smart fish configuration is tested for underwater piezoelectric power generation in response to harmonic excitation from its head. Resonant piezohydroelastic actuation is reported to generate milli-newton level hydrodynamic thrust using milli-watt level actuation power input. The average actuation power requirement for generating a mean thrust of 19 mN at 6 Hz using a 10 g piezoelastic fish with a caudal fin is measured as 120 mW. This work also discusses the feasibility of thrust generation using the harvested energy toward enabling self-powered swimmer-sensor platforms with comparisons based on the capacity levels of structural thin-film battery layers as well as harvested solar and vibrational energy

  7. Simulation Study on Material Property of Cantilever Piezoelectric Vibration Generator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Zhen

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available For increasing generating capacity of cantilever piezoelectric vibration generator with limited volume, relation between output voltage, inherent frequency and material parameter of unimorph, bimorph in series type and bimorph in parallel type piezoelectric vibration generator is analyzed respectively by mechanical model and finite element modeling. The results indicate PZT-4, PZT- 5A and PZT-5H piezoelectric materials and stainless steel, nickel alloy substrate material should be firstly chosen.

  8. Aeroelastic Analysis of Helicopter Rotor Blades Incorporating Anisotropic Piezoelectric Twist Actuation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkie, W. Keats; Belvin, W. Keith; Park, K. C.

    1996-01-01

    A simple aeroelastic analysis of a helicopter rotor blade incorporating embedded piezoelectric fiber composite, interdigitated electrode blade twist actuators is described. The analysis consists of a linear torsion and flapwise bending model coupled with a nonlinear ONERA based unsteady aerodynamics model. A modified Galerkin procedure is performed upon the rotor blade partial differential equations of motion to develop a system of ordinary differential equations suitable for dynamics simulation using numerical integration. The twist actuation responses for three conceptual fullscale blade designs with realistic constraints on blade mass are numerically evaluated using the analysis. Numerical results indicate that useful amplitudes of nonresonant elastic twist, on the order of one to two degrees, are achievable under one-g hovering flight conditions for interdigitated electrode poling configurations. Twist actuation for the interdigitated electrode blades is also compared with the twist actuation of a conventionally poled piezoelectric fiber composite blade. Elastic twist produced using the interdigitated electrode actuators was found to be four to five times larger than that obtained with the conventionally poled actuators.

  9. Numerical and experimental study of actuator performance on piezoelectric microelectromechanical inkjet print head.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van So, Pham; Jun, Hyun Woo; Lee, Jaichan

    2013-12-01

    We have investigated the actuator performance of a piezoelectrically actuated inkjet print head via the numerical and experimental analysis. The actuator consisting of multi-layer membranes, such as piezoelectric, elastic and other buffer layers, and ink chamber was fabricated by MEMS processing. The maximum displacement of the actuator membrane obtained in the experiment is explained by numerical analysis. A simulation of the actuator performance with fluidic damping shows that the resonant frequency of the membrane in liquid is reduced from its resonant frequency in air by a factor of three, which was also verified in the experiment. These simulation and experimental studies demonstrate how much "dynamic force," in terms of a membrane's maximum displacement, maximum force and driving frequency, can be produced by an actuator membrane interacting with fluid.

  10. Comparative analysis of the planar capacitor and IDT piezoelectric thin-film micro-actuator models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myers, Oliver J; Anjanappa, M; Freidhoff, Carl B

    2011-01-01

    A comparison of the analysis of similarly developed microactuators is presented. Accurate modeling and simulation techniques are vital for piezoelectrically actuated microactuators. Coupling analytical and numerical modeling techniques with variational design parameters, accurate performance predictions can be realized. Axi-symmetric two-dimensional and three-dimensional static deflection and harmonic models of a planar capacitor actuator are presented. Planar capacitor samples were modeled as unimorph diaphragms with sandwiched piezoelectric material. The harmonic frequencies were calculated numerically and compared well to predicted values and deformations. The finite element modeling reflects the impact of the d 31 piezoelectric constant. Two-dimensional axi-symmetric models of circularly interdigitated piezoelectrically membranes are also presented. The models include the piezoelectric material and properties, the membrane materials and properties, and incorporates various design considerations of the model. These models also include the electro-mechanical coupling for piezoelectric actuation and highlight a novel approach to take advantage of the higher d 33 piezoelectric coupling coefficient. Performance is evaluated for varying parameters such as electrode pitch, electrode width, and piezoelectric material thickness. The models also showed that several of the design parameters were naturally coupled. The static numerical models correlate well with the maximum static deflection of the experimental devices. Finally, this paper deals with the development of numerical harmonic models of piezoelectrically actuated planar capacitor and interdigitated diaphragms. The models were able to closely predict the first two harmonics, conservatively predict the third through sixth harmonics and predict the estimated values of center deflection using plate theory. Harmonic frequency and deflection simulations need further correlation by conducting extensive iterative

  11. Towards a digital sound reconstruction MEMS device: Characterization of a single PZT based piezoelectric actuator

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo

    2015-04-01

    In this paper we report the fabrication and characterization of a single piezoelectric actuator for digital sound reconstruction. This work is the first step towards the implementation of a true digital micro-loudspeaker by means of an array of acoustic actuators. These actuators consist of a flexible membrane fabricated using polyimide, which is actuated using a Lead-Zirconate-Titanate (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic layer working in the d31 actuation mode. The dimensions of the membrane are of 1mm diameter and 4μm in thickness, which is capable of being symmetrically actuated in both upward and downward directions, due to the back etch step releasing the membrane. Our electrical characterization shows an improvement in the polarization of the piezoelectric material after its final etch patterning step, and our mechanical characterization shows the natural modes of resonance of the stacked membrane. © 2015 IEEE.

  12. A nonlinear finite element model of a piezoelectric tube actuator with hysteresis and creep

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, S H; Fung, Eric H K

    2010-01-01

    Piezoelectric tube actuators are commonly used for nanopositioning in atomic force microscopes (AFMs). However, piezoelectric tube actuators exhibit hysteresis and creep which significantly limit the accuracy of nanopositioning. A finite element model of a piezoelectric tube actuator with hysteresis and creep is important for control purposes, but so far one has not been developed. The purpose of this paper is to present a nonlinear finite element (FE) model with hysteresis and creep for design purposes. Prandtl–Ishlinskii (PI) hysteresis operators and creep operators are adopted into constitutive equations. The nonlinear FE model is formulated using energy approach and Hamilton's principle. The parameters of the PI hysteresis operators and the creep operators are identified by comparing the simulation results and experimental results of other researchers. The working operation of the piezoelectric tube actuator is simulated by the reduced order FE model, and the displacement error due to hysteresis, creep and coupling effect is investigated. An output feedback controller is implemented into the reduced order FE model to show that this model is controllable

  13. A Four-Feet Walking-Type Rotary Piezoelectric Actuator with Minute Step Motion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yingxiang; Wang, Yun; Liu, Junkao; Xu, Dongmei; Li, Kai; Shan, Xiaobiao; Deng, Jie

    2018-05-08

    A four-feet walking-type rotary piezoelectric actuator with minute step motion was proposed. The proposed actuator used the rectangular motions of four driving feet to push the rotor step-by-step; this operating principle was different with the previous non-resonant actuators using direct-driving, inertial-driving, and inchworm-type mechanisms. The mechanism of the proposed actuator was discussed in detail. Transient analyses were accomplished by ANSYS software to simulate the motion trajectory of the driving foot and to find the response characteristics. A prototype was manufactured to verify the mechanism and to test the mechanical characteristics. A minimum resolution of 0.095 μrad and a maximum torque of 49 N·mm were achieved by the prototype, and the output speed was varied by changing the driving voltage and working frequency. This work provides a new mechanism for the design of a rotary piezoelectric actuator with minute step motion.

  14. Miniature Low-Mass Drill Actuated by Flextensional Piezo Stack

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Badescu, Mircea; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

    2010-01-01

    Recent experiments with a flextensional piezoelectric actuator have led to the development of a sampler with a bit that is designed to produce and capture a full set of sample forms including volatiles, powdered cuttings, and core fragments. The flextensional piezoelectric actuator is a part of a series of devices used to amplify the generated strain from piezoelectric actuators. Other examples include stacks, bimorphs, benders, and cantilevers. These devices combine geometric and resonance amplifications to produce large stroke at high power density. The operation of this sampler/drill was demonstrated using a 3x2x1-cm actuator weighing 12 g using power of about 10-W and a preload of about 10 N. A limestone block was drilled to a depth of about 1 cm in five minutes to produce powdered cuttings. It is generally hard to collect volatiles from random surface profiles found in rocks and sediment, powdered cuttings, and core fragments. Toward the end of collecting volatiles, the actuator and the bit are covered with bellows-shaped shrouds to prevent fines and other debris from reaching the analyzer. A tube with a miniature bellows (to provide flexibility) is connected to the bit and directs the flow of the volatiles to the analyzer. Another modality was conceived where the hose is connected to the bellows wall directly to allow the capture of volatiles generated both inside and outside the bit. A wide variety of commercial bellows used in the vacuum and microwave industries can be used to design the volatiles capture mechanism. The piezoelectric drilling mechanism can potentially be operated in a broad temperature range from about-200 to less than 450 C. The actuators used here are similar to the actuators that are currently baselined to fly as part of the inlet funnel shaking mechanism design of MSL (Mars Science Laboratory). The space qualification of these parts gives this drill a higher potential for inclusion in a future mission, especially when considering its

  15. Large displacement vertical translational actuator based on piezoelectric thin films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Zhen; Pulskamp, Jeffrey S; Lin, Xianke; Rhee, Choong-Ho; Wang, Thomas; Polcawich, Ronald G; Oldham, Kenn

    2010-07-01

    A novel vertical translational microactuator based on thin-film piezoelectric actuation is presented, using a set of four compound bend-up/bend-down unimorphs to produce translational motion of a moving platform or stage. The actuation material is a chemical-solution deposited lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) thin film. Prototype designs have shown as much as 120 μ m of static displacement, with 80-90 μ m displacements being typical, using four 920 μ m long by 70 μ m legs. Analytical models are presented that accurately describe nonlinear behavior in both static and dynamic operation of prototype stages when the dependence of piezoelectric coefficients on voltage is known. Resonance of the system is observed at a frequency of 200 Hz. The large displacement and high bandwidth of the actuators at low-voltage and low-power levels should make them useful to a variety of optical applications, including endoscopic microscopy.

  16. An improved resonantly driven piezoelectric gas pump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Yue; Liu, Yong; Liu, Jianfang; Jiao, Xiaoyang; Yang, Zhigang; Wang, Long

    2013-01-01

    Piezoelectric pumps have the potential to be used in a variety of applications, such as in air circulation and compression. However, piezoelectric membrane pumps do not have enough driving capacity, and the heat induced during the direct contact between the driving part and the gas medium cannot be dissipated smoothly. When the gas is blocked, the piezoelectric vibrator generates heat quickly, which may eventually lead to damage. Resonantly driven piezoelectric stack pumps have high performance but no price advantage. In this situation, a novel, resonantly driven piezoelectric gas pump with annular bimorph as the driver is presented. In the study, the working principle of the novel pump was analyzed, the vibration mechanics model was determined, and the displacement amplified theory was studied. The outcome indicates that the displacement amplification factor is related with the original displacement provided by the piezoelectric bimorph. In addition, the displacement amplification effect is related to the stiffness of the spring lamination, adjustment spring, and piezoelectric vibrator, as well as to the systematic damping factor and the driving frequency. The experimental prototypes of the proposed pump were designed, and the displacement amplification effect and gas output performance were measured. At 70 V of sinusoidal AC driving voltage, the improved pump amplified the piezoelectric vibrator displacement by 4.2 times, the maximum gas output flow rate reached 1685 ml/min, and the temperature of the bimorph remained normal after 2000 hours of operation when the gas medium was blocked.

  17. The use of piezoelectric bimorph transducers to measure forces in colloidal systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stewart, A.M.

    1996-01-01

    The Surface Force Apparatus developed in this Department has proved useful for the measurement of colloidal forces between transparent surfaces in liquids and gases at surface separations of 1 nm up to 500 nm. The distance between the surfaces is measured by the interferometry of white light, and the force is measured from the movement of one of the surfaces that is attached to a cantilever spring which deflects under the influence of the force. In the present work an analysis is made of the effect of the errors introduced at a longer time scale by bimorph drift and decay upon accuracy of measurement. For direct measurements the errors will be small provided that the time constant of the bimorph, given by the product of its capacitance and amplifier input impedance, is much larger than the total time of measurement. With the force-feedback technique the errors will be negligible provided that, in addition the integrator time constant is much smaller than the bimorph time constant, a condition easily satisfied. In is important to use an amplifier with a very high input impedance to buffer bimorphs used for this type of measurement

  18. Recession in a linear stepper motor based on piezoelectric actuator and electrorheological clampers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Cuihong; Meng, Yonggang; Tian, Yu

    2012-01-01

    A linear inchworm-type stepper motor based on piezoelectric actuator and comb shape electrorheological (ER) clampers was developed and tested. A recession phenomenon in the movement of the motor was found and was significantly affected by the driving voltage of the piezoelectric actuator and ER fluids. A dynamic model to analyze the mechanism of the recession was established. The force ratio of the viscoelastic clamping force (applied high electric field) to the viscous damping force (zero field) of ER fluids is the critical factor which determines the recession. The ratio is also affected by the extension or contraction rate of the actuator during movement, which is affected by the charging and discharging processes. With a relatively large distance between the clamper electrodes and a small displacement activated by the extension of the piezoelectric actuator, the instantaneous shear rate might not be sufficiently high, preventing ER fluids from attaining a shear-thickened and high-strength state. The ratio of yield strength to the viscous strength of ER fluids during movement should be as large as possible to reduce the recession displacement. (paper)

  19. Post-buckled precompressed (PBP) piezoelectric actuators for UAV flight control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vos, Roelof; Barrett, Ron; Krakers, Lars; van Tooren, Michel

    2006-03-01

    This paper presents the use of a new class of flight control actuators employing Post-Buckled Precompressed (PBP) piezoelectric elements in morphing wing Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The new actuator relies on axial compression to amplify deflections and control forces simultaneously. Two designs employing morphing wing panels based on PBP actuators were conceived. One design employed PBP actuators in a membrane wing panel over the aft 60% of the chord to impose roll control on a 720mm span subscale UAV. This design relied on a change in curvature of the actuators to control the camber of the airfoil. Axial compression of the actuators was ensured by means of rubber bands and increased end rotation levels with almost a factor of two up to +/-13.6° peak-to-peak, with excellent correlation between theory and experiment. Wind tunnel tests quantitatively proved that wing morphing induced roll acceleration levels in excess of 1500 deg/s2. A second design employed PBP actuators in a wing panel with significant thickness, relying on a highly compliant Latex skin to allow for shape deformation and at the same time induce an axial force on the actuators. Bench tests showed that due to the axial compression provided by the skin end rotations were increased with more than a factor of two up to +/-15.8° peak-to-peak up to a break frequency of 34Hz. Compared to conventional electromechanical servoactuaters, the PBP actuators showed a net reduction in flight control system weight, slop and power consumption for minimal part count. Both morphing wing concepts showed that PBP piezoelectric actuators have significant benefits over conventional actuators and can be successfully applied to induce aircraft control.

  20. Active Elastic Support/Dry Friction Damper with Piezoelectric Ceramic Actuator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liao Mingfu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The basic operation principle of elastic support/dry friction damper in rotor system was introduced and the unbalance response of the rotor with elastic support/dry friction damper was analyzed theoretically. Based on the previous structure using an electromagnet as actuator, an active elastic support/dry friction damper using piezoelectric ceramic actuator was designed and its effectiveness of reducing rotor vibration when rotor traverses its critical speed and blade-out event happened was experimentally verified. The experimental results show that the active elastic support/dry friction damper with piezoelectric ceramic actuator can significantly reduce vibration in rotor system; the vibration amplitude of the rotor in critical speed region decreased more than 2 times, and the active damper can protect the rotor when a blade-out event happened, so the rotor can traverse the critical speed and shut down smoothly. In addition, the structure is much simpler than the previous, the weight was reduced by half and the power consumption was only 5 W.

  1. Electromechanical characterization of piezoelectric actuators subjected to a variable pre-loading force at cryogenic temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fouaidy, M.; Saki, M.; Hammoudi, N.; Simonet, L.

    2007-01-01

    A dedicated apparatus was designed and constructed for studying the electromechanical behavior of prototype piezoelectric actuators subjected to a variable pre-loading force at cryogenic temperatures. This device was successfully used for testing a piezoelectric actuator of PICMA type from PI TM , for T in the range 2 K-300 K. The dielectric properties as well as dynamic properties were measured including the actuator characteristics when used as force sensor. The corresponding data are reported and discussed. (authors)

  2. A comparative analysis of Piezoelectric and Magnetostrictive actuators in Smart Structures

    OpenAIRE

    Pons Rovira, José Luis

    2005-01-01

    [EN] This paper introduces a comparative analysis of Piezoelectric (PZ) and Magnetostrictive (MS) actuators as components in smart structures. There is an increasing interest in functional structures which are able to adapt to external or internal perturbations, i.e. changes in loading conditions or ageing. Actuator technologies must perform concomitantly as sensors and actuators to be applicable in smart structures. In this paper we will comparatively analyze the possibility of usin...

  3. Multilayer Piezoelectric Stack Actuator Characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Jones, Christopher M.; Aldrich, Jack B.; Blodget, Chad; Bao, Xioaqi; Badescu, Mircea; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

    2008-01-01

    Future NASA missions are increasingly seeking to use actuators for precision positioning to accuracies of the order of fractions of a nanometer. For this purpose, multilayer piezoelectric stacks are being considered as actuators for driving these precision mechanisms. In this study, sets of commercial PZT stacks were tested in various AC and DC conditions at both nominal and extreme temperatures and voltages. AC signal testing included impedance, capacitance and dielectric loss factor of each actuator as a function of the small-signal driving sinusoidal frequency, and the ambient temperature. DC signal testing includes leakage current and displacement as a function of the applied DC voltage. The applied DC voltage was increased to over eight times the manufacturers' specifications to investigate the correlation between leakage current and breakdown voltage. Resonance characterization as a function of temperature was done over a temperature range of -180C to +200C which generally exceeded the manufacturers' specifications. In order to study the lifetime performance of these stacks, five actuators from one manufacturer were driven by a 60volt, 2 kHz sine-wave for ten billion cycles. The tests were performed using a Lab-View controlled automated data acquisition system that monitored the waveform of the stack electrical current and voltage. The measurements included the displacement, impedance, capacitance and leakage current and the analysis of the experimental results will be presented.

  4. Increased power to weight ratio of piezoelectric energy harvesters through integration of cellular honeycomb structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chandrasekharan, N; Thompson, L L

    2016-01-01

    The limitations posed by batteries have compelled the need to investigate energy harvesting methods to power small electronic devices that require very low operational power. Vibration based energy harvesting methods with piezoelectric transduction in particular has been shown to possess potential towards energy harvesters replacing batteries. Current piezoelectric energy harvesters exhibit considerably lower power to weight ratio or specific power when compared to batteries the harvesters seek to replace. To attain the goal of battery-less self-sustainable device operation the power to weight ratio gap between piezoelectric energy harvesters and batteries need to be bridged. In this paper the potential of integrating lightweight honeycomb structures with existing piezoelectric device configurations (bimorph) towards achieving higher specific power is investigated. It is shown in this study that at low excitation frequency ranges, replacing the solid continuous substrate of conventional bimorph with honeycomb structures of the same material results in a significant increase in power to weight ratio of the piezoelectric harvester. At higher driving frequency ranges it is shown that unlike the traditional piezoelectric bimorph with solid continuous substrate, the honeycomb substrate bimorph can preserve optimum global design parameters through manipulation of honeycomb unit cell parameters. Increased operating lifetime and design flexibility of the honeycomb core piezoelectric bimorph is demonstrated as unit cell parameters of the honeycomb structures can be manipulated to alter mass and stiffness properties of the substrate, resulting in unit cell parameter significantly influencing power generation. (paper)

  5. Active vibration control of smart hull structure using piezoelectric composite actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sohn, Jung Woo; Choi, Seung-Bok; Lee, Chul-Hee

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, active vibration control performance of the smart hull structure with macro-fiber composite (MFC) is evaluated. MFC is an advanced piezoelectric composite which has great flexibility and increased actuating performance compared to a monolithic piezoelectric ceramic patch. The governing equations of motion of the hull structure with MFC actuators are derived based on the classical Donnell–Mushtari shell theory. The actuating model for the interaction between hull structure and MFC is included in the governing equations. Subsequently, modal characteristics are investigated and compared with the results obtained from experiment. The governing equations of the vibration control system are then established and expressed in the state space form. A linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control algorithm is designed in order to effectively and actively control the imposed vibration. The controller is experimentally realized and vibration control performances are evaluated

  6. Development of a hybrid bearing using permanent magnets and piezoelectric actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jung-Ho; Ham, Young-Bog; Yun, So-Nam; Lee, Hu-Seung

    2010-01-01

    In this study, a hybrid magnetic bearing with permanent magnets and piezoelectric actuators is investigated. First, in this study, a novel concept in which piezoelectric actuators are used to compensate for low stiffness and damping resulting from the unstable characteristics of a passive magnetic bearing using only permanent magnets is proposed. Secondly, the permanent magnets are optimally arranged through an electromagnetic field analysis. Then, the driving amplifier unit and a prototype radial bearing using the proposed concept are fabricated. Finally, basic characteristics, such as the results of an impact test and a rotational runout test with constant speed are investigated and discussed, and experiments using PID control method are conducted.

  7. Study of damping in 5 kWh superconductor flywheel energy storage system using a piezoelectric actuator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jang, H.K.; Song, D.; Kim, S.B. [Hanyang University, 17 Haengdang-Dong, Seongdong-Gu, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Han, S.C. [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, 103-16 Munji-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-380 (Korea, Republic of); Sung, T.H., E-mail: sungth@hanyang.ac.kr [Hanyang University, 17 Haengdang-Dong, Seongdong-Gu, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-05-15

    A 5 kWh superconductor flywheel energy storage system (SFES) has advantages in terms of high electrical energy density, environmental affinity and long life. However, the SFES has disadvantage that electromagnetic damper is needed because superconducting bearings do not have enough damping coefficient. The purpose of this experiment is to develop a method of damping the vibration of the SFES. A piezoelectric actuator was attached to a superconducting bearing system for feasibility test in order to make it as a damper of the SFES. For this experiment, a cylindrical permanent magnet (PM) 40 mm in diameter and 10 mm height was used as a rotor, a high-temperature superconductor bulk (HTS bulk) with dimensions 40 mm Multiplication-Sign 40 mm Multiplication-Sign 15 mm was used as a stator, and two vibration exciters (an upper and a lower vibration exciter) and a piezoelectric actuator were used. The PM was fixed on the upper vibration exciter. The HTS bulk was fixed on either the lower vibration exciter to test for damping in the feasibility test, or on the piezoelectric actuator for the actual SFES. The conditions of this experiment included various voltage outputs of a power amplifier to the lower vibration exciter, moving distances of the piezoelectric actuator which are displacements of the HTS bulk, and phase differences between the upper and lower vibration exciter or the piezoelectric actuator. The damping feasibility test was conducted with a 300 {mu}m gap between the PM and HTS bulk with a PM vibration of 30 {mu}m. For the actual SFES test, the gap between the PM and HTS bulk was 1.6 mm and the PM vibration was 25 {mu}m. The following conditions were conducted to optimize: an appropriate voltage input to the lower vibration exciter or a displacement of piezoelectric actuator and an appropriate phase difference. When the piezoelectric actuator was used, the damping effect was greatly improved up to 92.32% which a displacement of damped PM was 1.92 {mu}m.

  8. Processing and characterization of oval piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jadidian, B.; Allahverdi, M.; Mohammadi, F.; Safari, A.

    2002-03-01

    The processing and characterization of piezoelectric actuators with oval geometry are presented. The monolithic actuators were fabricated using the fused deposition of ceramic process. The minor diameter of the ovals varied between 2 and 14 mm and their major diameter, wall thickness, and width were 20, 0.85, and 7 mm, respectively. When driven under electric field, the actuators expanded along their minor diameter. The static and dynamic displacements of ˜7 and ˜5.6 μm were observed at 850 V(dc) and 100 V(ac). The static displacement of the ovals varied almost linearly with voltage and did not change under the application of external load in the range of 1-15 N. However, both dynamic displacement and resonant frequency of the ovals varied, with a maximum of 42 μm and 38 Hz, respectively, under 13 N load.

  9. Towards a digital sound reconstruction MEMS device: Characterization of a single PZT based piezoelectric actuator

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Conchouso Gonzalez, David; Castro, David; Jaber, Nizar; Younis, Mohammad I.; Foulds, Ian G.

    2015-01-01

    of acoustic actuators. These actuators consist of a flexible membrane fabricated using polyimide, which is actuated using a Lead-Zirconate-Titanate (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic layer working in the d31 actuation mode. The dimensions of the membrane are of 1mm

  10. On developing an optimal design procedure for a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever energy harvester under a predefined volume

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aboulfotoh, Noha; Twiefel, Jens

    2018-06-01

    A typical vibration harvester is tuned to operate at resonance in order to maximize the power output. There are many design parameter sets for tuning the harvester to a specific frequency, even for simple geometries. This work studies the impact of the geometrical parameters on the harvested power while keeping the resonance frequency constant in order to find the combination of the parameters that optimizes the power under a predefined volume. A bimorph piezoelectric cantilever is considered for the study. It consists of two piezoelectric layers and a middle non-piezoelectric layer and holds a tip mass. A theoretical model was derived to obtain the system parameters and the power as functions of the design parameters. Formulas for the optimal load resistance that provide maximum power capability at resonance and anti-resonance frequency were derived. The influence of the width on the power is studied, considering a constant mass ratio (between the tip mass and the mass of the beam). This keeps the resonance frequency constant while changing the width. The influence of the ratio between the thickness of the middle layer and that of the piezoelectric layer is also studied. It is assumed that the total thickness of the cantilever is constant and the middle layer has the same mechanical properties (elasticity and density) as the piezoelectric layer. This keeps the resonance frequency constant while changing the ratio between the thicknesses. Finally, the influence of increasing the free length as well as of increasing the mass ratio on the power is investigated. This is done by first, increasing each of them individually and secondly, by increasing each of them simultaneously while increasing the total thickness under the condition of maintaining a constant resonance frequency. Based on the analysis of these influences, recommendations as to how to maximize the geometrical parameters within the available volume and mass are presented.

  11. Out-of-plane buckled cantilever microstructures with adjustable angular positions using thermal bimorph actuation for transducer applications

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo

    2015-10-27

    The integration of thermal bimorph actuators and buckled cantilever structures to form an out-of-plane plate with adjustable angular positions is reported. This structure could be used as a platform to build other transducers such as optical micromirrors, scanning antennas, switches or low-frequency oscillators. The electromechanical characterisation has shown that these structures can adjust their angular position by 6° when they are operated using a DC source. The thermal characterisation performed by an infrared camera showed that the heat-affected zone reaches a maximum temperature of 125°C while the rest of the structure remains unaffected by the generated heat.

  12. Finite Element Study on Acoustic Energy Harvesting Using Lead-Free Piezoelectric Ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Anuruddh; Sharma, Anshul; Kumar, Rajeev; Vaish, Rahul

    2018-02-01

    In this article, a numerical investigation is performed for ambient acoustic energy harvesting at a low-frequency acoustic signal. A model of a quarter-wavelength resonator with a rectangular cross section is constructed, and piezoelectric-laminated bimorph plates are placed inside the system. Finite element modeling is implemented to numerically formulate the piezoelectric energy harvester. With the application of acoustic pressure at the open end of the resonator, amplified acoustic pressure inside the tube vibrates the piezolaminated bimorphs inside the tube, thus generating electric potential on the piezoelectric layers. To generate higher voltage and power in the acoustic harvester, multiple piezolaminated plates are positioned inside the resonator. The lead-free piezoelectric material K0.475Na0.475Li0.05 (Nb0.92Ta0.05Sb0.03)O3 (KNLNTS) is laminated on the host structure as a layer of piezoelectric material for the acoustic energy harvester. With the application of an acoustic sound pressure of 1 dB at the opening of the tube, a maximum output voltage of 16.3 V is measured at the first natural frequency, while the maximum power calculated is 0.033 mW. Maximum voltage is obtained when five piezoelectric bimorphs are place inside the resonator. At the second natural frequency, the maximum voltage measured is 8.40 V, obtained when eight piezoelectric bimorphs are placed inside the resonator, and the maximum power calculated is 0.020 mW.

  13. Newly designed double surface bimorph mirror for BL-15A of the photon factory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Igarashi, Noriyuki, E-mail: noriyuki.igarashi@kek.jp; Nitani, Hiroaki; Takeichi, Yasuo; Niwa, Yasuhiro; Abe, Hitoshi; Kimura, Masao; Mori, Takeharu; Nagatani, Yasuko; Kosuge, Takashi; Kamijo, Ai; Koyama, Atsushi; Shimizu, Nobutaka [Photon Factory, Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); Ohta, Hiromasa [Mitsubishi Electric System & Service Co., Ltd. 20F Carrot Tower 4-1-1 Taishido, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-8520 (Japan)

    2016-07-27

    BL-15A is a new x-ray undulator beamline at the Photon Factory. It will be dedicated to two independent research activities, simultaneous XAFS/XRF/XRD experiments, and SAXS/WAXS/GI-SAXS studies. In order to supply a choice of micro-focus, low-divergence and collimated beams, a double surface bimorph mirror was recently developed. To achieve further mirror surface optimization, the pencil beam scanning method was applied for “in-situ” beam inspection and the Inverse Matrix method was used for determination of optimal voltages on the piezoelectric actuators. The corrected beam profiles at every focal spot gave good agreement with the theoretical values and the resultant beam performance is promising for both techniques. Quick and stable switching between highly focused and intense collimated beams was established using this new mirror with the simple motorized stages.

  14. A Piezoelectric Unimorph Deformable Mirror Concept by Wafer Transfer for Ultra Large Space Telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Eui-Hyeok; Shcheglov, Kirill

    2002-01-01

    Future concepts of ultra large space telescopes include segmented silicon mirrors and inflatable polymer mirrors. Primary mirrors for these systems cannot meet optical surface figure requirements and are likely to generate over several microns of wavefront errors. In order to correct for these large wavefront errors, high stroke optical quality deformable mirrors are required. JPL has recently developed a new technology for transferring an entire wafer-level mirror membrane from one substrate to another. A thin membrane, 100 mm in diameter, has been successfully transferred without using adhesives or polymers. The measured peak-to-valley surface error of a transferred and patterned membrane (1 mm x 1 mm x 0.016 mm) is only 9 nm. The mirror element actuation principle is based on a piezoelectric unimorph. A voltage applied to the piezoelectric layer induces stress in the longitudinal direction causing the film to deform and pull on the mirror connected to it. The advantage of this approach is that the small longitudinal strains obtainable from a piezoelectric material at modest voltages are thus translated into large vertical displacements. Modeling is performed for a unimorph membrane consisting of clamped rectangular membrane with a PZT layer with variable dimensions. The membrane transfer technology is combined with the piezoelectric bimorph actuator concept to constitute a compact deformable mirror device with a large stroke actuation of a continuous mirror membrane, resulting in a compact A0 systems for use in ultra large space telescopes.

  15. Design and Experimental Research of a Novel Stick-Slip Type Piezoelectric Actuator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingxing Zhou

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available A linear piezoelectric actuator based on the stick-slip principle is presented and tested in this paper. With the help of changeable vertical preload force flexure hinge, the designed linear actuator can achieve both large travel stick-slip motion and high-resolution stepping displacement. The developed actuator mainly consists of a bridge-type flexure hinge mechanism, a compound parallelogram flexure hinge mechanism, and two piezoelectric stacks. The mechanical structure and motion principle of the linear actuator were illustrated, and the finite element method (FEM is adopted. An optimal parametric study of the flexure hinge is performed by a finite element analysis-based response surface methodology. In order to investigate the actuator’s working performance, a prototype was manufactured and a series of experiments were carried out. The results indicate that the maximum motion speed is about 3.27 mm/s and the minimum stepping displacement is 0.29 μm. Finally, a vibration test was carried out to obtain the first natural frequency of the actuator, and an in situ observation was conducted to investigate actuator’s stick-slip working condition. The experimental results confirm the feasibility of the proposed actuator, and the motion speed and displacement are both improved compared with the traditional stick-slip motion actuator.

  16. Full Characterization at Low Temperature of Piezoelectric Actuators Used for SRF Cavities Active Tuning

    CERN Document Server

    Fouaidy, Mohammed; Chatelet, Frederic; Hammoudi, Nourredine; Martinet, Guillaume; Olivier, Aurelia; Saugnac, Herve

    2005-01-01

    In the frame of the CARE project activities, supported by EU, IPN Orsay participate to the development of a fast cold tuning system for SRF cavities operating at a temperature T=2 K. The study is aimed at full characterization of piezoelectric actuators at low temperature. A new experimental facility was developed for testing various prototypes piezoelectric actuators and successfully operated for T in the range 1.8 K-300 K. Different parameters were investigated as function of T: piezoelectric actuator displacement vs. applied voltage V, capacitance vs. T, dielectric and thermal properties vs. T and finally heating DT due to dielectric losses vs. modulating voltage Vmod and frequency. We observed a decrease of the Full Range Displacement (FRD or DX) of the actuator from ~40μm @ 300K down to 1.8μm-3μm @ 1.8K, depending on both material and fabrication process of the piezostacks. Besides, both material and fabrication process have a strong influence on the shape of the characteris...

  17. Experimental comparison of rate-dependent hysteresis models in characterizing and compensating hysteresis of piezoelectric tube actuators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aljanaideh, Omar, E-mail: omaryanni@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942 (Jordan); Habineza, Didace; Rakotondrabe, Micky [AS2M department, FEMTO-ST Institute, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Univ. de Franche-Comté/CNRS/ENSMM, 25000 Besançon (France); Al Janaideh, Mohammad [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, The Mechatronics and Microsystems Design Laboratory, University of Toronto (Canada); Department of Mechatronics Engineering, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942 (Jordan)

    2016-04-01

    An experimental study has been carried out to characterize rate-dependent hysteresis of a piezoelectric tube actuator at different excitation frequencies. The experimental measurements were followed by modeling and compensation of the hysteresis nonlinearities of the piezoelectric tube actuator using both the inverse rate-dependent Prandtl–Ishlinskii model (RDPI) and inverse rate-independent Prandtl–Ishlinskii model (RIPI) coupled with a controller. The comparison of hysteresis modeling and compensation of the actuator with both models is presented.

  18. Experimental comparison of rate-dependent hysteresis models in characterizing and compensating hysteresis of piezoelectric tube actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aljanaideh, Omar; Habineza, Didace; Rakotondrabe, Micky; Al Janaideh, Mohammad

    2016-01-01

    An experimental study has been carried out to characterize rate-dependent hysteresis of a piezoelectric tube actuator at different excitation frequencies. The experimental measurements were followed by modeling and compensation of the hysteresis nonlinearities of the piezoelectric tube actuator using both the inverse rate-dependent Prandtl–Ishlinskii model (RDPI) and inverse rate-independent Prandtl–Ishlinskii model (RIPI) coupled with a controller. The comparison of hysteresis modeling and compensation of the actuator with both models is presented.

  19. An aeroelastic analysis of helicopter rotor blades incorporating piezoelectric fiber composite twist actuation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkie, W. Keats; Park, K. C.

    1996-01-01

    A simple aeroelastic analysis of a helicopter rotor blade incorporating embedded piezoelectric fiber composite, interdigitated electrode blade twist actuators is described. The analysis consist of a linear torsion and flapwise bending model coupled with a nonlinear ONERA based unsteady aerodynamics model. A modified Galerkin procedure is performed upon the rotor blade partial differential equations of motion to develop a system of ordinary differential equations suitable for numerical integration. The twist actuation responses for three conceptual full-scale blade designs with realistic constraints on blade mass are numerically evaluated using the analysis. Numerical results indicate that useful amplitudes of nonresonant elastic twist, on the order of one to two degrees, are achievable under one-g hovering flight conditions for interdigitated electrode poling configurations. Twist actuation for the interdigitated electrode blades is also compared with the twist actuation of a conventionally poled piezoelectric fiber composite blade. Elastic twist produced using the interdigitated electrode actuators was found to be four to five times larger than that obtained with the conventionally poled actuators.

  20. Cryogenic Fluid Transfer Components Using Single Crystal Piezoelectric Actuators, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Cryogenic fluid transfer components using single crystal piezoelectric actuators are proposed to enable low thermal mass, minimal heat leak, low power consumption...

  1. Cryogenic Fluid Transfer Components Using Single Crystal Piezoelectric Actuators, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Cryogenic fluid transfer components using single crystal piezoelectric actuators are proposed to enable low thermal mass, minimal heat leak, low power consumption...

  2. Development of X-Y servo pneumatic-piezoelectric hybrid actuators for position control with high response, large stroke and nanometer accuracy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiang, Mao-Hsiung

    2010-01-01

    This study aims to develop a X-Y dual-axial intelligent servo pneumatic-piezoelectric hybrid actuator for position control with high response, large stroke (250 mm, 200 mm) and nanometer accuracy (20 nm). In each axis, the rodless pneumatic actuator serves to position in coarse stroke and the piezoelectric actuator compensates in fine stroke. Thus, the overall control systems of the single axis become a dual-input single-output (DISO) system. Although the rodless pneumatic actuator has relatively larger friction force, it has the advantage of mechanism for multi-axial development. Thus, the X-Y dual-axial positioning system is developed based on the servo pneumatic-piezoelectric hybrid actuator. In addition, the decoupling self-organizing fuzzy sliding mode control is developed as the intelligent control strategies. Finally, the proposed novel intelligent X-Y dual-axial servo pneumatic-piezoelectric hybrid actuators are implemented and verified experimentally.

  3. Development of X-Y Servo Pneumatic-Piezoelectric Hybrid Actuators for Position Control with High Response, Large Stroke and Nanometer Accuracy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mao-Hsiung Chiang

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to develop a X-Y dual-axial intelligent servo pneumatic-piezoelectric hybrid actuator for position control with high response, large stroke (250 mm, 200 mm and nanometer accuracy (20 nm. In each axis, the rodless pneumatic actuator serves to position in coarse stroke and the piezoelectric actuator compensates in fine stroke. Thus, the overall control systems of the single axis become a dual-input single-output (DISO system. Although the rodless pneumatic actuator has relatively larger friction force, it has the advantage of mechanism for multi-axial development. Thus, the X-Y dual-axial positioning system is developed based on the servo pneumatic-piezoelectric hybrid actuator. In addition, the decoupling self-organizing fuzzy sliding mode control is developed as the intelligent control strategies. Finally, the proposed novel intelligent X-Y dual-axial servo pneumatic-piezoelectric hybrid actuators are implemented and verified experimentally.

  4. Excitation of waves in elastic waveguides by piezoelectric patch actuators

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Loveday, PW

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available for waveguides excited by piezoelectric patch actuators. The waveguide is modelled using specially developed waveguide finite elements. These elements are formulated using a complex exponential to describe the wave propagation along the structure and finite...

  5. Design, Manufacturing and Characterization of Functionally Graded Flextensional Piezoelectric Actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amigo, R C R; Vatanabe, S L; Silva, E C N

    2013-01-01

    Previous works have been shown several advantages in using Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) for the performance of flextensional devices, such as reduction of stress concentrations and gains in reliability. In this work, the FGM concept is explored in the design of graded devices by using the Topology Optimization Method (TOM), in order to determine optimal topologies and gradations of the coupled structures of piezoactuators. The graded pieces are manufactured by using the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) technique and are bonded to piezoelectric ceramics. The graded actuators are then tested by using a modular vibrometer system for measuring output displacements, in order to validate the numerical simulations. The technological path developed here represents the initial step toward the manufacturing of an integral piezoelectric device, constituted by piezoelectric and non-piezoelectric materials without bonding layers.

  6. Advances in Lead-Free Piezoelectric Materials for Sensors and Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacob L. Jones

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectrics have widespread use in today’s sensor and actuator technologies. However, most commercially available piezoelectric materials, e.g., Pb [ZrxTi1-x] O3 (PZT,are comprised of more than 60 weight percent lead (Pb. Dueto its harmful effects, there is a strong impetus to identify new lead-free replacement materials with comparable properties to those of PZT. This review highlights recent developments in several lead-free piezoelectric materials including BaTiO3, Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3, K0.5Bi0.5TiO3, Na0.5K0.5NbO3, and their solid solutions. The factors that contribute to strong piezoelectric behavior are described and a summary of the properties for the various systems is provided.

  7. Buckling control of morphing composite airfoil structure using multi-stable laminate by piezoelectric sensors/actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zareie, Shahin; Zabihollah, Abolghassem; Azizi, Aydin

    2011-04-01

    In the present work, an unsymmetric laminated plate with surface bonded piezoelectric sensors, and actuators has been considered. Piezoelectric sensor were used to monitor the load and deformation bifurcation occurs. Monitoring the shape and load of a morphing structure is essential to ascertain that the structure is properly deployed and it is not loaded excessively ,thus, preventing structural to failure. A piezoceramic actuator is used to provide activation load and to force the structure to change its stability state from one to another. A non-linear finite element model based on the layerwise displacement theory considering the electro-mechanical coupling effects of piezoelectric elements has been developed for simulation purposes. A control mechanism is also employed to actively control the shape of the structure. It is observed that, utilizing multistable composite to design a morphing structure may significantly reduce the energy required for changing the shape. Further controlling the buckling phenomena using piezoelectric sensor and actuator along with an ON/OFF controller can effectively and efficiency enhance the performance of the morphing structure during manoeuver.

  8. Validation of High Displacement Piezoelectric Actuator Finite Element Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taleghani, B. K.

    2000-01-01

    The paper presents the results obtained by using NASTRAN(Registered Trademark) and ANSYS(Regitered Trademark) finite element codes to predict doming of the THUNDER piezoelectric actuators during the manufacturing process and subsequent straining due to an applied input voltage. To effectively use such devices in engineering applications, modeling and characterization are essential. Length, width, dome height, and thickness are important parameters for users of such devices. Therefore, finite element models were used to assess the effects of these parameters. NASTRAN(Registered Trademark) and ANSYS(Registered Trademark) used different methods for modeling piezoelectric effects. In NASTRAN(Registered Trademark), a thermal analogy was used to represent voltage at nodes as equivalent temperatures, while ANSYS(Registered Trademark) processed the voltage directly using piezoelectric finite elements. The results of finite element models were validated by using the experimental results.

  9. Piezoelectric characterization of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films deposited on metal foil substrates by dip coating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hida, Hirotaka; Hamamura, Tomohiro; Nishi, Takahito; Tan, Goon; Umegaki, Toshihito; Kanno, Isaku

    2017-10-01

    We fabricated the piezoelectric bimorphs composed of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films on metal foil substrates. To efficiently inexpensively manufacture piezoelectric bimorphs with high flexibility, 1.2-µm-thick PZT thin films were directly deposited on both surfaces of 10- and 20-µm-thick bare stainless-steel (SS) foil substrates by dip coating with a sol-gel solution. We confirmed that the PZT thin films deposited on the SS foil substrates at 500 °C or above have polycrystalline perovskite structures and the measured relative dielectric constant and dielectric loss were 323-420 and 0.12-0.17, respectively. The PZT bimorphs were demonstrated by comparing the displacements of the cantilever specimens driven by single- and double-side PZT thin films on the SS foil substrates under the same applied voltage. We characterized the piezoelectric properties of the PZT bimorphs and the calculated their piezoelectric coefficient |e 31,f| to be 0.3-0.7 C/m2.

  10. Radiation hardness tests of piezoelectric actuators with fast neutrons at liquid helium temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fouaidy, M.; Martinet, G.; Hammoudi, N.; Chatelet, F.; Olivier, A.; Blivet, S.; Galet, F. [CNRS-IN2P3-IPN Orsay, Orsay (France)

    2007-07-01

    Piezoelectric actuators, which are integrated into the cold tuning system and used to compensate the small mechanical deformations of the cavity wall induced by Lorentz forces due to the high electromagnetic surface field, may be located in the radiation environment during particle accelerator operation. In order to provide for a reliable operation of the accelerator, the performance and life time of piezoelectric actuators ({approx}24.000 units for ILC) should not show any significant degradation for long periods (i.e. machine life duration: {approx}20 years), even when subjected to intense radiation (i.e. gamma rays and fast neutrons). An experimental program, aimed at investigating the effect of fast neutrons radiation on the characteristics of piezoelectric actuators at liquid helium temperature (i.e. T{approx}4.2 K), was proposed for the working package WPNo.8 devoted to tuners development in the frame of CARE project. A neutrons irradiation facility, already installed at the CERI cyclotron located at Orleans (France), was upgraded and adapted for actuators irradiations tests purpose. A deuterons beam (maximum energy and beam current: 25 MeV and 35{mu}A) collides with a thin (thickness: 3 mm) beryllium target producing a high neutrons flux with low gamma dose ({approx}20%): a neutrons fluence of more than 10{sup 14} n/cm{sup 2} is achieved in {approx}20 hours of exposure. A dedicated cryostat was developed at IPN Orsay and used previously for radiation hardness test of calibrated cryogenic thermometers and pressure transducers used in LHC superconducting magnets. This cryostat could be operated either with liquid helium or liquid argon. This irradiation facility was upgraded for allowing fast turn-over of experiments and a dedicated experimental set-up was designed, fabricated, installed at CERI and successfully operated for radiation hardness tests of several piezoelectric actuators at T{approx}4.2 K. This new apparatus allows on-line automatic measurements

  11. Radiation hardness tests of piezoelectric actuators with fast neutrons at liquid helium temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fouaidy, M.; Martinet, G.; Hammoudi, N.; Chatelet, F.; Olivier, A.; Blivet, S.; Galet, F.

    2007-01-01

    Piezoelectric actuators, which are integrated into the cold tuning system and used to compensate the small mechanical deformations of the cavity wall induced by Lorentz forces due to the high electromagnetic surface field, may be located in the radiation environment during particle accelerator operation. In order to provide for a reliable operation of the accelerator, the performance and life time of piezoelectric actuators (∼24.000 units for ILC) should not show any significant degradation for long periods (i.e. machine life duration: ∼20 years), even when subjected to intense radiation (i.e. gamma rays and fast neutrons). An experimental program, aimed at investigating the effect of fast neutrons radiation on the characteristics of piezoelectric actuators at liquid helium temperature (i.e. T∼4.2 K), was proposed for the working package WPNo.8 devoted to tuners development in the frame of CARE project. A neutrons irradiation facility, already installed at the CERI cyclotron located at Orleans (France), was upgraded and adapted for actuators irradiations tests purpose. A deuterons beam (maximum energy and beam current: 25 MeV and 35μA) collides with a thin (thickness: 3 mm) beryllium target producing a high neutrons flux with low gamma dose (∼20%): a neutrons fluence of more than 10 14 n/cm 2 is achieved in ∼20 hours of exposure. A dedicated cryostat was developed at IPN Orsay and used previously for radiation hardness test of calibrated cryogenic thermometers and pressure transducers used in LHC superconducting magnets. This cryostat could be operated either with liquid helium or liquid argon. This irradiation facility was upgraded for allowing fast turn-over of experiments and a dedicated experimental set-up was designed, fabricated, installed at CERI and successfully operated for radiation hardness tests of several piezoelectric actuators at T∼4.2 K. This new apparatus allows on-line automatic measurements of actuators characteristics and the

  12. Two-stage actuation system using DC motors and piezoelectric actuators for controllable industrial and automotive brakes and clutches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neelakantan, Vijay A.; Washington, Gregory N.; Bucknor, Norman K.

    2005-05-01

    High bandwidth actuation systems that are capable of simultaneously producing relatively large forces and displacements are required for use in automobiles and other industrial applications. Conventional hydraulic actuation mechanisms used in automotive brakes and clutches are complex, inefficient and have poor control robustness. These lead to reduced fuel economy, controllability issues and other disadvantages. This paper involves the design, development, testing and control of a two-stage hybrid actuation mechanism by combining classical actuators like DC motors and advanced smart material actuators like piezoelectric actuators. The paper also discusses the development of a robust control methodology using the Internal Model Control (IMC) principle and emphasizes the robustness property of this control methodology by comparing and studying simulation and experimental results.

  13. Enhancement of Optical Adaptive Sensing by Using a Dual-Stage Seesaw-Swivel Actuator with a Tunable Vibration Absorber

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Po-Chien Chou

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Technological obstacles to the use of rotary-type swing arm actuators to actuate optical pickup modules in small-form-factor (SFF disk drives stem from a hinge’s skewed actuation, subsequently inducing off-axis aberrations and deteriorating optical quality. This work describes a dual-stage seesaw-swivel actuator for optical pickup actuation. A triple-layered bimorph bender made of piezoelectric materials (PZTs is connected to the suspension of the pickup head, while the tunable vibration absorber (TVA unit is mounted on the seesaw swing arm to offer a balanced force to reduce vibrations in a focusing direction. Both PZT and TVA are designed to satisfy stable focusing operation operational requirements and compensate for the tilt angle or deformation of a disc. Finally, simulation results verify the performance of the dual-stage seesaw-swivel actuator, along with experimental procedures and parametric design optimization confirming the effectiveness of the proposed system.

  14. Comparison of Walking and Traveling-Wave Piezoelectric Motors as Actuators in Kinesthetic Haptic Devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsson, Pontus; Nysjo, Fredrik; Carlbom, Ingrid B; Johansson, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    Piezoelectric motors offer an attractive alternative to electromagnetic actuators in portable haptic interfaces: they are compact, have a high force-to-volume ratio, and can operate with limited or no gearing. However, the choice of a piezoelectric motor type is not obvious due to differences in performance characteristics. We present our evaluation of two commercial, operationally different, piezoelectric motors acting as actuators in two kinesthetic haptic grippers, a walking quasi-static motor and a traveling wave ultrasonic motor. We evaluate each gripper's ability to display common virtual objects including springs, dampers, and rigid walls, and conclude that the walking quasi-static motor is superior at low velocities. However, for applications where high velocity is required, traveling wave ultrasonic motors are a better option.

  15. Investigation on active vibration isolation of a Stewart platform with piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chaoxin; Xie, Xiling; Chen, Yanhao; Zhang, Zhiyi

    2016-11-01

    A Stewart platform with piezoelectric actuators is presented for micro-vibration isolation. The Jacobi matrix of the Stewart platform, which reveals the relationship between the position/pointing of the payload and the extensions of the six struts, is derived by kinematic analysis. The dynamic model of the Stewart platform is established by the FRF (frequency response function) synthesis method. In the active control loop, the direct feedback of integrated forces is combined with the FxLMS based adaptive feedback to dampen vibration of inherent modes and suppress transmission of periodic vibrations. Numerical simulations were conducted to prove vibration isolation performance of the Stewart platform under random and periodical disturbances, respectively. In the experiment, the output consistencies of the six piezoelectric actuators were measured at first and the theoretical Jacobi matrix as well as the feedback gain of each piezoelectric actuator was subsequently modified according to the measured consistencies. The direct feedback loop was adjusted to achieve sufficient active damping and the FxLMS based adaptive feedback control was adopted to suppress vibration transmission in the six struts. Experimental results have demonstrated that the Stewart platform can achieve 30 dB attenuation of periodical disturbances and 10-20 dB attenuation of random disturbances in the frequency range of 5-200 Hz.

  16. Piezoelectric Composite Actuators : Modelling of the Static and Dynamic Behaviour

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wiwattananon, P.

    2013-01-01

    Smart actuators, made of smart materials, are becoming more attractive in many applications because smart materials are not subjected to wear and does not require lubrication during services. Piezoelectric materials are a group of the many attractive smart materials that are being investigated for

  17. Modeling and optimization of a novel two-axis mirror-scanning mechanism driven by piezoelectric actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jing, Zijian; Xu, Minglong; Feng, Bo

    2015-01-01

    Mirror-scanning mechanisms are a key component in optical systems for diverse applications. However, the applications of existing piezoelectric scanners are limited due to their small angular travels. To overcome this problem, a novel two-axis mirror-scanning mechanism, which consists of a two-axis tip-tilt flexure mechanism and a set of piezoelectric actuators, is proposed in this paper. The focus of this research is on the design, theoretical modeling, and optimization of the piezoelectric-driven mechanism, with the goal of achieving large angular travels in a compact size. The design of the two-axis tip-tilt flexure mechanism is based on two nonuniform beams, which translate the limited linear output displacements of the piezoelectric actuators into large output angles. To exactly predict the angular travels, we built a voltage-angle model that characterizes the relationship between the input voltages to the piezoelectric actuators and the output angles of the piezoelectric-driven mechanism. Using this analytical model, the optimization is performed to improve the angular travels. A prototype of the mirror-scanning mechanism is fabricated based on the optimization results, and experiments are implemented to test the two-axis output angles. The experimental result shows that the angular travels of the scanner achieve more than 50 mrad, and the error between the analytical model and the experiment is about 11%. This error is much smaller than the error for the model built using the previous method because the influence of the stiffness of the mechanical structure on the deformation of the piezoelectric stack is considered in the voltage-angle model. (paper)

  18. Flow Energy Piezoelectric Bimorph Nozzle Harvester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart (Inventor); Walkemeyer, Phillip E. (Inventor); Hall, Jeffrey L. (Inventor); Lee, Hyeong Jae (Inventor); Colonius, Tim (Inventor); Tosi, Phillipe (Inventor); Kim, Namhyo (Inventor); Sun, Kai (Inventor); Corbett, Thomas Gary (Inventor); Arrazola, Alvaro Jose (Inventor)

    2016-01-01

    A flow energy harvesting device having a harvester pipe includes a flow inlet that receives flow from a primary pipe, a flow outlet that returns the flow into the primary pipe, and a flow diverter within the harvester pipe having an inlet section coupled to the flow inlet, a flow constriction section coupled to the inlet section and positioned at a midpoint of the harvester pipe and having a spline shape with a substantially reduced flow opening size at a constriction point along the spline shape, and an outlet section coupled to the constriction section. The harvester pipe may further include a piezoelectric structure extending from the inlet section through the constriction section and point such that the fluid flow past the constriction point results in oscillatory pressure amplitude inducing vibrations in the piezoelectric structure sufficient to cause a direct piezoelectric effect and to generate electrical power for harvesting.

  19. Iterative process control and sensor evaluation for deep drawing tools with integrated piezoelectric actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bäume Tobias

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to the design-driven increase in complexity of forming car body parts, it becomes more difficult to ensure a stable forming process. Piezoelectric actuators can influence the material flow of stamping parts effectively. In this article the implementation of piezoelectric actuators in a large scale sheet metal forming tool of a car manufacturer is described. Additionally, it is shown that part quality can be assessed with the help of triangulation laser sensors, which are mounted on the blankholder. The resulting flange draw-in signals were processed and used to adopt the applying actuator force iteratively to reduce the occurrence of cracks. It was shown that process control helped to improve the quality of the stamping parts significantly.

  20. Aircraft Interior Noise Control Using Distributed Piezoelectric Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Jian Q.

    1996-01-01

    Developing a control system that can reduce the noise and structural vibration at the same time is an important task. This talk presents one possible technical approach for accomplishing this task. The target application of the research is for aircraft interior noise control. The emphasis of the present approach is not on control strategies, but rather on the design of actuators for the control system. In the talk, a theory of distributed piezoelectric actuators is introduced. A uniform cylindrical shell is taken as a simplified model of fuselage structures to illustrate the effectiveness of the design theory. The actuators developed are such that they can reduce the tonal structural vibration and interior noise in a wide range of frequencies. Extensive computer simulations have been done to study various aspects of the design theory. Experiments have also been conducted and the test results strongly support the theoretical development.

  1. Tracking Control of Hysteretic Piezoelectric Actuator using Adaptive Rate-Dependent Controller.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, U-Xuan; Latt, Win Tun; Widjaja, Ferdinan; Shee, Cheng Yap; Riviere, Cameron N; Ang, Wei Tech

    2009-03-16

    With the increasing popularity of actuators involving smart materials like piezoelectric, control of such materials becomes important. The existence of the inherent hysteretic behavior hinders the tracking accuracy of the actuators. To make matters worse, the hysteretic behavior changes with rate. One of the suggested ways is to have a feedforward controller to linearize the relationship between the input and output. Thus, the hysteretic behavior of the actuator must first be modeled by sensing the relationship between the input voltage and output displacement. Unfortunately, the hysteretic behavior is dependent on individual actuator and also environmental conditions like temperature. It is troublesome and costly to model the hysteresis regularly. In addition, the hysteretic behavior of the actuators also changes with age. Most literature model the actuator using a cascade of rate-independent hysteresis operators and a dynamical system. However, the inertial dynamics of the structure is not the only contributing factor. A complete model will be complex. Thus, based on the studies done on the phenomenological hysteretic behavior with rate, this paper proposes an adaptive rate-dependent feedforward controller with Prandtl-Ishlinskii (PI) hysteresis operators for piezoelectric actuators. This adaptive controller is achieved by adapting the coefficients to manipulate the weights of the play operators. Actual experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the adaptive controller. The main contribution of this paper is its ability to perform tracking control of non-periodic motion and is illustrated with the tracking control ability of a couple of different non-periodic waveforms which were created by passing random numbers through a low pass filter with a cutoff frequency of 20Hz.

  2. Non-linear temperature-dependent curvature of a phase change composite bimorph beam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blonder, Greg

    2017-06-01

    Bimorph films curl in response to temperature. The degree of curvature typically varies in proportion to the difference in thermal expansion of the individual layers, and linearly with temperature. In many applications, such as controlling a thermostat, this gentle linear behavior is acceptable. In other cases, such as opening or closing a valve or latching a deployable column into place, an abrupt motion at a fixed temperature is preferred. To achieve this non-linear motion, we describe the fabrication and performance of a new bilayer structure we call a ‘phase change composite bimorph (PCBM)’. In a PCBM, one layer in the bimorph is a composite containing small inclusions of phase change materials. When the inclusions melt, their large (generally positive and  >1%) expansion coefficient induces a strong, reversible step function jump in bimorph curvature. The measured jump amplitude and thermal response is consistent with theory, and can be harnessed by a new class of actuators and sensors.

  3. Traveling-wave piezoelectric linear motor part II: experiment and performance evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ting, Yung; Li, Chun-Chung; Chen, Liang-Chiang; Yang, Chieh-Min

    2007-04-01

    This article continues the discussion of a traveling-wave piezoelectric linear motor. Part I of this article dealt with the design and analysis of the stator of a traveling-wave piezoelectric linear motor. In this part, the discussion focuses on the structure and modeling of the contact layer and the carriage. In addition, the performance analysis and evaluation of the linear motor also are dealt with in this study. The traveling wave is created by stator, which is constructed by a series of bimorph actuators arranged in a line and connected to form a meander-line structure. Analytical and experimental results of the performance are presented and shown to be almost in agreement. Power losses due to friction and transmission are studied and found to be significant. Compared with other types of linear motors, the motor in this study is capable of supporting heavier loads and provides a larger thrust force.

  4. Integrated nozzle - flapper valve with piezoelectric actuator and isothermal chamber: a feedback linearization multi control device

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kamali, Mohammadreza; Jazayeri, Seyed Ali [K. N.Toosi University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Najafi, Farid [University of Guilan, Rasht (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Kawashima, Kenji [Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo (Japan); Kagawa, Toshiharu [Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo (Japan)

    2016-05-15

    This paper introduces a new nozzle-flapper valve with isothermal chamber using piezoelectric actuator. It controls the pressure and flow rate simply, effectively and separately. The proposed valve uses isothermal chamber presenting practical isothermal condition due to its large heat transfer interfaces filled by metal wool. The valve uses stacked type piezoelectric actuator with unique advantages. By using this valve, a simple method has been fulfilled to control flow rate or pressure of ideal gases in a pneumatic actuators. Experimental results demonstrated applications of the proposed valve to control either pressure or flow rate in pneumatic circuits. This valve can be also used in the pilot stage valve to actuate the main stage of a much bigger pneumatic valve. Designated structure contains only one pressure sensor installed on the isothermal control chamber, capable of controlling both pressure and flow rate. The desired output mass flow rate of the valve is controlled by the pressure changes during positioning of piezoelectric actuator at proper position. The proposed valve can control steady and unsteady oscillatory flow rate and pressure effectively, using nonlinear control method such as feedback linearization approach. Its effectiveness is demonstrated and validated through simulation and experiments.

  5. Feedback/feedforward control of hysteresis-compensated piezoelectric actuators for high-speed scanning applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Yanfang; Shan, Jinjun; Gabbert, Ulrich

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents the control system design for a piezoelectric actuator (PEA) for a high-speed trajectory scanning application. First nonlinear hysteresis is compensated for by using the Maxwell resistive capacitor model. Then the linear dynamics of the hysteresis-compensated piezoelectric actuator are identified. A proportional plus integral (PI) controller is designed based on the linear system, enhanced by feedforward hysteresis compensation. It is found that the feedback controller does not always improve tracking accuracy. When the input frequency exceeds a certain value, feedforward control only may result in better control performance. Experiments are conducted, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control approach. (paper)

  6. Optimal Piezoelectric Actuators and Sensors Configuration for Vibration Suppression of Aircraft Framework Using Particle Swarm Algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Quanzhen Huang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Numbers and locations of sensors and actuators play an important role in cost and control performance for active vibration control system of piezoelectric smart structure. This may lead to a diverse control system if sensors and actuators were not configured properly. An optimal location method of piezoelectric actuators and sensors is proposed in this paper based on particle swarm algorithm (PSA. Due to the complexity of the frame structure, it can be taken as a combination of many piezoelectric intelligent beams and L-type structures. Firstly, an optimal criterion of sensors and actuators is proposed with an optimal objective function. Secondly, each order natural frequency and modal strain are calculated and substituted into the optimal objective function. Preliminary optimal allocation is done using the particle swarm algorithm, based on the similar optimization method and the combination of the vibration stress and strain distribution at the lower modal frequency. Finally, the optimal location is given. An experimental platform was established and the experimental results indirectly verified the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

  7. Low voltage driven dielectric electro active polymer actuator with integrated piezoelectric transformer based driver

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Thomas; Rødgaard, Martin Schøler; Thomsen, Ole Cornelius

    2011-01-01

    actuators, a low voltage solution is developed by integrating the driver electronic into a 110 mm tall cylindrical coreless Push InLastor actuator. To decrease the size of the driver, a piezoelectric transformer (PT) based solution is utilized. The PT is essentially an improved Rosen type PT...

  8. Piezoelectric multilayer actuator life test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Bao, Xiaoqi; Jones, Christopher M; Aldrich, Jack B; Blodget, Chad J; Moore, James D; Carson, John W; Goullioud, Renaud

    2011-04-01

    Potential NASA optical missions such as the Space Interferometer Mission require actuators for precision positioning to accuracies of the order of nanometers. Commercially available multilayer piezoelectric stack actuators are being considered for driving these precision mirror positioning mechanisms. These mechanisms have potential mission operational requirements that exceed 5 years for one mission life. To test the feasibility of using these commercial actuators for these applications and to determine their reliability and the redundancy requirements, a life test study was undertaken. The nominal actuator requirements for the most critical actuators on the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) in terms of number of cycles was estimated from the Modulation Optics Mechanism (MOM) and Pathlength control Optics Mechanism (POM) and these requirements were used to define the study. At a nominal drive frequency of 250 Hz, one mission life is calculated to be 40 billion cycles. In this study, a set of commercial PZT stacks configured in a potential flight actuator configuration (pre-stressed to 18 MPa and bonded in flexures) were tested for up to 100 billion cycles. Each test flexure allowed for two sets of primary and redundant stacks to be mechanically connected in series. The tests were controlled using an automated software control and data acquisition system that set up the test parameters and monitored the waveform of the stack electrical current and voltage. The samples were driven between 0 and 20 V at 2000 Hz to accelerate the life test and mimic the voltage amplitude that is expected to be applied to the stacks during operation. During the life test, 10 primary stacks were driven and 10 redundant stacks, mechanically in series with the driven stacks, were open-circuited. The stroke determined from a strain gauge, the temperature and humidity in the chamber, and the temperature of each individual stack were recorded. Other properties of the stacks, including the

  9. A micropower miniature piezoelectric actuator for implantable middle ear hearing device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhigang; Mills, Robert; Luo, Hongyan; Zheng, Xiaolin; Hou, Wensheng; Wang, Lijun; Brown, Stuart I; Cuschieri, Alfred

    2011-02-01

    This paper describes the design and development of a small actuator using a miniature piezoelectric stack and a flextensional mechanical amplification structure for an implantable middle ear hearing device (IMEHD). A finite-element method was used in the actuator design. Actuator vibration displacement was measured using a laser vibrometer. Preliminary evaluation of the actuator for an IMEHD was conducted using a temporal bone model. Initial results from one temporal bone study indicated that the actuator was small enough to be implanted within the middle ear cavity, and sufficient stapes displacement can be generated for patients with mild to moderate hearing losses, especially at higher frequency range, by the actuator suspended onto the stapes. There was an insignificant mass-loading effect on normal sound transmission (actuator was attached to the stapes and switched off. Improved vibration performance is predicted by more firm attachment. The actuator power consumption and its generated equivalent sound pressure level are also discussed. In conclusion, the actuator has advantages of small size, lightweight, and micropower consumption for potential use as IMHEDs.

  10. Fundamental study on improvement of piezoelectricity of poly(ι-lactic acid) and its application to film actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tajitsu, Yoshiro

    2013-08-01

    We designed a new film actuator, whose driving force is generated by a surface wave, which induces rotational motion. Its performance is similar to that of a rotation motor even though the new film actuator has no complex mechanical parts. To realize the film actuator, we used a poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) film with improved piezoelectricity. First, we theoretically investigated the necessary conditions for a surface wave to be generated on the end face of a PLLA film by the fusion of its shear piezoelectricity and resonance, and then experimentally realized this. Using the actuator made using the PLLA film, we demonstrated that the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of an object placed on the end face of the PLLA film actuator could be freely controlled by changing the frequency of the ac voltage applied to the actuator.

  11. Piezoelectric self sensing actuators for high voltage excitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grasso, E; Totaro, N; Janocha, H; Naso, D

    2013-01-01

    Self sensing techniques allow the use of a piezoelectric transducer simultaneously as an actuator and as a sensor. Such techniques are based on knowledge of the transducer behaviour and on measurements of electrical quantities, in particular voltage and charge. Past research work has mainly considered the linear behaviour of piezoelectric transducers, consequently restricting the operating driving voltages to low values. In this work a new self sensing technique is proposed which is able to perform self sensing reconstruction both at low and at high driving voltages. This technique, in fact, makes use of a hysteretic model to describe the nonlinear piezoelectric capacitance necessary for self sensing reconstruction. The capacitance can be measured and identified at the antiresonances of a vibrating structure with a good approximation. After providing a mathematical background to deal with the main aspects of self sensing, this technique is compared theoretically and experimentally to a typical linear one by using an aluminum plate with one bonded self sensing transducer and a positive position feedback (PPF) controller to verify the performance in self sensing based vibration control. (paper)

  12. Characteristics of Response of Piezoelectric Actuators in Electron Flux Excitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philip C. Hadinata

    2003-11-01

    Full Text Available In this paper the working parameters of non-contact strain control for piezoelectric ceramics are evaluated. The piezoelectric material functions as an actuator that transforms electrical into mechanical energy, and the electrical input is carried out by electron flux on the positive surface. The sample is exposed to some quasi-static inputs, and its responses are recorded using strain gages. The data shows faster and more stable response in the positive regime, but significantly slower response with drift in the negative regime. An electron collector is introduced on the positive surface to enhance the response in the negative regime. Theoretical analyses of energy transfer and electron movements is discussed, and a string of working conditions for controlling the surface strain of piezoelectric material are given as conclusions.

  13. Bismuth Sodium Titanate Based Materials for Piezoelectric Actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reichmann, Klaus; Feteira, Antonio; Li, Ming

    2015-12-04

    The ban of lead in many electronic products and the expectation that, sooner or later, this ban will include the currently exempt piezoelectric ceramics based on Lead-Zirconate-Titanate has motivated many research groups to look for lead-free substitutes. After a short overview on different classes of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics with large strain, this review will focus on Bismuth-Sodium-Titanate and its solid solutions. These compounds exhibit extraordinarily high strain, due to a field induced phase transition, which makes them attractive for actuator applications. The structural features of these materials and the origin of the field-induced strain will be revised. Technologies for texturing, which increases the useable strain, will be introduced. Finally, the features that are relevant for the application of these materials in a multilayer design will be summarized.

  14. Millipede-inspired locomotion through novel U-shaped piezoelectric motors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avirovik, Dragan; Butenhoff, Bryan; Priya, Shashank

    2014-01-01

    We report a novel piezoelectric motor that operates at a resonance frequency of 144 Hz, much lower than that of conventional ultrasonic motors, and meets the displacement and gait requirements for designing the locomotion mechanism of a millipede-inspired robot (millibot). The motor structure consists of two piezoelectric bimorphs arranged in a U-shaped configuration. Using the first bending mode for both the piezoelectric bimorphs an elliptical motion was obtained at the tip which led to the successful implementation of millipede inspired locomotion. At an input voltage of 70.7 V rms , the piezoelectric motor operating at resonance frequency was able to generate torque of 0.03 mN m, mechanical power of 0.84 mW and maximum velocity of 62 rad s −1 . Detailed discussion is provided about the principle of operation of the millibot. (technical note)

  15. Design and analysis of a high pressure piezoelectric actuated microvalve

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fazal, I.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

    2007-01-01

    A normally open piezoelectric actuated microvalve which modulates a gas flow is fabricated and tested. This work is based on the novel concept of combining micro-machining- and fine machining. The microvalve was tested for air flow. It is shown that a flow rate of 250 ml min-1 for a pressure

  16. Screen printed PZT/PZT thick film bimorph MEMS cantilever device for vibration energy harvesting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xu, Ruichao; Lei, Anders; Dahl-Petersen, Christian

    2012-01-01

    We present a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based PZT/PZT thick film bimorph vibration energy harvester with an integrated silicon proof mass. Most piezoelectric energy harvesting devices use a cantilever beam of a non piezoelectric material as support beneath or in-between the piezoelectric...... elements. We show experimental results from two types PZT/PZT harvesting devices, one where the Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 (PZT) thick films are high pressure treated during the fabrication and the other where the treatment is omitted. We find that with the high pressure treatment prior to PZT sintering, the films...

  17. A system identification approach to the characterization and control of a piezoelectric tube actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohammadzaheri, Morteza; Grainger, Steven; Bazghaleh, Mohsen

    2013-01-01

    This paper addresses the sensorless control of piezoelectric tube actuators to avoid the expense and practical limits of displacement sensors in nanopositioning applications. Three electrical signals have traditionally been used to estimate displacement: the piezoelectric voltage, the voltage induced in sensing electrodes and the voltage across a sensing resistor. In this work, the piezoelectric voltage was employed to estimate displacement; the use of this signal does not necessitate drift removal like the sensing voltage, and its superiority over the induced voltage is shown in this paper. The piezoelectric voltage is the actuating signal, so a feedforward architecture based on an inverse model is used for sensorless control. Inspired by internal model control (IMC), a filter together with the inverted model of the system, derived using system identification techniques, was used as the feedforward controller. The fixed-slope-input effect is illustrated as a prominent source of control error in tracking triangular references, then an additional nonlinear control command is proposed to address this effect and improve the control performance. (paper)

  18. Piezoelectric Multilayer-Stacked Hybrid Actuation/Transduction System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tian-Bing (Inventor); Jiang, Xiaoning (Inventor); Su, Ji (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    A novel full piezoelectric multilayer stacked hybrid actuation/transduction system. The system demonstrates significantly-enhanced electromechanical performance by utilizing the cooperative contributions of the electromechanical responses of multilayer stacked negative and positive strain components. Both experimental and theoretical studies indicate that for this system, the displacement is over three times that of a same-sized conventional flextensional actuator/transducer. The system consists of at least 2 layers which include electromechanically active components. The layers are arranged such that when electric power is applied, one layer contracts in a transverse direction while the second layer expands in a transverse direction which is perpendicular to the transverse direction of the first layer. An alternate embodiment includes a third layer. In this embodiment, the outer two layers contract in parallel transverse directions while the middle layer expands in a transverse direction which is perpendicular to the transverse direction of the outer layers.

  19. Hydrodynamic thrust generation and power consumption investigations for piezoelectric fins with different aspect ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahab, S.; Tan, D.; Erturk, A.

    2015-12-01

    Bio-inspired hydrodynamic thrust generation using piezoelectric transduction has recently been explored using Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) actuators. The MFC technology strikes a balance between the actuation force and structural deformation levels for effective swimming performance, and additionally offers geometric scalability, silent operation, and ease of fabrication. Recently we have shown that mean thrust levels comparable to biological fish of similar size can be achieved using MFC fins. The present work investigates the effect of length-to-width (L/b) aspect ratio on the hydrodynamic thrust generation performance of MFC cantilever fins by accounting for the power consumption level. It is known that the hydrodynamic inertia and drag coefficients are controlled by the aspect ratio especially for L/bdrag coefficients from the vibration response to harmonic actuation for the first bending mode. Experiments are then conducted for various actuation voltage levels to quantify the mean thrust resultant and power consumption levels for different aspect ratios. Variation of the thrust coefficient of the MFC bimorph fins with changing aspect ratio is also semi-empirically modeled and presented.

  20. Electrical Properties and Power Considerations of a Piezoelectric Actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jordan, T.; Ounaies, Z.; Tripp, J.; Tcheng, P.

    1999-01-01

    This paper assesses the electrical characteristics of piezoelectric wafers for use in aeronautical applications such as active noise control in aircraft. Determination of capacitive behavior and power consumption is necessary to optimize the system configuration and to design efficient driving electronics. Empirical relations are developed from experimental data to predict the capacitance and loss tangent of a PZT5A ceramic as nonlinear functions of both applied peak voltage and driving frequency. Power consumed by the PZT is the rate of energy required to excite the piezoelectric system along with power dissipated due to dielectric loss and mechanical and structural damping. Overall power consumption is thus quantified as a function of peak applied voltage and driving frequency. It was demonstrated that by incorporating the variation of capacitance and power loss with voltage and frequency, satisfactory estimates of power requirements can be obtained. These relations allow general guidelines in selection and application of piezoelectric actuators and driving electronics for active control applications.

  1. A new amplifier for improving piezoelectric actuator linearity based on current switching in precision positioning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ru, Changhai; Chen, Liguo; Shao, Bing; Rong, Weibin; Sun, Lining

    2008-01-01

    Piezoelectric actuators have traditionally been driven by voltage amplifiers. When driven at large voltages these actuators exhibit a significant amount of distortion, known as hysteresis, which may reduce the stability robustness of the system in feedback control applications. Piezoelectric transducers are known to exhibit less hysteresis when driven with current or charge rather than voltage. Despite this advantage, such methods have found little practical application due to the poor low frequency response of present current and charge driver designs. In this paper, a new piezoelectric amplifier based on current switching is presented which can reduce hysteresis. Special circuits and a hybrid control algorithm realize quick and precise positioning. Experimental results demonstrate that the amplifier can be used for dynamic and static applications and low frequency bandwidths can also be achieved

  2. Active Vibration Control Method for Space Truss Using Piezoelectric Actuators and Finite Elements

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Pantling, Carey

    1999-01-01

    .... With the use of a dSPACE data acquisition and processing system, quartz force transducer and piezoelectric actuator, active controls using an integral plus double integral control law were used...

  3. Large displacement haptic stimulus actuator using piezoelectric pump for wearable devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kodama, Taisuke; Izumi, Shintaro; Masaki, Kana; Kawaguchi, Hiroshi; Maenaka, Kazusuke; Yoshimoto, Masahiko

    2015-08-01

    Recently, given Japan's aging society background, wearable healthcare devices have increasingly attracted attention. Many devices have been developed, but most devices have only a sensing function. To expand the application area of wearable healthcare devices, an interactive communication function with the human body is required using an actuator. For example, a device must be useful for medication assistance, predictive alerts of a disease such as arrhythmia, and exercise. In this work, a haptic stimulus actuator using a piezoelectric pump is proposed to realize a large displacement in wearable devices. The proposed actuator drives tactile sensation of the human body. The measurement results obtained using a sensory examination demonstrate that the proposed actuator can generate sufficient stimuli even if adhered to the chest, which has fewer tactile receptors than either the fingertip or wrist.

  4. Performance of direct-driven flapping-wing actuator with piezoelectric single-crystal PIN-PMN-PT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozaki, Takashi; Hamaguchi, Kanae

    2018-02-01

    We present a prototype flapping-wing actuator with a direct-driven mechanism to generate lift in micro- and nano-aerial vehicles. This mechanism has an advantage of simplicity because it has no transmission system between the actuator and wing. We fabricated the piezoelectric unimorph actuator from single-crystal PIN-PMN-PT, which achieved a lift force up to 1.45 mN, a value about 1.9 times larger than the mass of the actuator itself. This is the first reported demonstration of an insect-scale actuator with a direct-driven mechanism that can generate a lift force greater than its own weight.

  5. Scaling of piezoelectric actuators: a comparison with traditional and other new technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pons, J. L.

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Miniaturization is not a logical trend in actuator systems. Unlike actuators, sensors intrinsically perform more efficiently upon miniaturization. This is a logical consequence of the exchange of energy in the transduction process when applying sensors: measurement ideally should not influence the system being measured, thus the minimum exchange of energy is necessary and this intrinsically leads to miniaturization. In actuators, a transduction process is likewise established but the aim is to impose a mechanical state on a system. It is of particular interest not having this state influenced by perturbations, thus there are strong requirements on power delivered by the actuator. In view of current trends towards miniaturization, it is worth inquiring how the performance of piezoelectric actuators is affected by reducing their size. We are not concerned here with the domain of micro-actuators, i.e. actuators with sizes in the micrometer range. The analysis in this paper focuses on studying how four useful parameters for describing the performance of actuators are influenced by miniaturization: resonance frequency, force density, response time (bandwidth, stroke and energy density per cycle. In so doing, the analysis is restricted to non resonant piezoelectric actuators, i.e. stack, multimorph and inchworm actuators, but reference to other piezoelectric, emerging and traditional actuators is included for comparison.

    La miniaturización de los dispositivos actuadores no es una tendenca lógica de su naturaleza de operación. Al contrario que los actuadores, los sensores si presentan esta tendencia a la miniaturización fundamentada en la naturaleza de su operación: dado que en el proceso de medida el intercambio energético debe ser mínimo para no afectar el proceso de medida, cuanto menor sea el sensor menor será también su efecto sobre la medición. En el caso de los actuadores el objetivo es el opuesto, se pretende imponer el estado

  6. Acoustic emission characteristics during bending fracture process of piezoelectric composite actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woo, Sung Choong; Goo, Nam Seo

    2006-01-01

    The objective of this study is to investigate the damage mechanisms in a thin monolithic PZT wafer and an asymmetrically laminated piezoelectric composite actuator (PCA) under bending loading by the acoustic emission (AE) technique. Fracture surface examinations were conducted using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an optical microscope. Using the fabricated PCAs, correlations were established between the observed damage growth mechanisms and the AE results in terms of the AE amplitude and dominant frequency band which was processed by fast Fourier transform (FFT). These correlations can be used to monitor the damage evolution in the plate-type piezoelectric composite actuators exhibiting multiple modes of damage. Results from this study revealed that the AE technique is a powerful and effective tool for identifying damage mechanisms such as brittle fracture in the PZT, matrix cracking, fiber-matrix debonding, fiber breakage and delamination between the PZT layer and fiber composite layer in the asymmetrically laminated PCAs.

  7. Graphene-based bimorphs for micron-sized, autonomous origami machines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miskin, Marc Z; Dorsey, Kyle J; Bircan, Baris; Han, Yimo; Muller, David A; McEuen, Paul L; Cohen, Itai

    2018-01-16

    Origami-inspired fabrication presents an attractive platform for miniaturizing machines: thinner layers of folding material lead to smaller devices, provided that key functional aspects, such as conductivity, stiffness, and flexibility, are persevered. Here, we show origami fabrication at its ultimate limit by using 2D atomic membranes as a folding material. As a prototype, we bond graphene sheets to nanometer-thick layers of glass to make ultrathin bimorph actuators that bend to micrometer radii of curvature in response to small strain differentials. These strains are two orders of magnitude lower than the fracture threshold for the device, thus maintaining conductivity across the structure. By patterning 2-[Formula: see text]m-thick rigid panels on top of bimorphs, we localize bending to the unpatterned regions to produce folds. Although the graphene bimorphs are only nanometers thick, they can lift these panels, the weight equivalent of a 500-nm-thick silicon chip. Using panels and bimorphs, we can scale down existing origami patterns to produce a wide range of machines. These machines change shape in fractions of a second when crossing a tunable pH threshold, showing that they sense their environments, respond, and perform useful functions on time and length scales comparable with microscale biological organisms. With the incorporation of electronic, photonic, and chemical payloads, these basic elements will become a powerful platform for robotics at the micrometer scale.

  8. Active control law design for flutter suppression and gust alleviation of a panel with piezoelectric actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad Fazelzadeh, S; Mohammad Jafari, S

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents an active optimal integral/feedforward control for a supersonic panel under gust disturbance effects with piezoelectric actuators. Classical laminate theory with induced strain actuation and a generalized form of Hamilton's principle are used to formulate the governing equations of motion. The total charge developed on the sensor layer is calculated from the direct piezoelectric equation. The piezoelectric sensor distributed output is also integrated, since the output voltage is dependent on the integrated strain rates over the sensor area. Aerodynamic modeling is accomplished by first-order piston theory with gust velocity effects. The model reduction is performed to the state space system of equations for the control design and the time domain simulation. Moreover, the disturbance dynamics are modeled through the addition to the equations of motion for various conditions. The optimal control problem is set up to minimize the panel deflection using a linear quadratic regulator (LQR). Using an integral control model as a part of the feedback loop, together with a feedforward of the disturbances, greatly enhances the transient response, and the steady state error characteristics of this system are observed. Also, parametric studies for three piezoelectric actuator configurations are demonstrated. Simulation results show that the controller model is effective for flutter suppression and gust alleviation for various piezo configurations

  9. Quantitative Modeling of Coupled Piezo-Elastodynamic Behavior of Piezoelectric Actuators Bonded to an Elastic Medium for Structural Health Monitoring: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guoliang Huang

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Elastic waves, especially guided waves, generated by a piezoelectric actuator/sensor network, have shown great potential for on-line health monitoring of advanced aerospace, nuclear, and automotive structures in recent decades. Piezoelectric materials can function as both actuators and sensors in these applications due to wide bandwidth, quick response and low costs. One of the most fundamental issues surrounding the effective use of piezoelectric actuators is the quantitative evaluation of the resulting elastic wave propagation by considering the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior between the actuator and the host medium. Accurate characterization of the local interfacial stress distribution between the actuator and the host medium is the key issue for the problem. This paper presents a review of the development of analytical, numerical and hybrid approaches for modeling of the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior. The resulting elastic wave propagation for structural health monitoring is also summarized.

  10. Quantitative Modeling of Coupled Piezo-Elastodynamic Behavior of Piezoelectric Actuators Bonded to an Elastic Medium for Structural Health Monitoring: A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Guoliang; Song, Fei; Wang, Xiaodong

    2010-01-01

    Elastic waves, especially guided waves, generated by a piezoelectric actuator/sensor network, have shown great potential for on-line health monitoring of advanced aerospace, nuclear, and automotive structures in recent decades. Piezoelectric materials can function as both actuators and sensors in these applications due to wide bandwidth, quick response and low costs. One of the most fundamental issues surrounding the effective use of piezoelectric actuators is the quantitative evaluation of the resulting elastic wave propagation by considering the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior between the actuator and the host medium. Accurate characterization of the local interfacial stress distribution between the actuator and the host medium is the key issue for the problem. This paper presents a review of the development of analytical, numerical and hybrid approaches for modeling of the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior. The resulting elastic wave propagation for structural health monitoring is also summarized. PMID:22319319

  11. Dog-Bone Horns for Piezoelectric Ultrasonic/Sonic Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Chang, Zensheu; Bao, Xiaoqi

    2007-01-01

    A shape reminiscent of a dog bone has been found to be superior to other shapes for mechanical-amplification horns that are components of piezoelectrically driven actuators used in a series of related devices denoted generally as ultrasonic/sonic drill/corers (USDCs). The first of these devices was reported in Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corers With Integrated Sensors (NPO-20856), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 25, No. 1 (January 2001), page 38. The dog-bone shape was conceived especially for use in a more recent device in the series, denoted an ultrasonic/ sonic gopher, that was described in Ultrasonic/Sonic Mechanisms for Drilling and Coring (NPO-30291), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 27, No. 9 (September 2003), page 65. The figure shows an example of a dog-bone-shaped horn and other components of an ultrasonic gopher. Prerequisite to a meaningful description of this development is an unavoidably lengthy recapitulation of the principle of operation of a USDC and, more specifically, of the ultrasonic/sonic gopher as described previously in NASA Tech Briefs. The ultrasonic actuator includes a stack of piezoelectric rings, the horn, a metal backing, and a bolt that connects the aforementioned parts and provides compressive pre-strain to the piezoelectric stack to prevent breakage of the rings during extension. The stack of piezoelectric rings is excited at the resonance frequency of the overall ultrasonic actuator. Through mechanical amplification by the horn, the displacement in the ultrasonic vibration reaches tens of microns at the tip of the horn. The horn hammers an object that is denoted the free mass because it is free to move longitudinally over a limited distance between hard stops: The free mass bounces back and forth between the ultrasonic horn and a tool bit (a drill bit or a corer). Because the longitudinal speed of the free mass is smaller than the longitudinal speed of vibration of the tip of the horn, contact between the free mass and the horn tip usually occurs at a

  12. Feedforward Control of Gear Mesh Vibration Using Piezoelectric Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gerald T. Montague

    1994-01-01

    Full Text Available This article presents a novel means for suppressing gear mesh related vibrations. The key components in this approach are piezoelectric actuators and a high-frequency, analog feed forward controller. Test results are presented and show up to a 70% reduction in gear mesh acceleration and vibration control up to 4500 Hz. The principle of the approach is explained by an analysis of a harmonically excited, general linear vibratory system.

  13. Modal analysis of beam with piezoelectric sensors a actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zemčík R.

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available One dimensional finite element is developed for the analysis of structures with applied piezoelectric sensors and actuators, i.e. smart structures, mechanical behavior of which can be controlled in real-time. The element is based on Euler-Bernoulli theory and it assumes bilinear distribution of electric field potential. Mathematical model was implemented in MATLAB environment. Sensitivity analysis is carried out for the case of modal analysis with and without piezo patches.

  14. Soft pneumatic actuator skin with piezoelectric sensors for vibrotactile feedback

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harshal Arun Sonar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The latest wearable technologies demand more intuitive and sophisticated interfaces for communication, sensing, and feedback closer to the body. Evidently, such interfaces require flexibility and conformity without losing their functionality even on rigid surfaces. Although there has been various research efforts in creating tactile feedback to improve various haptic interfaces and master-slave manipulators, we are yet to see a comprehensive device that can both supply vibratory actuation and tactile sensing. This paper describes a soft pneumatic actuator (SPA based, SPA-skin prototype that allows bidirectional tactile information transfer to facilitate simpler and responsive wearable interface. We describe the design and fabrication of a 1.4 mm-thick vibratory SPA - skin that is integrated with piezoelectric sensors. We examine in detail the mechanical performance compared to the SPA model and the sensitivity of the sensors for the application in vibrotactile feedback. Experimental findings show that this ultra-thin SPA and the unique integration process of the discrete lead zirconate titanate (PZT based piezoelectric sensors achieve high resolution of soft contact sensing as well as accurate control on vibrotactile feedback by closing the control loop.

  15. Investigation of static and dynamic behavior of functionally graded piezoelectric actuated Poly-Si micro cantilever probe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pandey, Vibhuti Bhushan; Parashar, Sandeep Kumar, E-mail: skparashar@rtu.ac.in [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rajasthan Technical University, Kota (India)

    2016-04-13

    In the present paper a novel functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) actuated Poly-Si micro cantilever probe is proposed for atomic force microscope. The shear piezoelectric coefficient d{sub 15} has much higher value than coupling coefficients d{sub 31} and d{sub 33}, hence in the present work the micro cantilever beam actuated by d{sub 15} effect is utilized. The material properties are graded in the thickness direction of actuator by a simple power law. A three dimensional finite element analysis has been performed using COMSOL Multiphysics® (version 4.2) software. Tip deflection and free vibration analysis for the micro cantilever probe has been done. The results presented in the paper shall be useful in the design of micro cantilever probe and their subsequent utilization in atomic force microscopes.

  16. Spacecraft Jitter Attenuation Using Embedded Piezoelectric Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belvin, W. Keith

    1995-01-01

    Remote sensing from spacecraft requires precise pointing of measurement devices in order to achieve adequate spatial resolution. Unfortunately, various spacecraft disturbances induce vibrational jitter in the remote sensing instruments. The NASA Langley Research Center has performed analysis, simulations, and ground tests to identify the more promising technologies for minimizing spacecraft pointing jitter. These studies have shown that the use of smart materials to reduce spacecraft jitter is an excellent match between a maturing technology and an operational need. This paper describes the use of embedding piezoelectric actuators for vibration control and payload isolation. In addition, recent advances in modeling, simulation, and testing of spacecraft pointing jitter are discussed.

  17. A rotary piezoelectric actuator using longitudinal and bending hybrid transducer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yingxiang Liu

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available A rotary piezoelectric actuator using bolt-clamped type transducer with double driving feet is proposed in this study. The first-order longitudinal and fourth-order bending vibration modes are superimposed in the actuator to produce elliptical movements on the driving tips. Longitudinal PZT and bending PZT are clamped between the exponential shape horns and the flange by bolts. The vibration shape changes of the actuator are presented to give a clear explanation of its working principle. Several structural parameters of the exponential shape horn are selected and adjusted to accomplish the tuning process of the longitudinal and bending resonance frequencies. The input impedance and vibration characteristics are calculated by using FEM method; the gained results verify the feasibility of the proposed actuator. After the fabrication of a prototype, its vibration characteristics are measured by using a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer; the tested results are in good agreement with the FEM calculated results. The mechanical output performance experiments state that the prototype achieves a maximum speed of 129 r/min and a maximum torque of 1.5 Nm.

  18. Q-factor enhancement for self-actuated self-sensing piezoelectric MEMS resonators applying a lock-in driven feedback loop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kucera, M; Bittner, A; Schmid, U; Manzaneque, T; Sánchez-Rojas, J L

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a robust Q-control approach based on an all-electrical feedback loop enhancing the quality factor of a resonant microstructure by using the self-sensing capability of a piezoelectric thin film actuator made of aluminium nitride. A lock-in amplifier is used to extract the feedback signal which is proportional to the piezoelectric current. The measured real part is used to replace the originally low-quality and noisy feedback signal to modulate the driving voltage of the piezoelectric thin-film actuator. Since the lock-in amplifier reduces the noise in the feedback signal substantially, the proposed enhancement loop avoids the disadvantage of a constant signal-to-noise ratio, which an analogue feedback circuit usually suffers from. The quality factor was increased from the intrinsic value of 1766 to a maximum of 34 840 in air. These promising results facilitate precise measurements for self-actuated and self-sensing MEMS cantilevers even when operated in static viscous media. (paper)

  19. A two-dimensional micro scanner integrated with a piezoelectric actuator and piezoresistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Chi; Zhang, Gaofei; You, Zheng

    2009-01-01

    A compact two-dimensional micro scanner with small volume, large deflection angles and high frequency is presented and the two-dimensional laser scanning is achieved by specular reflection. To achieve large deflection angles, the micro scanner excited by a piezoelectric actuator operates in the resonance mode. The scanning frequencies and the maximum scanning angles of the two degrees of freedom are analyzed by modeling and simulation of the structure. For the deflection angle measurement, piezoresistors are integrated in the micro scanner. The appropriate directions and crystal orientations of the piezoresistors are designed to obtain the large piezoresistive coefficients for the high sensitivities. Wheatstone bridges are used to measure the deflection angles of each direction independently and precisely. The scanner is fabricated and packaged with the piezoelectric actuator and the piezoresistors detection circuits in a size of 28 mm×20 mm×18 mm. The experiment shows that the two scanning frequencies are 216.8 Hz and 464.8 Hz, respectively. By an actuation displacement of 10 μm, the scanning range of the two-dimensional micro scanner is above 26° × 23°. The deflection angle measurement sensitivities for two directions are 59 mV/deg and 30 mV/deg, respectively.

  20. Active control of sound transmission through a rectangular panel using point-force actuators and piezoelectric film sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanada, Akira; Higashiyama, Kouji; Tanaka, Nobuo

    2015-01-01

    This study deals with the active control of sound transmission through a rectangular panel, based on single input, single output feedforward vibration control using point-force actuators and piezoelectric film sensors. It focuses on the phenomenon in which the sound power transmitted through a finite-sized panel drops significantly at some frequencies just below the resonance frequencies of the panel in the low-frequency range as a result of modal coupling cancellation. In a previous study, it was shown that when point-force actuators are located on nodal lines for the frequency at which this phenomenon occurs, a force equivalent to the incident sound wave can act on the panel. In this study, a practical method for sensing volume velocity using a small number of piezoelectric film strips is investigated. It is found that two quadratically shaped piezoelectric film strips, attached at the same nodal lines as those where the actuators were placed, can sense the volume velocity approximately in the low-frequency range. Results of simulations show that combining the proposed actuation method and the sensing method can achieve a practical control effect at low frequencies over a wide frequency range. Finally, experiments are carried out to demonstrate the validity and feasibility of the proposed method.

  1. Modeling and analysis of a biomorph piezoelectric energy harvester for railway bridge monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jingcheng; Jang, Shinae; Tang, Jiong

    2012-04-01

    Wireless sensor network is one of prospective methods for railway bridge health monitoring. It has drawn much attention due to the long-term operation and low-maintenance performances. However, how to provide power to wireless sensors is a big issue. In railway health monitoring, the idea of converting ambient vibration energy from the vibration of railway track induced by passing train to electric energy has made it an efficient way for powering the wireless sensor networks. In this paper, a bimorph piezoelectric energy harvester from base excitation was investigated in the laboratory, and the energy output of the bimorph energy harvester was predicted by an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) model. Reasonable results have been found between the tested and predicted data. Based on the theoretical model, further works on optimization of the bimorph piezoelectric energy harvester will be performed in future.

  2. Design and manufacturing rules for maximizing the performance of polycrystalline piezoelectric bending actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jafferis, Noah T; Smith, Michael J; Wood, Robert J

    2015-01-01

    Increasing the energy and power density of piezoelectric actuators is very important for any weight-sensitive application, and is especially crucial for enabling autonomy in micro/milli-scale robots and devices utilizing this technology. This is achieved by maximizing the mechanical flexural strength and electrical dielectric strength through the use of laser-induced melting or polishing, insulating edge coating, and crack-arresting features, combined with features for rigid ground attachments to maximize force output. Manufacturing techniques have also been developed to enable mass customization, in which sheets of material are pre-stacked to form a laminate from which nearly arbitrary planar actuator designs can be fabricated using only laser cutting. These techniques have led to a 70% increase in energy density and an increase in mean lifetime of at least 15× compared to prior manufacturing methods. In addition, measurements have revealed a doubling of the piezoelectric coefficient when operating at the high fields necessary to achieve maximal energy densities, along with an increase in the Young’s modulus at the high compressive strains encountered—these two effects help to explain the higher performance of our actuators as compared to that predicted by linear models. (paper)

  3. Multifield analysis of a piezoelectric valveless micropump: effects of actuation frequency and electric potential

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sayar, Ersin; Farouk, Bakhtier

    2012-01-01

    Coupled multifield analysis of a piezoelectrically actuated valveless micropump device is carried out for liquid (water) transport applications. The valveless micropump consists of two diffuser/nozzle elements; the pump chamber, a thin structural layer (silicon), and a piezoelectric layer, PZT-5A as the actuator. We consider two-way coupling of forces between solid and liquid domains in the systems where actuator deflection causes fluid flow and vice versa. Flow contraction and expansion (through the nozzle and the diffuser respectively) generate net fluid flow. Both structural and flow field analysis of the microfluidic device are considered. The effect of the driving power (voltage) and actuation frequency on silicon-PZT-5A bi-layer membrane deflection and flow rate is investigated. For the compressible flow formulation, an isothermal equation of state for the working fluid is employed. The governing equations for the flow fields and the silicon-PZT-5A bi-layer membrane motions are solved numerically. At frequencies below 5000 Hz, the predicted flow rate increases with actuation frequency. The fluid–solid system shows a resonance at 5000 Hz due to the combined effect of mechanical and fluidic capacitances, inductances, and damping. Time-averaged flow rate starts to drop with increase of actuation frequency above (5000 Hz). The velocity profile in the pump chamber becomes relatively flat or plug-like, if the frequency of pulsations is sufficiently large (high Womersley number). The pressure, velocity, and flow rate prediction models developed in the present study can be utilized to optimize the design of MEMS based micropumps. (paper)

  4. Multifield analysis of a piezoelectric valveless micropump: effects of actuation frequency and electric potential

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sayar, Ersin; Farouk, Bakhtier

    2012-07-01

    Coupled multifield analysis of a piezoelectrically actuated valveless micropump device is carried out for liquid (water) transport applications. The valveless micropump consists of two diffuser/nozzle elements; the pump chamber, a thin structural layer (silicon), and a piezoelectric layer, PZT-5A as the actuator. We consider two-way coupling of forces between solid and liquid domains in the systems where actuator deflection causes fluid flow and vice versa. Flow contraction and expansion (through the nozzle and the diffuser respectively) generate net fluid flow. Both structural and flow field analysis of the microfluidic device are considered. The effect of the driving power (voltage) and actuation frequency on silicon-PZT-5A bi-layer membrane deflection and flow rate is investigated. For the compressible flow formulation, an isothermal equation of state for the working fluid is employed. The governing equations for the flow fields and the silicon-PZT-5A bi-layer membrane motions are solved numerically. At frequencies below 5000 Hz, the predicted flow rate increases with actuation frequency. The fluid-solid system shows a resonance at 5000 Hz due to the combined effect of mechanical and fluidic capacitances, inductances, and damping. Time-averaged flow rate starts to drop with increase of actuation frequency above (5000 Hz). The velocity profile in the pump chamber becomes relatively flat or plug-like, if the frequency of pulsations is sufficiently large (high Womersley number). The pressure, velocity, and flow rate prediction models developed in the present study can be utilized to optimize the design of MEMS based micropumps.

  5. Vertical comb drive actuator for the measurement of piezoelectric coefficients in small-scale systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wooldridge, J; Muniz-Piniella, A; Stewart, M; Shean, T A V; Weaver, P M; Cain, M G

    2013-01-01

    A micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) vertical levitation comb drive actuator has been created for the measurement of piezoelectric coefficients in thin/thick films or piezoelectrically active micro-scale components of other MEMS devices. The device exerts a dynamic force of 33 μN at an applied voltage of 100 V. The charge developed on the piezoelectric test device is measured using a charge sensitive pre-amplifier and lock-in technique, enabling measurements down to 1×10 −5 pC. The system was tested with ten different piezoelectric samples with coefficients in the range 70–1375 pC N −1 and showed a good correlation (r = 0.9997) to measurements performed with macroscopic applied stresses, and piezoelectric impedance resonance techniques. The measurement of the direct piezoelectric effect in micro- and nano-scale piezo-materials has been made possible using MEMS processing technology. This new application of a MEMS metrology device has been developed and fully characterized in order to accurately evaluate the functional properties of piezoelectric materials at the scale required in micro- to nano-scale applications. (paper)

  6. Soft Sensors and Actuators based on Nanomaterials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Shanshan

    The focus of this research is using novel bottom-up synthesized nanomaterials and structures to build up devices for wearable sensors and soft actuators. The applications of the wearable sensors towards motion detection and health monitoring are investigated. In addition, flexible heaters for bimorph actuators and stretchable patches made of microgel depots containing drug-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) for stretch-triggered wearable drug delivery are studied. Considerable efforts have been made to achieve highly sensitive and wearable sensors that can simultaneously detect multiple stimuli such as stretch, pressure, temperature or touch. Highly stretchable multifunctional sensors that can detect strain (up to 50%), pressure (up to 1 MPa) and finger touch with good sensitivity, fast response time ( 40 ms) and good pressure mapping function were developed. The sensors were demonstrated for several wearable applications including monitoring thumb movements and knee motions, illustrating the potential utilities of such sensors in robotic systems, prosthetics, healthcare and flexible touch panels. In addition to mechanical sensors, a wearable skin hydration sensor made of silver nanowires (AgNWs) in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix was demonstrated based on skin impedance measurement. The hydration sensors were packaged into a flexible wristband for skin hydration monitoring and a chest patch consisting of a strain sensor, three electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes and a skin hydration sensor for multimodal sensing. The wearable wristband and chest patch may be used for low-cost, wireless and continuous sensing of skin hydration and other health parameters. Two representative applications of the nanomaterials for soft actuators were investigated. In the first application on bimorph actuation, low-voltage and extremely flexible electrothermal bimorph actuators were fabricated in a simple, efficient and scalable process. The bimorph actuators were made of flexible Ag

  7. Strain-tuning of the optical properties of semiconductor nanomaterials by integration onto piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martín-Sánchez, Javier; Trotta, Rinaldo; Mariscal, Antonio; Serna, Rosalía; Piredda, Giovanni; Stroj, Sandra; Edlinger, Johannes; Schimpf, Christian; Aberl, Johannes; Lettner, Thomas; Wildmann, Johannes; Huang, Huiying; Yuan, Xueyong; Ziss, Dorian; Stangl, Julian; Rastelli, Armando

    2018-01-01

    The tailoring of the physical properties of semiconductor nanomaterials by strain has been gaining increasing attention over the last years for a wide range of applications such as electronics, optoelectronics and photonics. The ability to introduce deliberate strain fields with controlled magnitude and in a reversible manner is essential for fundamental studies of novel materials and may lead to the realization of advanced multi-functional devices. A prominent approach consists in the integration of active nanomaterials, in thin epitaxial films or embedded within carrier nanomembranes, onto Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3-based piezoelectric actuators, which convert electrical signals into mechanical deformation (strain). In this review, we mainly focus on recent advances in strain-tunable properties of self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in semiconductor nanomembranes and photonic structures. Additionally, recent works on other nanomaterials like rare-earth and metal-ion doped thin films, graphene and MoS2 or WSe2 semiconductor two-dimensional materials are also reviewed. For the sake of completeness, a comprehensive comparison between different procedures employed throughout the literature to fabricate such hybrid piezoelectric-semiconductor devices is presented. It is shown that unprocessed piezoelectric substrates (monolithic actuators) allow to obtain a certain degree of control over the nanomaterials’ emission properties such as their emission energy, fine-structure-splitting in self-assembled InAs QDs and semiconductor 2D materials, upconversion phenomena in BaTiO3 thin films or piezotronic effects in ZnS:Mn films and InAs QDs. Very recently, a novel class of micro-machined piezoelectric actuators have been demonstrated for a full control of in-plane stress fields in nanomembranes, which enables producing energy-tunable sources of polarization-entangled photons in arbitrary QDs. Future research directions and prospects are discussed.

  8. Step by step control of a deep drawing process with piezo-electric actuators in serial operation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bäume Tobias

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to the design-driven increase in complexity of forming car body parts, it becomes more difficult to ensure a stable forming process. Piezoelectric actuators can influence the material flow of stamping parts effectively. In this article the implementation of piezoelectric actuators in a large scale sheet metal forming tool of a car manufacturer is described. Additionally, it is shown that part quality can be assessed with the help of triangulation laser sensors, which are mounted on the blankholder. The resulting flange draw-in signals were used to reduce the occurrence of wrinkling or the rate of cracking. It was shown that process control improved the quality of the stamping parts significantly.

  9. Piezoelectric Structures and Low Power Generation Devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irinela CHILIBON

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available A short overview of different piezoelectric structures and devices for generating renewable electricity under mechanical actions is presented. A vibrating piezoelectric device differs from a typical electrical power source in that it has capacitive rather than inductive source impedance, and may be driven by mechanical vibrations of varying amplitude. Several techniques have been developed to extract energy from the environment. Generally, “vibration energy” could be converted into electrical energy by three techniques: electrostatic charge, magnetic fields and piezoelectric. Mechanical resonance frequency of piezoelectric bimorph transducers depends on geometric size (length, width, and thickness of each layer, and the piezoelectric coefficients of the piezoelectric material. Manufacturing processes and intended applications of several energy harvesting devices are presented.

  10. A Two-Dimensional Micro Scanner Integrated with a Piezoelectric Actuator and Piezoresistors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zheng You

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available A compact two-dimensional micro scanner with small volume, large deflection angles and high frequency is presented and the two-dimensional laser scanning is achieved by specular reflection. To achieve large deflection angles, the micro scanner excited by a piezoelectric actuator operates in the resonance mode. The scanning frequencies and the maximum scanning angles of the two degrees of freedom are analyzed by modeling and simulation of the structure. For the deflection angle measurement, piezoresistors are integrated in the micro scanner. The appropriate directions and crystal orientations of the piezoresistors are designed to obtain the large piezoresistive coefficients for the high sensitivities. Wheatstone bridges are used to measure the deflection angles of each direction independently and precisely. The scanner is fabricated and packaged with the piezoelectric actuator and the piezoresistors detection circuits in a size of 28 mm×20 mm×18 mm. The experiment shows that the two scanning frequencies are 216.8 Hz and 464.8 Hz, respectively. By an actuation displacement of 10 μm, the scanning range of the two-dimensional micro scanner is above 26º × 23º. The deflection angle measurement sensitivities for two directions are 59 mV/deg and 30 mV/deg, respectively.

  11. The optimal location of piezoelectric actuators and sensors for vibration control of plates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, K. Ramesh; Narayanan, S.

    2007-12-01

    This paper considers the optimal placement of collocated piezoelectric actuator-sensor pairs on a thin plate using a model-based linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller. LQR performance is taken as objective for finding the optimal location of sensor-actuator pairs. The problem is formulated using the finite element method (FEM) as multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) model control. The discrete optimal sensor and actuator location problem is formulated in the framework of a zero-one optimization problem. A genetic algorithm (GA) is used to solve the zero-one optimization problem. Different classical control strategies like direct proportional feedback, constant-gain negative velocity feedback and the LQR optimal control scheme are applied to study the control effectiveness.

  12. Development of a bi-directional standing wave linear piezoelectric actuator with four driving feet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yingxiang; Shi, Shengjun; Li, Chunhong; Chen, Weishan; Wang, Liang; Liu, Junkao

    2018-03-01

    A bi-directional standing wave linear piezoelectric ultrasonic actuator with four driving feet is proposed in this work. Two sandwich type transducers operated in longitudinal-bending hybrid modes are set parallelly. The working mode of the transducer is not simple hybrid vibrations of a longitudinal one and a bending one, but a special coupling vibration mode contained both longitudinal and bending components. Two transducers with the same structure and unsymmetrical boundary conditions are set parallelly to accomplish the bi-directional driving: the first transducer can push the runner forward, while the other one produces the backward driving. In the experiments, two voltages with different amplitudes are applied on the two transducers, respectively: the one with higher voltage serves as the actuator, whereas the other one applied with lower voltage is used to reduce the frictional force. The prototype achieves maximum no-load speed and thrust force of 244 mm/s and 9.8 N. This work gives a new idea for the construction of standing wave piezoelectric ultrasonic actuator with bi-directional driving ability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Miniature Piezoelectric Macro-Mass Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Trebi-Ollennu, Ashitey; Bonitz, Robert G.; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

    2010-01-01

    Mass balances usually use a strain gauge that requires an impedance measurement and is susceptible to noise and thermal drift. A piezoelectric balance can be used to measure mass directly by monitoring the voltage developed across the piezoelectric balance, which is linear with weight or it can be used in resonance to produce a frequency change proportional to the mass change (see figure). The piezoelectric actuator/balance is swept in frequency through its fundamental resonance. If a small mass is added to the balance, the resonance frequency shifts down in proportion to the mass. By monitoring the frequency shift, the mass can be determined. This design allows for two independent measurements of mass. Additionally, more than one sample can be verified because this invention allows for each sample to be transported away from the measuring device upon completion of the measurement, if required. A piezoelectric actuator, or many piezoelectric actuators, was placed between the collection plate of the sampling system and the support structure. As the sample mass is added to the plate, the piezoelectrics are stressed, causing them to produce a voltage that is proportional to the mass and acceleration. In addition, a change in mass delta m produces a change in the resonance frequency with delta f proportional to delta m. In a microgravity environment, the spacecraft could be accelerated to produce a force on the piezoelectric actuator that would produce a voltage proportional to the mass and acceleration. Alternatively, the acceleration could be used to force the mass on the plate, and the inertial effects of the mass on the plate would produce a shift in the resonance frequency with the change in frequency related to the mass change. Three prototypes of the mass balance mechanism were developed. These macro-mass balances each consist of a solid base and an APA 60 Cedrat flextensional piezoelectric actuator supporting a measuring plate. A similar structure with 3 APA

  14. Teleoperation System with Hybrid Pneumatic-Piezoelectric Actuation for MRI-Guided Needle Insertion with Haptic Feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Weijian; Su, Hao; Li, Gang; Fischer, Gregory S

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a surgical master-slave tele-operation system for percutaneous interventional procedures under continuous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance. This system consists of a piezoelectrically actuated slave robot for needle placement with integrated fiber optic force sensor utilizing Fabry-Perot interferometry (FPI) sensing principle. The sensor flexure is optimized and embedded to the slave robot for measuring needle insertion force. A novel, compact opto-mechanical FPI sensor interface is integrated into an MRI robot control system. By leveraging the complementary features of pneumatic and piezoelectric actuation, a pneumatically actuated haptic master robot is also developed to render force associated with needle placement interventions to the clinician. An aluminum load cell is implemented and calibrated to close the impedance control loop of the master robot. A force-position control algorithm is developed to control the hybrid actuated system. Teleoperated needle insertion is demonstrated under live MR imaging, where the slave robot resides in the scanner bore and the user manipulates the master beside the patient outside the bore. Force and position tracking results of the master-slave robot are demonstrated to validate the tracking performance of the integrated system. It has a position tracking error of 0.318mm and sine wave force tracking error of 2.227N.

  15. Teleoperation System with Hybrid Pneumatic-Piezoelectric Actuation for MRI-Guided Needle Insertion with Haptic Feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Weijian; Su, Hao; Li, Gang; Fischer, Gregory S.

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a surgical master-slave tele-operation system for percutaneous interventional procedures under continuous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance. This system consists of a piezoelectrically actuated slave robot for needle placement with integrated fiber optic force sensor utilizing Fabry-Perot interferometry (FPI) sensing principle. The sensor flexure is optimized and embedded to the slave robot for measuring needle insertion force. A novel, compact opto-mechanical FPI sensor interface is integrated into an MRI robot control system. By leveraging the complementary features of pneumatic and piezoelectric actuation, a pneumatically actuated haptic master robot is also developed to render force associated with needle placement interventions to the clinician. An aluminum load cell is implemented and calibrated to close the impedance control loop of the master robot. A force-position control algorithm is developed to control the hybrid actuated system. Teleoperated needle insertion is demonstrated under live MR imaging, where the slave robot resides in the scanner bore and the user manipulates the master beside the patient outside the bore. Force and position tracking results of the master-slave robot are demonstrated to validate the tracking performance of the integrated system. It has a position tracking error of 0.318mm and sine wave force tracking error of 2.227N. PMID:25126446

  16. A novel piezoelectric actuator with a screw-coupled stator and rotor for driving an aperture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Xiaoniu; Zhou, Shengqiang

    2016-01-01

    Variable apertures have become very important in optical applications. This paper presents a new type of piezoelectric actuator with a screw-coupled stator and rotor that is developed to operate an aperture. The actuator and the aperture are integrated to control the luminous flux. To open or close, the aperture only needs to rotate through a limited angle. Therefore, the actuator is designed so that the rotor and the stator are simply connected by a screw to couple the axial preload and the circumferential movement. The torque and velocity of the actuator are produced by its circumferential motion. The preload of the actuator is applied by deforming the rotor along the axial direction. This method of preloading makes it difficult to keep the preload constant during the actuator’s work. To overcome this problem, a novel flexible rotor with a low stiffness is designed. An equivalent stiffness model of the rotor is presented for the design of a flexible rotor. Its design parameters are determined by a numerical model and confirmed using the finite element method. A prototype is fabricated to drive the aperture. The experimental results demonstrate a resolution of 20 μrad and a rotational range of 300°. The opening and closing durations of the aperture are 96 ms and 97.2 ms, respectively, for a rotation range of 90°. The rotation angle of the actuator is linearly related to time, which shows that its performance is controlled well. The novel screw-coupled piezoelectric actuator for driving an aperture features high resolution, high speed, simple structure and compact size. (paper)

  17. Longitudinal-bending mode micromotor using multilayer piezoelectric actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, K; Koc, B; Uchino, K

    2001-07-01

    Longitudinal-bending mode ultrasonic motors with a diameter of 3 mm were fabricated using stacked multilayer piezoelectric actuators, which were self-developed from hard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic. A bending vibration was converted from a longitudinal vibration with a longitudinal-bending coupler. The motors could be bidirectionally operated by changing driving frequency. Their starting and braking torque were analyzed based on the transient velocity response. With a load of moment of inertia 2.5 x 10(-7) kgm2, the motor showed a maximum starting torque of 127.5 microNm. The braking torque proved to be a constant independent on the motor's driving conditions and was roughly equivalent to the maximum starting torque achievable with our micromotors.

  18. Deployable large aperture optics system for remote sensing applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sumali, Anton Hartono; Martin, Jeffrey W.; Main, John A.; Macke, Benjamin T.; Massad, Jordan Elias; Chaplya, Pavel Mikhail

    2004-01-01

    This report summarizes research into effects of electron gun control on piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) structures. The experimental apparatus specific to the electron gun control of this structure is detailed, and the equipment developed for the remote examination of the bimorph surface profile is outlined. Experiments conducted to determine the optimum electron beam characteristics for control are summarized. Clearer boundaries on the bimorphs control output capabilities were determined, as was the closed loop response. Further controllability analysis of the bimorph is outlined, and the results are examined. In this research, the bimorph response was tested through a matrix of control inputs of varying current, frequency, and amplitude. Experiments also studied the response to electron gun actuation of piezoelectric bimorph thin film covered with multiple spatial regions of control. Parameter ranges that yielded predictable control under certain circumstances were determined. Research has shown that electron gun control can be used to make macrocontrol and nanocontrol adjustments for PVDF structures. The control response and hysteresis are more linear for a small range of energy levels. Current levels needed for optimum control are established, and the generalized controllability of a PVDF bimorph structure is shown

  19. An equivalent network representation of a clamped bimorph piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer with circular and annular electrodes using matrix manipulation techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sammoura, Firas; Smyth, Katherine; Kim, Sang-Gook

    2013-09-01

    An electric circuit model for a clamped circular bimorph piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) was developed for the first time. The pMUT consisted of two piezoelectric layers sandwiched between three thin electrodes. The top and bottom electrodes were separated into central and annular electrodes by a small gap. While the middle electrode was grounded, the central and annular electrodes were biased with two independent voltage sources. The strain mismatch between the piezoelectric layers caused the plate to vibrate and transmit a pressure wave, whereas the received echo generated electric charges resulting from plate deformation. The clamped pMUT plate was separated into a circular and an annular plate, and the respective electromechanical transformation matrices were derived. The force and velocity vectors were properly selected using Hamilton's principle and the necessary boundary conditions were invoked. The electromechanical transformation matrix for the clamped circular pMUT was deduced using simple matrix manipulation techniques. The pMUT performance under three biasing schemes was elaborated: 1) central electrode only, 2) central and annular electrodes with voltages of the same magnitude and polarity, and 3) central and annular electrodes with voltages of the same magnitude and opposite polarity. The circuit parameters of the pMUT were extracted for each biasing scheme, including the transformer ratio, the clamped electric impedance, and the open-circuit mechanical impedance. Each pMUT scheme was characterized under different acoustic loadings using the theoretically developed model, which was verified with finite element modeling (FEM) simulation. The electrode size was optimized to maximize the electromechanical transformer ratio. As such, the developed model could provide more insight into the design, optimization, and characterization of pMUTs and allow for performance comparison with their cMUT counterparts.

  20. Modeling and control of precision actuators

    CERN Document Server

    Kiong, Tan Kok

    2013-01-01

    IntroductionGrowing Interest in Precise ActuatorsTypes of Precise ActuatorsApplications of Precise ActuatorsNonlinear Dynamics and ModelingHysteresisCreepFrictionForce RipplesIdentification and Compensation of Preisach Hysteresis in Piezoelectric ActuatorsSVD-Based Identification and Compensation of Preisach HysteresisHigh-Bandwidth Identification and Compensation of Hysteretic Dynamics in Piezoelectric ActuatorsConcluding RemarksIdentification and Compensation of Frict

  1. Ultra-precise tracking control of piezoelectric actuators via a fuzzy hysteresis model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Pengzhi; Yan, Feng; Ge, Chuan; Zhang, Mingchao

    2012-08-01

    In this paper, a novel Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy system based model is proposed for hysteresis in piezoelectric actuators. The antecedent and consequent structures of the fuzzy hysteresis model (FHM) can be, respectively, identified on-line through uniform partition approach and recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm. With respect to controller design, the inverse of FHM is used to develop a feedforward controller to cancel out the hysteresis effect. Then a hybrid controller is designed for high-performance tracking. It combines the feedforward controller with a proportional integral differential (PID) controller favourable for stabilization and disturbance compensation. To achieve nanometer-scale tracking precision, the enhanced adaptive hybrid controller is further developed. It uses real-time input and output data to update FHM, thus changing the feedforward controller to suit the on-site hysteresis character of the piezoelectric actuator. Finally, as to 3 cases of 50 Hz sinusoidal, multiple frequency sinusoidal and 50 Hz triangular trajectories tracking, experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed controllers. Especially, being only 0.35% of the maximum desired displacement, the maximum error of 50 Hz sinusoidal tracking is greatly reduced to 5.8 nm, which clearly shows the ultra-precise nanometer-scale tracking performance of the developed adaptive hybrid controller.

  2. A Concentric Tube Continuum Robot with Piezoelectric Actuation for MRI-Guided Closed-Loop Targeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Hao; Li, Gang; Rucker, D. Caleb; Webster, Robert J.; Fischer, Gregory S.

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents the design, modeling and experimental evaluation of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible concentric tube continuum robotic system. This system enables MRI-guided deployment of a precurved and steerable concentric tube continuum mechanism, and is suitable for clinical applications where a curved trajectory is needed. This compact 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) robotic system is piezoelectrically-actuated, and allows simultaneous robot motion and imaging with no visually observable image artifact. The targeting accuracy is evaluated with optical tracking system and gelatin phantom under live MRI-guidance with Root Mean Square (RMS) errors of 1.94 and 2.17 mm respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the robot has kinematic redundancy to reach the same target through different paths. This was evaluated in both free space and MRI-guided gelatin phantom trails, with RMS errors of 0.48 and 0.59 mm respectively. As the first of its kind, MRI-guided targeted concentric tube needle placements with ex vivo porcine liver are demonstrated with 4.64 mm RMS error through closed-loop control of the piezoelectrically-actuated robot. PMID:26983842

  3. Piezoelectric-based actuators for improved tractor-trailer performance (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menicovich, David; Amitay, Michael; Gallardo, Daniele

    2017-04-01

    The application of piezo-electrically-driven synthetic-jet-based active flow control to reduce drag on tractor-trailers and to improve thermal mixing in refrigerated trailers was explored on full-scale tests. The active flow control technique that is being used relies on a modular system comprised of distributed, small, highly efficient actuators. These actuators, called synthetic jets, are jets that are synthesized at the edge of an orifice by a periodic motion of a piezoelectric diaphragm(s) mounted on one (or more) walls of a sealed cavity. The synthetic jet is zero net mass flux (ZNMF), but it allows momentum transfer to flow. It is typically driven near diaphragm and/or cavity resonance, and therefore, small electric input [O(10W)] is required. Another advantage of this actuator is that no plumbing is required. The system doesn't require changes to the body of the truck, can be easily reconfigured to various types of vehicles, and consumes small amounts of electrical power from the existing electrical system of the truck. The actuators are operated in a closed feedback loop based on inputs received from the tractor's electronic control unit, various system components and environmental sensors. The data are collected and processed on-board and transmitted to a cloud-based data management platform for further big data analytics and diagnostics. The system functions as a smart connected product through the interchange of data between the physical truck-mounted system and its cloud platform.

  4. Piezoelectric self-sensing actuator for active vibration control of motorized spindle based on adaptive signal separation

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Ye; Chen, Xiaoan; Liu, Zhi; Qin, Yi

    2018-06-01

    The motorized spindle is the core component of CNC machine tools, and the vibration of it reduces the machining precision and service life of the machine tools. Owing to the fast response, large output force, and displacement of the piezoelectric stack, it is often used as the actuator in the active vibration control of the spindle. A piezoelectric self-sensing actuator (SSA) can reduce the cost of the active vibration control system and simplify the structure by eliminating the use of a sensor, because a SSA can have both actuating and sensing functions at the same time. The signal separation method of a SSA based on a bridge circuit is widely applied because of its simple principle and easy implementation. However, it is difficult to maintain dynamic balance of the circuit. Prior research has used adaptive algorithm to balance of the bridge circuit on the flexible beam dynamically, but those algorithms need no correlation between sensing and control voltage, which limit the applications of SSA in the vibration control of the rotor-bearing system. Here, the electromechanical coupling model of the piezoelectric stack is established, followed by establishment of the dynamic model of the spindle system. Next, a new adaptive signal separation method based on the bridge circuit is proposed, which can separate relative small sensing voltage from related mixed voltage adaptively. The experimental results show that when the self-sensing signal obtained from the proposed method is used as a displacement signal, the vibration of the motorized spindle can be suppressed effectively through a linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) algorithm.

  5. Zernike polynomial based Rayleigh-Ritz model of a piezoelectric unimorph deformable mirror

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Long, CS

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric bimorph- or unimorph-type deformable mirrors are commonly used in adaptive optics to correct for time-dependent phase aberrations. In the optics community, the surface deformations that deformable mirrors are required to achieve...

  6. Applications of Piezoelectric Ceramics

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Applications of Piezoelectric Ceramics. Piezoelectric Actuators. Nano and Micropositioners. Vibration Control Systems. Computer Printers. Piezoelectric Transformers,Voltage Generators, Spark Plugs, Ultrasonic Motors,. Ultrasonic Generators and Sensors. Sonars, Medical Diagnostic. Computer Memories. NVFRAM ...

  7. Rate dependent direct inverse hysteresis compensation of piezoelectric micro-actuator used in dual-stage hard disk drive head positioning system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, Md Arifur; Al Mamun, Abdullah; Yao, Kui

    2015-08-01

    The head positioning servo system in hard disk drive is implemented nowadays using a dual-stage actuator—the primary stage consisting of a voice coil motor actuator providing long range motion and the secondary stage controlling the position of the read/write head with fine resolution. Piezoelectric micro-actuator made of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) has been a popular choice for the secondary stage. However, PZT micro-actuator exhibits hysteresis—an inherent nonlinear characteristic of piezoelectric material. The advantage expected from using the secondary micro-actuator is somewhat lost by the hysteresis of the micro-actuator that contributes to tracking error. Hysteresis nonlinearity adversely affects the performance and, if not compensated, may cause inaccuracy and oscillation in the response. Compensation of hysteresis is therefore an important aspect for designing head-positioning servo system. This paper presents a new rate dependent model of hysteresis along with rigorous analysis and identification of the model. Parameters of the model are found using particle swarm optimization. Direct inverse of the proposed rate-dependent generalized Prandtl-Ishlinskii model is used as the hysteresis compensator. Effectiveness of the overall solution is underscored through experimental results.

  8. A novel in situ device based on a bionic piezoelectric actuator to study tensile and fatigue properties of bulk materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shupeng; Zhang, Zhihui; Ren, Luquan; Zhao, Hongwei; Liang, Yunhong; Zhu, Bing

    2014-06-01

    In this work, a miniaturized device based on a bionic piezoelectric actuator was developed to investigate the static tensile and dynamic fatigue properties of bulk materials. The device mainly consists of a bionic stepping piezoelectric actuator based on wedge block clamping, a pair of grippers, and a set of precise signal test system. Tensile and fatigue examinations share a set of driving system and a set of signal test system. In situ tensile and fatigue examinations under scanning electron microscope or metallographic microscope could be carried out due to the miniaturized dimensions of the device. The structure and working principle of the device were discussed and the effects of output difference between two piezoelectric stacks on the device were theoretically analyzed. The tensile and fatigue examinations on ordinary copper were carried out using this device and its feasibility was verified through the comparison tests with a commercial tensile examination instrument.

  9. Development of a Flat Type Six-Axis Stage Based on Piezoelectric Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hau-Wei Lee

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This study presents and investigates a six-DOF (degrees of freedom piezoelectric based stage for positioning error compensation. The relationship between the displacement of the piezoelectric actuators and the stage can be computed according to the geometric relationships of the actuators installed. In this study, a feedforward compensator based on the hysteresis model has been designed for compensation and a PI controller was used for positioning. The combination of a feedforward compensator and PI controller gives the stage good positioning and tracking performance. Stage position information is feedback from a six-DOF optical measurement system comprised of three modular two-dimensional measurement devices. Each module employs a quadrant photodiode (QPD, a laser diode, and a lens. The measurement signal is acquired and processed using an FPGA based processor for real time control. The linear and angular positioning resolution is 0.02 μm and 0.1 arcsec, respectively. When the stage is controlled in a closed loop, the positioning errors are in the range of ±0.1 μm and ±0.5 arcsec. The stage is controlled to track a sinusoidal wave with an amplitude of 2.5 μm and a frequency of 5 Hz; tracking errors were within ±0.1 μm and ±0.2 arcsec.

  10. Neural networks based identification and compensation of rate-dependent hysteresis in piezoelectric actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Xinliang; Tan, Yonghong; Su, Miyong; Xie, Yangqiu

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents a method of the identification for the rate-dependent hysteresis in the piezoelectric actuator (PEA) by use of neural networks. In this method, a special hysteretic operator is constructed from the Prandtl-Ishlinskii (PI) model to extract the changing tendency of the static hysteresis. Then, an expanded input space is constructed by introducing the proposed hysteretic operator to transform the multi-valued mapping of the hysteresis into a one-to-one mapping. Thus, a feedforward neural network is applied to the approximation of the rate-independent hysteresis on the constructed expanded input space. Moreover, in order to describe the rate-dependent performance of the hysteresis, a special hybrid model, which is constructed by a linear auto-regressive exogenous input (ARX) sub-model preceded with the previously obtained neural network based rate-independent hysteresis sub-model, is proposed. For the compensation of the effect of the hysteresis in PEA, the PID feedback controller with a feedforward hysteresis compensator is developed for the tracking control of the PEA. Thus, a corresponding inverse model based on the proposed modeling method is developed for the feedforward hysteresis compensator. Finally, both simulations and experimental results on piezoelectric actuator are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach for the rate-dependent hysteresis.

  11. A scalable piezoelectric impulse-excited energy harvester for human body excitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pillatsch, P; Yeatman, E M; Holmes, A S

    2012-01-01

    Harvesting energy from low-frequency and non-harmonic excitations typical of human motion presents specific challenges. While resonant devices do have an advantage in environments where the excitation frequency is constant, and while they can make use of the entire proof mass travel range in the case of excitation amplitudes that are smaller than the internal displacement limit, they are not suitable for body applications since the frequencies are random and the amplitudes tend to be larger than the device size. In this paper a piezoelectric, impulse-excited approach is presented. A cylindrical proof mass actuates an array of piezoelectric bi-morph beams through magnetic attraction. After the initial excitation these transducers are left to vibrate at their natural frequency. This increases the operational frequency range as well as the electromechanical coupling. The principle of impulse excitation is discussed and a centimetre-scale functional model is introduced as a proof of concept. The obtained data show the influence of varying the frequency, acceleration and proof mass. Finally, a commercially available integrated circuit for voltage regulation is tested. At a frequency of 2 Hz and an acceleration of 2.7 m s −2 a maximal power output of 2.1 mW was achieved. (paper)

  12. Active aeroelastic flutter analysis and vibration control of supersonic beams using the piezoelectric actuator/sensor pairs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Zhi-Guang; Li, Feng-Ming

    2011-01-01

    The active vibration control of all kinds of structures by using the piezoelectric material has been extensively investigated. In this paper, the active aeroelastic flutter characteristics and vibration control of supersonic beams applying the piezoelectric material are studied further. The piezoelectric materials are bonded on the top and bottom surfaces of the beams to act as the actuator and sensor so that the active aeroelastic flutter suppression for the supersonic beams can be conducted. The supersonic piston theory is adopted to evaluate the aerodynamic pressure. Hamilton's principle with the assumed mode method is used to develop the dynamical model of the structural systems. By using the standard eigenvalue methodology, the solutions for the complex eigenvalue problem are obtained. A negative velocity feedback control strategy is used to obtain active damping. The aeroelastic flutter bounds are calculated and the active aeroelastic flutter characteristics are analyzed. The impulse responses of the structural system are obtained by using the Houbolt numerical algorithm to study the active aeroelastic vibration control. The influences of the non-dimensional aerodynamic pressure on the active flutter control are analyzed. From the numerical results it is observed that the aeroelastic flutter characteristics of the supersonic beams can be significantly improved and that the aeroelastic vibration amplitudes can be remarkably reduced, especially at the flutter points, by using the piezoelectric actuator/sensor pairs which can provide an active damping. Within a certain value of the feedback control gain, with the increase of it, the flutter aerodynamic pressure (or flutter velocity) can be increased and the control results are also improved

  13. A comparative analysis of Piezoelectric and Magnetostrictive actuators in Smart Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pons, J. L.

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces a comparative analysis of Piezoelectric (PZ and Magnetostrictive (MS actuators as components in smart structures. There is an increasing interest in functional structures which are able to adapt to external or internal perturbations, i.e. changes in loading conditions or ageing. Actuator technologies must perform concomitantly as sensors and actuators to be applicable in smart structures. In this paper we will comparatively analyze the possibility of using PZ and MS actuators in smart structures and in so doing their capability to act concomitantly as sensors and of modifying their material characteristics. We will also focus on the analysis of how them can be integrated in structures and on the analysis of the most appropriate structures for each actuator. The operational performance of PZ (Stacks and MS actuators will be compared and eventually some conclusions will be drawn.

    Este artículo presenta un estudio comparativo de actuadores Piezoeléctricos (PZ y Magnetoestrictivos (MS como elementos integrantes de estructuras inteligentes. Existe un interés creciente en estructuras activas que puedan adaptarse a perturbaciones tanto internas como externas, por ejemplo, ante cambios en carga estructural o ante su envejecimiento. Para que un actuador forme parte de una estructura inteligente, debe poder actuar también como sensor. Este artículo presenta un estudio comparativo del uso de actuadores PZ y MS en estructuras inteligentes y, como consecuencia, de su habilidad para actuar y medir simultáneamente así cómo para modificar sus características mecánicas. Nos centraremos también en el análisis de como pueden integrase en estructuras y cuales son las más indicadas para cada actuador. Se compararán las características operacionales de los actuadors PZ multicapa y los MS.

  14. Design of Contactlessly Powered and Piezoelectrically Actuated Tools for Non-Resonant Vibration Assisted Milling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Silge

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This contribution presents a novel design approach for vibration assisted machining (VAM. A lot of research has already been done regarding the influence of superimposed vibrations during a milling process, but there is almost no information about how to design a VAM tool where the tool is actually rotating. The proposed system consists of a piezoelectric actuator for vibration excitation, an inductive contactless energy transfer system and an electronic circuit for powering the actuated tool. The main benefit of transferring the required power without mechanical contact is that the maximum spindle speed is no longer restricted by friction of slip rings. A detailed model is shown that enables for preliminary estimation of the system’s response to different excitation signals. Experimental data are provided to validate the model. Finally, some parts are shown that have been manufactured using the contactlessly actuated milling tool.

  15. Nonlinear force feedback control of piezoelectric-hydraulic pump actuator for automotive transmission shift control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Gi-Woo; Wang, K. W.

    2008-03-01

    In recent years, researchers have investigated the feasibility of utilizing piezoelectric-hydraulic pump based actuation systems for automotive transmission controls. This new concept could eventually reduce the complexity, weight, and fuel consumption of the current transmissions. In this research, we focus on how to utilize this new approach on the shift control of automatic transmissions (AT), which generally requires pressure profiling for friction elements during the operation. To illustrate the concept, we will consider the 1--> 2 up shift control using band brake friction elements. In order to perform the actuation force tracking for AT shift control, nonlinear force feedback control laws are designed based on the sliding mode theory for the given nonlinear system. This paper will describe the modeling of the band brake actuation system, the design of the nonlinear force feedback controller, and simulation and experimental results for demonstration of the new concept.

  16. The effect of actuator bending on Lamb wave displacement fields generated by a piezoelectric patch

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, H; Pamphile, T; Derriso, M

    2008-01-01

    A Lamb wave is a special type of elastic wave that is widely employed in structural health monitoring systems for damage detection. Recently, piezoelectric (piezo) patches have become popular for Lamb wave excitation and sensing because one piezo patch can serve as both the actuator and the sensor. All published work has assumed that the Lamb wave displacement field generated by a piezo patch actuator is axi-symmetric. However, we observed that piezo sensors placed at equal distances from the piezo patch actuator displayed different responses. In order to understand this phenomenon, we used a laser vibrometer to measure the full-field displacements around a circular piezo actuator noncontactly. The displacement fields excited by the piezo patch actuator are found to be directional, and this directionality is also frequency dependent, indicating that the out-of-plane bending dynamics of the piezo actuator may play an important role in the Lamb wave displacement fields. A simulation model that incorporates the bending deformation of the piezo patch into the calculations of the Lamb wave generation is then developed. The agreement between the simulated and measured displacement fields confirmed that the directionality of the Lamb wave displacement fields is governed by the bending deformation of the piezo patch actuator

  17. A Concentric Tube Continuum Robot with Piezoelectric Actuation for MRI-Guided Closed-Loop Targeting

    OpenAIRE

    Su, Hao; Li, Gang; Rucker, D. Caleb; Webster, Robert J.; Fischer, Gregory S.

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents the design, modeling and experimental evaluation of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible concentric tube continuum robotic system. This system enables MRI-guided deployment of a precurved and steerable concentric tube continuum mechanism, and is suitable for clinical applications where a curved trajectory is needed. This compact 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) robotic system is piezoelectrically-actuated, and allows simultaneous robot motion and imaging with no visually...

  18. Drilling, Coring and Sampling Using Piezoelectric Actuated Mechanisms: From the USDC to a Piezo-Rotary-Hammer Drill

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Sherrit, Stewart; Badescu, Mircea; Bao, Xiaoqi

    2012-01-01

    NASA exploration missions are increasingly including sampling tasks but with the growth in engineering experience (particularly, Phoenix Scout and MSL) it is now very much recognized that planetary drilling poses many challenges. The difficulties grow significantly with the hardness of sampled material, the depth of drilling and the harshness of the environmental conditions. To address the requirements for samplers that could be operated at the conditions of the various bodies in the solar system, a number of piezoelectric actuated drills and corers were developed by the Advanced Technologies Group of JPL. The basic configuration that was conceived in 1998 is known as the Ultrasonic/Sonic Driller/Corer (USDC), and it operates as a percussive mechanism. This drill requires as low preload as 10N (important for operation at low gravity) allowing to operate with as low-mass device as 400g, use an average power as low as 2- 3W and drill rocks as hard as basalt. A key feature of this drilling mechanism is the use of a free-mass to convert the ultrasonic vibrations generated by piezoelectric stack to sonic impacts on the bit. Using the versatile capabilities f the USDC led to the development of many configurations and device sizes. Significant improvement of the penetration rate was achieved by augmenting the hammering action by rotation and use of a fluted bit to remove cuttings. To reach meters deep in ice a wireline drill was developed called the Ultrasonic/Sonic Gopher and it was demonstrated in 2005 to penetrate about 2-m deep at Antarctica. Jointly with Honeybee Robotics, this mechanism is currently being modified to incorporate rotation and inchworm operation forming Auto-Gopher to reach meters deep in rocks. To take advantage of the ability of piezoelectric actuators to operate over a wide temperatures range, piezoelectric actuated drills were developed and demonstrated to operate at as cold as -200oC and as hot as 500oC. In this paper, the developed mechanisms

  19. High-speed tracking control of piezoelectric actuators using an ellipse-based hysteresis model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Guoying; Zhu, Limin

    2010-08-01

    In this paper, an ellipse-based mathematic model is developed to characterize the rate-dependent hysteresis in piezoelectric actuators. Based on the proposed model, an expanded input space is constructed to describe the multivalued hysteresis function H[u](t) by a multiple input single output (MISO) mapping Gamma:R(2)-->R. Subsequently, the inverse MISO mapping Gamma(-1)(H[u](t),H[u](t);u(t)) is proposed for real-time hysteresis compensation. In controller design, a hybrid control strategy combining a model-based feedforward controller and a proportional integral differential (PID) feedback loop is used for high-accuracy and high-speed tracking control of piezoelectric actuators. The real-time feedforward controller is developed to cancel the rate-dependent hysteresis based on the inverse hysteresis model, while the PID controller is used to compensate for the creep, modeling errors, and parameter uncertainties. Finally, experiments with and without hysteresis compensation are conducted and the experimental results are compared. The experimental results show that the hysteresis compensation in the feedforward path can reduce the hysteresis-caused error by up to 88% and the tracking performance of the hybrid controller is greatly improved in high-speed tracking control applications, e.g., the root-mean-square tracking error is reduced to only 0.34% of the displacement range under the input frequency of 100 Hz.

  20. Modeling and Analysis of a Piezoelectric Energy Harvester with Varying Cross-Sectional Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maiara Rosa

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on the modeling and on the experimental verification of electromechanically coupled beams with varying cross-sectional area for piezoelectric energy harvesting. The governing equations are formulated using the Rayleigh-Ritz method and Euler-Bernoulli assumptions. A load resistance is considered in the electrical domain for the estimate of the electric power output of each geometric configuration. The model is first verified against the analytical results for a rectangular bimorph with tip mass reported in the literature. The experimental verification of the model is also reported for a tapered bimorph cantilever with tip mass. The effects of varying cross-sectional area and tip mass on the electromechanical behavior of piezoelectric energy harvesters are also discussed. An issue related to the estimation of the optimal load resistance (that gives the maximum power output on beam shape optimization problems is also discussed.

  1. Smart film actuators using biomass plastic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoneyama, Satoshi; Tanaka, Nobuo

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a novel smart film actuator based on the use of a biomass plastic as a piezoelectric film. Conventional polymeric smart sensors and actuators have been based upon synthetic piezoelectric polymer films such as PVDF. Almost all synthetic polymers are made from nearly depleted oil resources. In addition combustion of their materials releases carbon dioxide, thereby contributing to global warming. Thus at least two important sustainability principles are violated when employing synthetic polymers: avoiding depletable resources and avoiding ecosystem destruction. To overcome such problems, industrial plastic products made from synthetic polymers were developed to replace oil-based plastics with biomass plastics. This paper applies a biomass plastic with piezoelectricity such as poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA). As a result, PLLA film becomes a distributed parameter actuator per se, hence an environmentally conscious smart film actuator is developed. Firstly, this paper overviews the fundamental properties of piezoelectric synthetic polymers and biopolymers. The concept of carbon neutrality using biopolymers is mentioned. Then a two-dimensional modal actuator for exciting a specific structural mode is proposed. Furthermore, a biomass plastic-based cantilever beam with the capability of modal actuation is developed, the validity of the proposed smart film actuator based upon a biomass plastic being analytically as well as experimentally verified

  2. Comparison of microtweezers based on three lateral thermal actuator configurations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, J. K.; Flewitt, A. J.; Spearing, S. M.; Fleck, N. A.; Milne, W. I.

    2005-06-01

    Thermal actuator-based microtweezers with three different driving configurations have been designed, fabricated and characterized. Finite element analysis has been used to model the device performance. It was found that one configuration of microtweezer, based on two lateral bimorph thermal actuators, has a small displacement (tip opening of the tweezers) and a very limited operating power range. An alternative configuration consisting of two horizontal hot bars with separated beams as the arms can deliver a larger displacement with a much-extended operating power range. This structure can withstand a higher temperature due to the wider beams used, and has flexible arms for increased displacement. Microtweezers driven by a number of chevron structures in parallel have similar maximum displacements but at a cost of higher power consumption. The measured temperature of the devices confirms that the device with the chevron structure can deliver the largest displacement for a given working temperature, while the bimorph thermal actuator design has the highest operating temperature at the same power due to its thin hot arm, and is prone to structural failure.

  3. Performance of Integrated Fiber Optic, Piezoelectric, and Shape Memory Alloy Actuators/Sensors in Thermoset Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trottier, C. Michael

    1996-01-01

    Recently, scientists and engineers have investigated the advantages of smart materials and structures by including actuators in material systems for controlling and altering the response of structural environments. Applications of these materials systems include vibration suppression/isolation, precision positioning, damage detection and tunable devices. Some of the embedded materials being investigated for accomplishing these tasks include piezoelectric ceramics, shape memory alloys, and fiber optics. These materials have some benefits and some shortcomings; each is being studied for use in active material design in the SPICES (Synthesis and Processing of Intelligent Cost Effective Structures) Consortium. The focus of this paper concerns the manufacturing aspects of smart structures by incorporating piezoelectric ceramics, shape memory alloys and fiber optics in a reinforced thermoset matrix via resin transfer molding (RTM).

  4. Control system design for nano-positioning using piezoelectric actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shan, Jinjun; Liu, Yanfang; Cui, Naigang; Gabbert, Ulrich

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a systematic control system design for nano-positioning of a piezoelectric actuator (PEA). PEAs exhibit hysteresis nonlinearity, which can dramatically limit the application and performance of linear feedback control theory. Thus the hysteresis is compensated for based on the Maxwell resistive capacitor (MRC) model first. Then a proportional plus integral (PI) controller and a proportional double integral plus lead compensation (PII and L) controller are designed for the hysteresis-compensated PEA to account for model uncertainty, disturbance, and noise. The robust stability of both controllers is proved. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is demonstrated experimentally. Both controllers achieve fast precise positioning. The 2% settling times for the PI controller and the PII and L controller are 1.5 ms and 4.7 ms, respectively. The positioning resolution is upto 1 nm for both controllers. (paper)

  5. Teleoperation System with Hybrid Pneumatic-Piezoelectric Actuation for MRI-Guided Needle Insertion with Haptic Feedback

    OpenAIRE

    Shang, Weijian; Su, Hao; Li, Gang; Fischer, Gregory S.

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a surgical master-slave tele-operation system for percutaneous interventional procedures under continuous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance. This system consists of a piezoelectrically actuated slave robot for needle placement with integrated fiber optic force sensor utilizing Fabry-Perot interferometry (FPI) sensing principle. The sensor flexure is optimized and embedded to the slave robot for measuring needle insertion force. A novel, compact opto-mechanical FPI ...

  6. Development of blood extraction system designed by female mosquito's blood sampling mechanism for bio-MEMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuchiya, Kazuyoshi; Nakanishi, Naoyuki; Nakamachi, Eiji

    2005-02-01

    A compact and wearable wristwatch type Bio-MEMS such as a health monitoring system (HMS) to detect blood sugar level for diabetic patient, was newly developed. The HMS consists of (1) a indentation unit with a microneedle to generate the skin penetration force using a shape memory alloy(SMA) actuator, (2) a pumping unit using a bimorph PZT piezoelectric actuator to extract the blood and (3) a gold (Au) electrode as a biosensor immobilized GOx and attached to the gate electrode of MOSFET to detect the amount of Glucose in extracted blood. GOx was immobilized on a self assembled spacer combined with an Au electrode by the cross-link method using BSA as an additional bonding material. The device can extract blood in a few microliter through a painless microneedle with the negative pressure by deflection of the bimorph PZT piezoelectric actuator produced in the blood chamber, by the similar way the female mosquito extracts human blood with muscle motion to flex or relax. The performances of the liquid sampling ability of the pumping unit through a microneedle (3.8mm length, 100μm internal diameter) using the bimorph PZT piezoelectric microactuator were measured. The blood extraction micro device could extract human blood at the speed of 2μl/min, and it is enough volume to measure a glucose level, compared to the amount of commercial based glucose level monitor. The electrode embedded in the blood extraction device chamber could detect electrons generated by the hydrolysis of hydrogen peroxide produced by the reaction between GOx and glucose in a few microliter extracted blood, using the constant electric current measurement system of the MOSFET type hybrid biosensor. The output voltage for the glucose diluted in the chamber was increased lineally with increase of the glucose concentration.

  7. Four-plate piezoelectric actuator driving a large-diameter special optical fiber for nonlinear optical microendoscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ying; Li, Zhi; Liang, Xiaobao; Fu, Ling

    2016-08-22

    In nonlinear optical microendoscope (NOME), a fiber with excellent optical characteristics and a miniature scanning mechanism at the distal end are two key components. Double-clad fibers (DCFs) and double-clad photonic crystal fibers (DCPCFs) have shown great optical characteristics but limited vibration amplitude due to large diameter. Besides reducing the damping of fiber cantilever, optimizing the structural of the actuator for lower energy dissipation also contributes to better driving capability. This paper presented an optimized actuator for driving a particular fiber cantilever in the view point of energy. Firstly, deformation energy of a bending fiber cantilever operating in resonant mode is investigated. Secondly, strain and stress analyses revealed that the four-plate actuator achieved lower energy dissipation. Then, finite-element simulations showed that the large-diameter fiber yielded an adequate vibration amplitude driven by a four-plate actuator, which was confirmed by experiments of our home-made four-plate actuator prototypes. Additionally, a NOME based on a DCPCF with a diameter of 350 μm driven by four-plate piezoelectric actuator has been developed. The NOME can excite and collect intrinsic second-harmonic and two-photon fluorescence signals with the excitation power of 10-30 mW and an adequate field of view of 200 μm, which suggest great potential applications in neuroscience and clinical diagnoses.

  8. Swarm intelligence algorithms for integrated optimization of piezoelectric actuator and sensor placement and feedback gains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dutta, Rajdeep; Ganguli, Ranjan; Mani, V

    2011-01-01

    Swarm intelligence algorithms are applied for optimal control of flexible smart structures bonded with piezoelectric actuators and sensors. The optimal locations of actuators/sensors and feedback gain are obtained by maximizing the energy dissipated by the feedback control system. We provide a mathematical proof that this system is uncontrollable if the actuators and sensors are placed at the nodal points of the mode shapes. The optimal locations of actuators/sensors and feedback gain represent a constrained non-linear optimization problem. This problem is converted to an unconstrained optimization problem by using penalty functions. Two swarm intelligence algorithms, namely, Artificial bee colony (ABC) and glowworm swarm optimization (GSO) algorithms, are considered to obtain the optimal solution. In earlier published research, a cantilever beam with one and two collocated actuator(s)/sensor(s) was considered and the numerical results were obtained by using genetic algorithm and gradient based optimization methods. We consider the same problem and present the results obtained by using the swarm intelligence algorithms ABC and GSO. An extension of this cantilever beam problem with five collocated actuators/sensors is considered and the numerical results obtained by using the ABC and GSO algorithms are presented. The effect of increasing the number of design variables (locations of actuators and sensors and gain) on the optimization process is investigated. It is shown that the ABC and GSO algorithms are robust and are good choices for the optimization of smart structures

  9. Automated tuning of an eight-channel cardiac transceive array at 7 tesla using piezoelectric actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keith, Graeme A; Rodgers, Christopher T; Hess, Aaron T; Snyder, Carl J; Vaughan, J Thomas; Robson, Matthew D

    2015-06-01

    Ultra-high field (UHF) MR scanning in the body requires novel coil designs due to B1 field inhomogeneities. In the transverse electromagnetic field (TEM) design, maximum B1 transmit power can only be achieved if each individual transmit element is tuned and matched for different coil loads, which requires a considerable amount of valuable scanner time. An integrated system for autotuning a multichannel parallel transmit (pTx) cardiac TEM array was devised, using piezoelectric actuators, power monitoring equipment and control software. The reproducibility and performance of the system were tested and the power responses of the coil elements were profiled. An automated optimization method was devised and evaluated. The time required to tune an eight-element pTx cardiac RF array was reduced from a mean of 30 min to less than 10 min with the use of this system. Piezoelectric actuators are an attractive means of tuning RF coil arrays to yield more efficient B1 transmission into the subject. An automated mechanism for tuning these elements provides a practical solution for cardiac imaging at UHF, bringing this technology closer to clinical use. © 2014 The Authors. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  10. Development of Traveling Wave Actuators Using Waveguides of Different Geometrical Forms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramutis Bansevicius

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper covers the research and development of piezoelectric traveling wave actuators using different types of the waveguides. The introduced piezoelectric actuators can be characterized by specific areas of application, different resolution, and torque. All presented actuators are ultrasonic resonant devices and they were developed to increase amplitudes of the traveling wave oscillations of the contact surface. Three different waveguides are introduced, that is, symmetrical, asymmetrical, and cone type waveguide. A piezoelectric ring with the sectioned electrodes is used to excite traveling wave oscillations for all actuators. Operating principle, electrode pattern, and excitation regimes of piezoelectric actuators are described. A numerical modelling of the actuators was performed to validate the operating principle and to calculate trajectories of the contact points motion. Prototype actuators were made and experimental study was performed. The results of numerical and experimental analysis are discussed.

  11. Modeling and experimental investigation of an impact-driven piezoelectric energy harvester from human motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Sheng; Hu, Hong; He, Siyuan

    2013-01-01

    An impact-driven piezoelectric energy harvester from human motion is proposed in this paper. A high-frequency PZT-5A bimorph cantilever beam with attached proof mass at the free end was selected. A frequency up-conversion strategy was realized using impulse force generated by human motion. An aluminum prototype was attached to the leg of a person on a treadmill and measurements taken of the dissipated electric energy across multiple resistances over a range of walking speeds. The outer dimensions of this prototype are 90 mm × 40 mm × 24 mm. It has been shown that the average output voltage generated by the piezoelectric bimorph increases sequentially with a faster walking speed, the power varies with the external resistances and maximum levels occur at the optimal resistance, which is consistent with the simulation result. An open circuit voltage of 2.47 V and maximum average power of 51 μW can be achieved across a 20 kΩ external load resistance and 5 km h −1 walking speed. Experimental results reveal that the impact-driven piezoelectric energy harvesting system mounted on a person’s leg has the potential for driving wearable devices. (paper)

  12. Unbalance detection in rotor systems with active bearings using self-sensing piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambur, Ramakrishnan; Rinderknecht, Stephan

    2018-03-01

    Machines which are developed today are highly automated due to increased use of mechatronic systems. To ensure their reliable operation, fault detection and isolation (FDI) is an important feature along with a better control. This research work aims to achieve and integrate both these functions with minimum number of components in a mechatronic system. This article investigates a rotating machine with active bearings equipped with piezoelectric actuators. There is an inherent coupling between their electrical and mechanical properties because of which they can also be used as sensors. Mechanical deflection can be reconstructed from these self-sensing actuators from measured voltage and current signals. These virtual sensor signals are utilised to detect unbalance in a rotor system. Parameters of unbalance such as its magnitude and phase are detected by parametric estimation method in frequency domain. Unbalance location has been identified using hypothesis of localization of faults. Robustness of the estimates against outliers in measurements is improved using weighted least squares method. Unbalances are detected in a real test bench apart from simulation using its model. Experiments are performed in stationary as well as in transient case. As a further step unbalances are estimated during simultaneous actuation of actuators in closed loop with an adaptive algorithm for vibration minimisation. This strategy could be used in systems which aim for both fault detection and control action.

  13. Vertical Tail Buffeting Alleviation Using Piezoelectric Actuators-Some Results of the Actively Controlled Response of Buffet-Affected Tails (ACROBAT) Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moses, Robert W.

    1997-01-01

    Buffet is an aeroelastic phenomenon associated with high performance aircraft especially those with twin vertical tails. In particular, for the F/A-18 aircraft at high angles of attack, vortices emanating from wing/fuselage leading edge extensions burst, immersing the vertical tails in their wake. The resulting buffet loads on the vertical tails are a concern from fatigue and inspection points of view. Recently, a 1/6-scale F-18 wind-tunnel model was tested in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center as part of the Actively Controlled Response Of Buffet Affected Tails (ACROBAT) Program to assess the use of active controls in reducing vertical tail buffeting. The starboard vertical tail was equipped with an active rudder and the port vertical tail was equipped with piezoelectric actuators. The tunnel conditions were atmospheric air at Mach 0.10. By using single-input-single-output control laws at gains well below the physical limits of the actuators, the power spectral density of the root strains at the frequency of the first bending mode of the vertical tail was reduced by as much as 60 percent up to angles of attack of 37 degrees. Root mean square (RMS) values of root strain were reduced by as much as 19 percent. The results herein illustrate that buffet alleviation of vertical tails can be accomplished using simple active control of the rudder or piezoelectric actuators. In fact, as demonstrated herein, a fixed gain single input single output control law that commands piezoelectric actuators may be active throughout the high angle-of-attack maneuver without requiring any changes during the maneuver. Future tests are mentioned for accentuating the international interest in this area of research.

  14. LC Circuits for Diagnosing Embedded Piezoelectric Devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chattin, Richard L.; Fox, Robert Lee; Moses, Robert W.; Shams, Qamar A.

    2005-01-01

    A recently invented method of nonintrusively detecting faults in piezoelectric devices involves measurement of the resonance frequencies of inductor capacitor (LC) resonant circuits. The method is intended especially to enable diagnosis of piezoelectric sensors, actuators, and sensor/actuators that are embedded in structures and/or are components of multilayer composite material structures.

  15. Design of a piezoelectric inchworm actuator and compliant end effector for minimally invasive surgery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canfield, Shawn; Edinger, Ben; Frecker, Mary I.; Koopmann, Gary H.

    1999-06-01

    Recent advances in robotics, tele-robotics, smart material actuators, and mechatronics raise new possibilities for innovative developments in millimeter-scale robotics capable of manipulating objects only fractions of a millimeter in size. These advances can have a wide range of applications in the biomedical community. A potential application of this technology is in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The focus of this paper is the development of a single degree of freedom prototype to demonstrate the viability of smart materials, force feedback and compliant mechanisms for minimally invasive surgery. The prototype is a compliant gripper that is 7-mm by 17-mm, made from a single piece of titanium that is designed to function as a needle driver for small scale suturing. A custom designed piezoelectric `inchworm' actuator drives the gripper. The integrated system is computer controlled providing a user interface device capable of force feedback. The design methodology described draws from recent advances in three emerging fields in engineering: design of innovative tools for MIS, design of compliant mechanisms, and design of smart materials and actuators. The focus of this paper is on the design of a millimeter-scale inchworm actuator for use with a compliant end effector in MIS.

  16. Multi-Mode Vibration Suppression in MIMO Systems by Extending the Zero Placement Input Shaping Technique: Applications to a 3-DOF Piezoelectric Tube Actuator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yasser Al Hamidi

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric tube actuators are extensively used in scanning probe microscopes to provide dynamic scanning motions in open-loop operations. Furthermore, they are employed as micropositioners due to their high bandwidth, high resolution and ease of excitation. However, these piezoelectric micropositioners exhibit badly damped vibrations that occur when the input excites the dynamic response, which tends to degrade positioning accuracy and performance. This paper deals with vibrations’ feedforward control of a multi-degrees of freedom (DOF piezoelectric micropositioner in order to damp the vibrations in the direct axes and to reduce the cross-couplings. The novelty in this paper relative to the existing vibrations feedforward controls is the simplicity in design approach, the minimal number of shaper impulses for each input required to damp all modes of vibration at each output, and the account for the strong cross-couplings which only occur in multi-DOF cases. A generalization to a multiple degrees of freedom actuator is first proposed. Then simulation runs on a 3-DOF piezoelectric tube micropositioner have been effectuated to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method. Finally, experimental tests were carried out to validate and to confirm the predicted simulation.

  17. Paper Actuators Made with Cellulose and Hybrid Materials

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Jaehwan; Yun, Sungryul; Mahadeva, Suresha K.; Yun, Kiju; Yang, Sang Yeol; Maniruzzaman, Mohammad

    2010-01-01

    Recently, cellulose has been re-discovered as a smart material that can be used as sensor and actuator materials, which is termed electro-active paper (EAPap). This paper reports recent advances in paper actuators made with cellulose and hybrid materials such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes, conducting polymers and ionic liquids. Two distinct actuator principles in EAPap actuators are demonstrated: piezoelectric effect and ion migration effect in cellulose. Piezoelectricity of cellulose EAPa...

  18. Piezoelectric valve

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrenko, Serhiy Fedorovich

    2013-01-15

    A motorized valve has a housing having an inlet and an outlet to be connected to a pipeline, a saddle connected with the housing, a turn plug having a rod, the turn plug cooperating with the saddle, and a drive for turning the valve body and formed as a piezoelectric drive, the piezoelectric drive including a piezoelectric generator of radially directed standing acoustic waves, which is connected with the housing and is connectable with a pulse current source, and a rotor operatively connected with the piezoelectric generator and kinematically connected with the rod of the turn plug so as to turn the turn plug when the rotor is actuated by the piezoelectric generator.

  19. Hydroelectromechanical modelling of a piezoelectric wave energy converter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renzi, E.

    2016-11-01

    We investigate the hydroelectromechanical-coupled dynamics of a piezoelectric wave energy converter. The converter is made of a flexible bimorph plate, clamped at its ends and forced to motion by incident ocean surface waves. The piezoceramic layers are connected in series and transform the elastic motion of the plate into useful electricity by means of the piezoelectric effect. By using a distributed-parameter analytical approach, we couple the linear piezoelectric constitutive equations for the plate with the potential-flow equations for the surface water waves. The resulting system of governing partial differential equations yields a new hydroelectromechanical dispersion relation, whose complex roots are determined with a numerical approach. The effect of the piezoelectric coupling in the hydroelastic domain generates a system of short- and long-crested weakly damped progressive waves travelling along the plate. We show that the short-crested flexural wave component gives a dominant contribution to the generated power. We determine the hydroelectromechanical resonant periods of the device, at which the power output is significant.

  20. Extrusion and properties of lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cai, S.; Millar, C.E.; Pedersen, L.

    1997-01-01

    The purpose of this work was to develop a procedure for fabricating electroceramic actuators with good piezoelectric properties. The preparation of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic rods and tubes by extrusion processing is described. The microstructure of extrudates was investi......The purpose of this work was to develop a procedure for fabricating electroceramic actuators with good piezoelectric properties. The preparation of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic rods and tubes by extrusion processing is described. The microstructure of extrudates...

  1. Multilayer modal actuator-based piezoelectric transformers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yao-Tien; Wu, Wen-Jong; Wang, Yen-Chieh; Lee, Chih-Kung

    2007-02-01

    An innovative, multilayer piezoelectric transformer equipped with a full modal filtering input electrode is reported herein. This modal-shaped electrode, based on the orthogonal property of structural vibration modes, is characterized by full modal filtering to ensure that only the desired vibration mode is excited during operation. The newly developed piezoelectric transformer is comprised of three layers: a multilayered input layer, an insulation layer, and a single output layer. The electrode shape of the input layer is derived from its structural vibration modal shape, which takes advantage of the orthogonal property of the vibration modes to achieve a full modal filtering effect. The insulation layer possesses two functions: first, to couple the mechanical vibration energy between the input and output, and second, to provide electrical insulation between the two layers. To meet the two functions, a low temperature, co-fired ceramic (LTCC) was used to provide the high mechanical rigidity and high electrical insulation. It can be shown that this newly developed piezoelectric transformer has the advantage of possessing a more efficient energy transfer and a wider optimal working frequency range when compared to traditional piezoelectric transformers. A multilayer piezoelectric, transformer-based inverter applicable for use in LCD monitors or portable displays is presented as well.

  2. Paper actuators made with cellulose and hybrid materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jaehwan; Yun, Sungryul; Mahadeva, Suresha K; Yun, Kiju; Yang, Sang Yeol; Maniruzzaman, Mohammad

    2010-01-01

    Recently, cellulose has been re-discovered as a smart material that can be used as sensor and actuator materials, which is termed electro-active paper (EAPap). This paper reports recent advances in paper actuators made with cellulose and hybrid materials such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes, conducting polymers and ionic liquids. Two distinct actuator principles in EAPap actuators are demonstrated: piezoelectric effect and ion migration effect in cellulose. Piezoelectricity of cellulose EAPap is quite comparable with other piezoelectric polymers. But, it is biodegradable, biocompatible, mechanically strong and thermally stable. To enhance ion migration effect in the cellulose, polypyrrole conducting polymer and ionic liquids were nanocoated on the cellulose film. This hybrid cellulose EAPap nanocomposite exhibits durable bending actuation in an ambient humidity and temperature condition. Fabrication, characteristics and performance of the cellulose EAPap and its hybrid EAPap materials are illustrated. Also, its possibility for remotely microwave-driven paper actuator is demonstrated.

  3. Composite multi-modal vibration control for a stiffened plate using non-collocated acceleration sensor and piezoelectric actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Shengquan; Li, Juan; Mo, Yueping; Zhao, Rong

    2014-01-01

    A novel active method for multi-mode vibration control of an all-clamped stiffened plate (ACSP) is proposed in this paper, using the extended-state-observer (ESO) approach based on non-collocated acceleration sensors and piezoelectric actuators. Considering the estimated capacity of ESO for system state variables, output superposition and control coupling of other modes, external excitation, and model uncertainties simultaneously, a composite control method, i.e., the ESO based vibration control scheme, is employed to ensure the lumped disturbances and uncertainty rejection of the closed-loop system. The phenomenon of phase hysteresis and time delay, caused by non-collocated sensor/actuator pairs, degrades the performance of the control system, even inducing instability. To solve this problem, a simple proportional differential (PD) controller and acceleration feed-forward with an output predictor design produce the control law for each vibration mode. The modal frequencies, phase hysteresis loops and phase lag values due to non-collocated placement of the acceleration sensor and piezoelectric patch actuator are experimentally obtained, and the phase lag is compensated by using the Smith Predictor technology. In order to improve the vibration control performance, the chaos optimization method based on logistic mapping is employed to auto-tune the parameters of the feedback channel. The experimental control system for the ACSP is tested using the dSPACE real-time simulation platform. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed composite active control algorithm is an effective approach for suppressing multi-modal vibrations. (paper)

  4. Deflection control of functionally graded material beams with bonded piezoelectric sensors and actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gharib, Ahmad; Salehi, Manouchehr; Fazeli, Saeed

    2008-01-01

    An analytical solution is developed for analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) beams containing two layers of piezoelectric material, used as sensor and actuator. The properties of FGM layer are functionally graded in the thickness direction according to the volume fraction power law distribution. The equations of motion are derived by using Hamilton's principle, based on the first-order shear deformation theory. By using a displacement potential function, and assumption of harmonic vibration, the equations of motion have been solved analytically. Finally, the effects of FGM constituent volume fraction in the peak responses for various volume fraction indexes have been graphically illustrated

  5. Thickness dependence of voltage-driven magnetization switching in FeCo/PI/piezoelectric actuator heterostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, B. S.; Guo, X. B.; Wu, K.; Li, D.; Zuo, Y. L.; Xi, L.

    2016-03-01

    Strain mediated magnetization switching of ferromagnetic/substrate/piezoelectric actuator heterostructures has become a hot issue due to the advantage of low-power consumption. In this work, Fe65Co35 thin films were deposited on a flexible polyamides (PI) substrate, which has quite low Young’s module (~4 GPa for PI as compared to ~180 GPa for Si) and benefits from complete transfer of the strain from the piezoelectric actuator to magnetic thin films. A complete 90° transition of the magnetic easy axis was realized in 50 nm thick FeCo films under the voltage of 70 V, while a less than 90° rotation angle of the magnetic easy axis direction was observed in other samples, which was ascribed to the distribution of the anisotropy field and/or the orthogonal misalignment between stress induced anisotropy and original uniaxial anisotropy. A model considering two uniaxial anisotropies with orthogonal arrangement was used to quantitatively understand the observed results and the linear-like voltage dependent anisotropy field, especially for 10 nm FeCo films, in which the switching mechanism along the easy axis direction can be explained by the domain wall depinning model. It indicates that the magnetic domain-wall movement velocity may be controlled by strain through tuning the energy barrier of the pinning in heterostructures. Moreover, voltage-driven 90° magnetization switching with low-power consumption was achieved in this work.

  6. Thickness dependence of voltage-driven magnetization switching in FeCo/PI/piezoelectric actuator heterostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cui, B S; Guo, X B; Wu, K; Li, D; Zuo, Y L; Xi, L

    2016-01-01

    Strain mediated magnetization switching of ferromagnetic/substrate/piezoelectric actuator heterostructures has become a hot issue due to the advantage of low-power consumption. In this work, Fe 65 Co 35 thin films were deposited on a flexible polyamides (PI) substrate, which has quite low Young’s module (∼4 GPa for PI as compared to ∼180 GPa for Si) and benefits from complete transfer of the strain from the piezoelectric actuator to magnetic thin films. A complete 90° transition of the magnetic easy axis was realized in 50 nm thick FeCo films under the voltage of 70 V, while a less than 90° rotation angle of the magnetic easy axis direction was observed in other samples, which was ascribed to the distribution of the anisotropy field and/or the orthogonal misalignment between stress induced anisotropy and original uniaxial anisotropy. A model considering two uniaxial anisotropies with orthogonal arrangement was used to quantitatively understand the observed results and the linear-like voltage dependent anisotropy field, especially for 10 nm FeCo films, in which the switching mechanism along the easy axis direction can be explained by the domain wall depinning model. It indicates that the magnetic domain-wall movement velocity may be controlled by strain through tuning the energy barrier of the pinning in heterostructures. Moreover, voltage-driven 90° magnetization switching with low-power consumption was achieved in this work. (paper)

  7. Structure–performance relationships for cantilever-type piezoelectric energy harvesters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Kyung-Hoon; Park, Hwi-Yeol; Heo, Jin S.; Priya, Shashank

    2014-01-01

    This study provides comprehensive analysis of the structure–performance relationships in cantilever-type piezoelectric energy harvesters. It provides full understanding of the effect of all the practical global control variables on the harvester performance. The control variables considered for the analysis were material parameters, areal and volumetric dimensions, and configuration of the inactive and active layers. Experimentally, the output power density of the harvester was maximum when the shape of the beam was close to a square for a constant bending stiffness and a fixed beam area. Through analytical modeling of the effective stiffness for the piezoelectric bimorph, the conditions for enhancing the bending stiffness within the same beam volume as that of a conventional bimorph were identified. The harvester configuration with beam aspect ratio of 0.86 utilizing distributed inactive layers exhibited an giant output power of 52.5 mW and power density of 28.5 mW cm −3 at 30 Hz under 6.9 m s −2 excitation. The analysis further indicates that the trend in the output power with varying damping ratio is dissimilar to that of the efficiency. In order to realize best performance, the harvester should be designed with respect to maximizing the magnitude of output power.

  8. Optimal materials selection for bimaterial piezoelectric microactuators

    OpenAIRE

    Srinivasan, P.; Spearing, S.M.

    2008-01-01

    Piezoelectric actuation is one of the commonly employed actuation schemes in microsystems. This paper focuses on identifying and ranking promising active material/substrate combinations for bimaterial piezoelectric (BPE) microactuators based on their performance. The mechanics of BPE structures following simple beam theory assumptions available in the literature are applied to evolve critical performance metrics which govern the materials selection process. Contours of equal performance are p...

  9. A 3D scanning laser endoscope architecture utilizing a circular piezoelectric membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khayatzadeh, Ramin; Çivitci, Fehmi; Ferhanoğlu, Onur

    2017-12-01

    A piezo-scanning fiber endoscopic device architecture is proposed for 3D imaging or ablation. The endoscopic device consists of a piezoelectric membrane that is placed perpendicular to the optical axis, a fiber optic cable that extends out from and actuated by the piezoelectric membrane, and one or multiple lenses for beam delivery and collection. Unlike its counterparts that utilize piezoelectric cylinders for fiber actuation, the proposed architecture offers quasi-static actuation in the axial direction along with resonant actuation in the lateral directions forming a 3D scanning pattern, allowing adjustment of the focus plane. The actuation of the four-quadrant piezoelectric membrane involves driving of two orthogonal electrodes with AC signals for lateral scanning, while simultaneously driving all electrodes for axial scanning and focus adjustment. We have characterized piezoelectric membranes (5 -15mm diameter) with varying sizes to monitor axial displacement behavior with respect to applied DC voltage. We also demonstrate simultaneous lateral and axial actuation on a resolution target, and observe the change of lateral resolution on a selected plane through performing 1D cross-sectional images, as an indicator of focal shift through axial actuation. Based on experimental results, we identify the optical and geometrical parameters for optimal 3D imaging of tissue samples. Our findings reveal that a simple piezoelectric membrane, having comparable dimensions and drive voltage requirement with off-the-shelf MEMS scanner chips, offers tissue epithelial imaging with sub-cellular resolution.

  10. Piezoelectrically Actuated Robotic System for MRI-Guided Prostate Percutaneous Therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Hao; Shang, Weijian; Cole, Gregory; Li, Gang; Harrington, Kevin; Camilo, Alexander; Tokuda, Junichi; Tempany, Clare M.; Hata, Nobuhiko; Fischer, Gregory S.

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a fully-actuated robotic system for percutaneous prostate therapy under continuously acquired live magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance. The system is composed of modular hardware and software to support the surgical workflow of intra-operative MRI-guided surgical procedures. We present the development of a 6-degree-of-freedom (DOF) needle placement robot for transperineal prostate interventions. The robot consists of a 3-DOF needle driver module and a 3-DOF Cartesian motion module. The needle driver provides needle cannula translation and rotation (2-DOF) and stylet translation (1-DOF). A custom robot controller consisting of multiple piezoelectric motor drivers provides precision closed-loop control of piezoelectric motors and enables simultaneous robot motion and MR imaging. The developed modular robot control interface software performs image-based registration, kinematics calculation, and exchanges robot commands and coordinates between the navigation software and the robot controller with a new implementation of the open network communication protocol OpenIGTLink. Comprehensive compatibility of the robot is evaluated inside a 3-Tesla MRI scanner using standard imaging sequences and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss is limited to 15%. The image deterioration due to the present and motion of robot demonstrates unobservable image interference. Twenty-five targeted needle placements inside gelatin phantoms utilizing an 18-gauge ceramic needle demonstrated 0.87 mm root mean square (RMS) error in 3D Euclidean distance based on MRI volume segmentation of the image-guided robotic needle placement procedure. PMID:26412962

  11. Nonmagnetic driver for piezoelectric actuators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ekhtiari, Marzieh

    2014-01-01

    actuator drive is the only form-fit continuous drive solution currently available for the development of high performance nonmagnetic motors. In this research focus will be on the non magnetic compact high efficiency driver for the piezo actuators and on employing energy recovery from the capacitive...

  12. Theoretical analysis of dynamic property for piezoelectric cantilever triple-layer benders with large piezoelectric and electromechanical coupling coefficients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Jiao Gong

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Ferroelectric single crystals, such as PZN-PT, provide novel prospects in piezoelectric bending devices such as actuators, sensors or energy harvesters because of their extraordinarily large piezoelectric coefficients. However, large errors may occur in some analyses on electromechanical behaviors using the conventional models. We find the bending rigidity of piezoelectric composited bender is affected not only by thickness, width and the modulus of elasticity of the different layers but also electromechanical coupling coefficients (EMCCs of the piezoelectric material and the larger EMCCs mean more marked effect. This paper focuses on the derivation of the applied input excitation and output response characteristics in the circular frequency domain for piezoelectric cantilever triple-layer benders (PCTBs, taking into account the secondary piezoelectric effect. Analytic dynamic descriptions of such actuators and transducers are obtained. Based on the presented models dynamic features of PCTB composed of PZN-8%PT are calculated, and numerical results coincide with simulations using the finite element method (FEM.

  13. High Temperature Piezoelectric Drill

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Xiaoqi; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Sherrit, Stewart; Badescu, Mircea; Shrout, Tom

    2012-01-01

    Venus is one of the planets in the solar systems that are considered for potential future exploration missions. It has extreme environment where the average temperature is 460 deg C and its ambient pressure is about 90 atm. Since the existing actuation technology cannot maintain functionality under the harsh conditions of Venus, it is a challenge to perform sampling and other tasks that require the use of moving parts. Specifically, the currently available electromagnetic actuators are limited in their ability to produce sufficiently high stroke, torque, or force. In contrast, advances in developing electro-mechanical materials (such as piezoelectric and electrostrictive) have enabled potential actuation capabilities that can be used to support such missions. Taking advantage of these materials, we developed a piezoelectric actuated drill that operates at the temperature range up to 500 deg C and the mechanism is based on the Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corer (USDC) configuration. The detailed results of our study are presented in this paper

  14. Hysteresis compensation of the Prandtl-Ishlinskii model for piezoelectric actuators using modified particle swarm optimization with chaotic map.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Zhili; Wang, Rui; Fang, Jiwen; Dai, Xufei; Li, Zuohua

    2017-07-01

    Piezoelectric actuators invariably exhibit hysteresis nonlinearities that tend to become significant under the open-loop condition and could cause oscillations and errors in nanometer-positioning tasks. Chaotic map modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO) is proposed and implemented to identify the Prandtl-Ishlinskii model for piezoelectric actuators. Hysteresis compensation is attained through application of an inverse Prandtl-Ishlinskii model, in which the parameters are formulated based on the original model with chaotic map MPSO. To strengthen the diversity and improve the searching ergodicity of the swarm, an initial method of adaptive inertia weight based on a chaotic map is proposed. To compare and prove that the swarm's convergence occurs before stochastic initialization and to attain an optimal particle swarm optimization algorithm, the parameters of a proportional-integral-derivative controller are searched using self-tuning, and the simulated results are used to verify the search effectiveness of chaotic map MPSO. The results show that chaotic map MPSO is superior to its competitors for identifying the Prandtl-Ishlinskii model and that the inverse Prandtl-Ishlinskii model can provide hysteresis compensation under different conditions in a simple and effective manner.

  15. Characterization of a piezoelectric MEMS actuator surface toward motion-enabled reconfigurable RF circuits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tellers, M. C.; Pulskamp, J. S.; Bedair, S. S.; Rudy, R. Q.; Kierzewski, I. M.; Polcawich, R. G.; Bergbreiter, S. E.

    2018-03-01

    As an alternative to highly constrained hard-wired reconfigurable RF circuits, a motion-enabled reconfigurable circuit (MERC) offers freedom from transmission line losses and homogeneous materials selection. The creation of a successful MERC requires a precise mechanical mechanism for relocating components. In this work, a piezoelectric MEMS actuator array is modeled and experimentally characterized to assess its viability as a solution to the MERC concept. Actuation and design parameters are evaluated, and the repeatability of high quality on-axis motion at greater than 1 mm s-1 is demonstrated with little positional error. Finally, an initial proof-of-concept circuit reconfiguration has been demonstrated using off-the-shelf RF filter components. Although initial feasibility tests show filter performance degradation with an additional insertion loss of 0.3 dB per contact, out-of-band rejection degradation as high as 10 dB, and ripple performance reduction from 0.25 dB to 1.5 dB, MERC is proven here as an alternative to traditional approaches used in reconfigurable RF circuit applications.

  16. Smart helicopter rotors optimization and piezoelectric vibration control

    CERN Document Server

    Ganguli, Ranjan; Viswamurthy, Sathyamangalam Ramanarayanan

    2016-01-01

    Exploiting the properties of piezoelectric materials to minimize vibration in rotor-blade actuators, this book demonstrates the potential of smart helicopter rotors to achieve the smoothness of ride associated with jet-engined, fixed-wing aircraft. Vibration control is effected using the concepts of trailing-edge flaps and active-twist. The authors’ optimization-based approach shows the advantage of multiple trailing-edge flaps and algorithms for full-authority control of dual trailing-edge-flap actuators are presented. Hysteresis nonlinearity in piezoelectric stack actuators is highlighted and compensated by use of another algorithm. The idea of response surfaces provides for optimal placement of trailing-edge flaps. The concept of active twist involves the employment of piezoelectrically induced shear actuation in rotating beams. Shear is then demonstrated for a thin-walled aerofoil-section rotor blade under feedback-control vibration minimization. Active twist is shown to be significant in reducing vibra...

  17. Large aperture deformable mirror with a transferred single-crystal silicon membrane actuated using large-stroke PZT Unimorph Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hishinumat, Yoshikazu; Yang, Eui - Hyeok (EH)

    2005-01-01

    We have demonstrated a large aperture (50 mm x 50 mm) continuous membrane deformable mirror (DM) with a large-stroke piezoelectric unimorph actuator array. The DM consists of a continuous, large aperture, silicon membrane 'transferred' in its entirety onto a 20 x 20 piezoelectric unimorph actuator array. A PZT unimorph actuator, 2.5 mm in diameter with optimized PZT/Si thickness and design showed a deflection of 5.7 [m at 20V. An assembled DM showed an operating frequency bandwidth of 30 kHz and influence function of approximately 30%.

  18. Piezoelectric Transformer Characterization and Application of Electronic Ballast

    OpenAIRE

    Lin, Ray-Lee

    2001-01-01

    The characterization and modeling of piezoelectric transformers are studied and developed for use in electronic ballasts. By replacing conventional L-C resonant tanks with piezoelectric transformers, inductor-less piezoelectric transformer electronic ballasts have been developed for use in fluorescent lamps. The piezoelectric transformer is a combination of piezoelectric actuators as the primary side and piezoelectric transducers as the secondary side, both of which work in longitudinal o...

  19. Vibration Attenuation by a Combination of a Piezoelectric Stack and a Permanent Magnet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Nandi

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The present work proposes a non-contact vibration attenuator made up of a permanent magnet mounted on a piezoelectric stack. Two such actuators are made to work simultaneously in a 'twin-actuator' configuration. It is conceived that a controlled change in the gap between the actuator and the structure is capable of attenuation of vibration of the structure. This appropriate change in gap is achieved by controlled motion of the piezoelectric stacks. It is shown that the actuator works as an active damper when the extension and contraction of the actuators are made proportional to the velocity of the beam. The resolution of extension of a piezoelectric stack is in the order of nanometers. Thus in the proposed actuator the force of actuation can be applied with great precision. This actuator is also attractive for its simple constructional feature.

  20. Bimorph mirrors: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcock, Simon G.; Sutter, John P.; Sawhney, Kawal J. S.; Hall, David R.; McAuley, Katherine; Sorensen, Thomas

    2013-05-01

    Bimorph mirrors are widely used by the X-ray, Laser, Space, and Astronomy communities to focus or collimate photon beams. Applying voltages to the embedded piezo ceramics enables the user to globally bend the optical substrate to a range of figures (including cylindrical, parabolic, and elliptical), and finely correct low spatial frequency errors, thus improving optical performance. Bimorph mirrors are employed on numerous synchrotron X-ray beamlines, including several at Diamond Light Source. However, many such beamlines were not achieving the desired size and shape of the reflected X-ray beam. Metrology data from ex-situ, slope measuring profilometry (using the Diamond-NOM) and in-situ, synchrotron X-ray "pencil-beam" scans, revealed sharp defects on the optical substrate directly above the locations at which the piezo ceramics are bonded together. This so-called "junction effect" has been observed on a variety of bimorph mirrors with different numbers of piezos, substrate length, and thickness. To repair this damage, three pairs of bimorph mirrors were re-polished at Thales-SESO. We review the re-polishing process, and show that it successfully removed the junction effect, and significantly improved beamline performance. Since the internal structure of the bimorph mirrors was not modified during re-polishing, it is hoped that the mirrors will retain their surface quality, and remain operational for many years. We also highlight the combination of super-polishing techniques with bimorph technology to create the "Ultimate" mirror, and discuss a next generation, bimorph mirror which is predicted not to suffer from the junction effect.

  1. Bimorph mirrors: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alcock, Simon G.; Sutter, John P.; Sawhney, Kawal J.S.; Hall, David R.; McAuley, Katherine; Sorensen, Thomas

    2013-01-01

    Bimorph mirrors are widely used by the X-ray, Laser, Space, and Astronomy communities to focus or collimate photon beams. Applying voltages to the embedded piezo ceramics enables the user to globally bend the optical substrate to a range of figures (including cylindrical, parabolic, and elliptical), and finely correct low spatial frequency errors, thus improving optical performance. Bimorph mirrors are employed on numerous synchrotron X-ray beamlines, including several at Diamond Light Source. However, many such beamlines were not achieving the desired size and shape of the reflected X-ray beam. Metrology data from ex-situ, slope measuring profilometry (using the Diamond-NOM) and in-situ, synchrotron X-ray “pencil-beam” scans, revealed sharp defects on the optical substrate directly above the locations at which the piezo ceramics are bonded together. This so-called “junction effect” has been observed on a variety of bimorph mirrors with different numbers of piezos, substrate length, and thickness. To repair this damage, three pairs of bimorph mirrors were re-polished at Thales-SESO. We review the re-polishing process, and show that it successfully removed the junction effect, and significantly improved beamline performance. Since the internal structure of the bimorph mirrors was not modified during re-polishing, it is hoped that the mirrors will retain their surface quality, and remain operational for many years. We also highlight the combination of super-polishing techniques with bimorph technology to create the “Ultimate” mirror, and discuss a next generation, bimorph mirror which is predicted not to suffer from the junction effect

  2. Piezoelectric Motors, an Overview

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karl Spanner

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric motors are used in many industrial and commercial applications. Various piezoelectric motors are available in the market. All of the piezoelectric motors use the inverse piezoelectric effect, where microscopically small oscillatory motions are converted into continuous or stepping rotary or linear motions. Methods of obtaining long moving distance have various drive and functional principles that make these motors categorized into three groups: resonance-drive (piezoelectric ultrasonic motors, inertia-drive, and piezo-walk-drive. In this review, a comprehensive summary of piezoelectric motors, with their classification from initial idea to recent progress, is presented. This review also includes some of the industrial and commercial applications of piezoelectric motors that are presently available in the market as actuators.

  3. Structural control by the use of piezoelectric active members

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fanson, J. L.; Chen, J.-C.

    1987-01-01

    Large Space Structures (LSS) exhibit characteristics which make the LSS control problem different form other control problems. LSS will most likely exhibit low frequency, densely spaced and lightly damped modes. In theory, the number of these modes is infinite. Because these structures are flexible, Vibration Suppression (VS) is an important aspect of LSS operation. In terms of VS, the control actuators should be as low mass as possible, have infinite bandwidth, and be electrically powered. It is proposed that actuators be built into the structure as dual purpose structural elements. A piezoelectric active member is proposed for the control of LSS. Such a device would consist of a piezoelectric actuator and sensor for measuring strain, and screwjack actuator in series for use in quasi-static shape control. An experiment simulates an active member using piezoelectric ceramic thin sheet material on a thin, uniform cantilever beam. The feasibility of using the piezoelectric materials for VS on LSS was demonstrated. Positive positive feedback as a VS control strategy was implemented. Multi-mode VS was achieved with dramatic reduction in dynamic response.

  4. Switching sliding mode force tracking control of piezoelectric-hydraulic pump-based friction element actuation systems for automotive transmissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Gi-Woo; Wang, K. W.

    2009-08-01

    In this study, a nonlinear sliding-mode controller is designed for force tracking of a piezoelectric-hydraulic pump (PHP)-based actuation system, which is developed to replace the current electro-hydraulic actuation systems for automatic transmission (AT) friction elements, such as band brakes or clutches. By utilizing the PHP, one can eliminate the various hydraulic components (oil pump, regulating valve and control valve) in current ATs and achieve a simpler configuration with more efficient operation. With the derived governing equation of motion of the PHP-based actuation system integrated with the friction element (band brake), a switching control law is synthesized based on the sliding-mode theory. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed control law, its force tracking performance for the engagement of a friction element during an AT 1\\to 2 up-shift is examined experimentally. It is shown that one can successfully track the desired force trajectory for AT shift control with small tracking error. This study demonstrates the potential of the PHP as a new controllable actuation system for AT friction elements.

  5. Switching sliding mode force tracking control of piezoelectric-hydraulic pump-based friction element actuation systems for automotive transmissions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Gi-Woo; Wang, K W

    2009-01-01

    In this study, a nonlinear sliding-mode controller is designed for force tracking of a piezoelectric-hydraulic pump (PHP)-based actuation system, which is developed to replace the current electro-hydraulic actuation systems for automatic transmission (AT) friction elements, such as band brakes or clutches. By utilizing the PHP, one can eliminate the various hydraulic components (oil pump, regulating valve and control valve) in current ATs and achieve a simpler configuration with more efficient operation. With the derived governing equation of motion of the PHP-based actuation system integrated with the friction element (band brake), a switching control law is synthesized based on the sliding-mode theory. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed control law, its force tracking performance for the engagement of a friction element during an AT 1→2 up-shift is examined experimentally. It is shown that one can successfully track the desired force trajectory for AT shift control with small tracking error. This study demonstrates the potential of the PHP as a new controllable actuation system for AT friction elements

  6. Silicon-based micromembranes with piezoelectric actuation and piezoresistive detection for sensing purposes in liquid media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alava, T; Mathieu, F; Mazenq, L; Nicu, L; Soyer, C; Remiens, D

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, the authors report for the first time the physical cointegration of piezoelectric actuation and piezoresistive detection on resonating micromembranes dedicated to microgravimetric biosensing applications. The micromembranes are oscillated by a reverse piezoelectric phenomenon provided by a PbZr x Ti 1−x O 3 46/54 thin layer. The oscillation amplitudes are read-out by measuring the resistance change of piezoresistors precisely located on the clamped edges of each micromembrane. The detection of the micromembranes' resonant frequencies is reported in air and deionized water. A dedicated electronic set-up operating the micromembranes in a closed-loop configuration is described. The set-up enables multiplexed tracking of four micromembranes' resonant frequencies in liquid media while enhancing the corresponding quality factors' values. Increases up to 11-fold of the micromembranes' quality factors in liquid is reported for the (0,1) vibration mode. A quality factor of up to 417 is reported in fluid.

  7. Relaxor-PT Single Crystal Piezoelectric Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoning Jiang

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Relaxor-PbTiO3 piezoelectric single crystals have been widely used in a broad range of electromechanical devices, including piezoelectric sensors, actuators, and transducers. This paper reviews the unique properties of these single crystals for piezoelectric sensors. Design, fabrication and characterization of various relaxor-PT single crystal piezoelectric sensors and their applications are presented and compared with their piezoelectric ceramic counterparts. Newly applicable fields and future trends of relaxor-PT sensors are also suggested in this review paper.

  8. Active Damping of a Piezoelectric Tube Scanner using Self-Sensing Piezo Actuation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuiper, S.; Schitter, G.

    2010-01-01

    In most Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM), a piezoelectric tube scanner is used to position the sample underneath the measurement probe. Oscillations stemming from the weakly damped resonances of the tube scanner are a major source of image distortion, putting a limitation on the achievable imaging speed. This paper demonstrates active damping of these oscillations in multiple scanning axes without the need for additional position sensors. By connecting the tube scanner in a capacitive bridge circuit the scanner oscillations can be measured in both scanning axes, using the same piezo material as an actuator and sensor simultaneously. In order to compensate for circuit imbalance caused by hysteresis in the piezo element, an adaptive balancing circuit is used. The obtained measurement signal is used for feedback control, reducing the resonance peaks in both scanning axes by 18 dB and the cross-coupling at those frequencies by 30 dB. Experimental results demonstrate a significant reduction in scanner oscillations when applying the typical triangular scanning signals, as well as a strong reduction in coupling induced oscillations. Recorded AFM images show a considerable reduction in image distortion due to the proposed control method, enabling artifact free AFM imaging at a speed of 122 lines per second with a standard piezoelectric tube scanner. PMID:26412944

  9. Distributed parameter modeling to prevent charge cancellation for discrete thickness piezoelectric energy harvester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnasamy, M.; Qian, Feng; Zuo, Lei; Lenka, T. R.

    2018-03-01

    The charge cancellation due to the change of strain along single continuous piezoelectric layer can remarkably affect the performance of a cantilever based harvester. In this paper, analytical models using distributed parameters are developed with some extent of averting the charge cancellation in cantilever piezoelectric transducer where the piezoelectric layers are segmented at strain nodes of concerned vibration mode. The electrode of piezoelectric segments are parallelly connected with a single external resistive load in the 1st model (Model 1). While each bimorph piezoelectric layers are connected in parallel to a resistor to form an independent circuit in the 2nd model (Model 2). The analytical expressions of the closed-form electromechanical coupling responses in frequency domain under harmonic base excitation are derived based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam assumption for both models. The developed analytical models are validated by COMSOL and experimental results. The results demonstrate that the energy harvesting performance of the developed segmented piezoelectric layer models is better than the traditional model of continuous piezoelectric layer.

  10. Miniature Inchworm Actuators Fabricated by Use of LIGA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Eui-Hyeok

    2003-01-01

    Miniature inchworm actuators that would have relatively simple designs have been proposed for applications in which there are requirements for displacements of the order of microns or tens of microns and for the ability to hold their positions when electric power is not applied. The proposed actuators would be members of the class of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), but would be designed and fabricated following an approach that is somewhat unusual for MEMS. Like other MEMS actuators, the proposed inchworm actuators could utilize thermoplastic, bimetallic, shape-memory-alloy, or piezoelectric actuation principles. The figure depicts a piezoelectric inchworm actuator according to the proposal. As in other inchworm actuators, linear motion of an extensible member would be achieved by lengthening and shortening the extensible member in synchronism with alternately clamping and releasing one and then the other end of the member. In this case, the moving member would be the middle one; the member would be piezoelectric and would be shortened by applying a voltage to it. The two outer members would also be piezoelectric; the release of the clamps on the upper or lower end would be achieved by applying a voltage to the electrodes on the upper or lower ends, respectively, of these members. Usually, MEMS actuators cannot be fabricated directly on the side walls of silicon wafers, yet the geometry of this actuator necessitates such fabrication. The solution, according to the proposal, would be to use the microfabrication technique known by the German acronym LIGA - "lithographie, galvanoformung, abformung," which means lithography, electroforming, molding. LIGA involves x-ray lithography of a polymer film followed by selective removal of material to form a three-dimensional pattern from which a mold is made. Among the advantages of LIGA for this purpose are that it is applicable to a broad range of materials, can be used to implement a variety of designs, including

  11. A Novel Hybrid Error Criterion-Based Active Control Method for on-Line Milling Vibration Suppression with Piezoelectric Actuators and Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xingwu Zhang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Milling vibration is one of the most serious factors affecting machining quality and precision. In this paper a novel hybrid error criterion-based frequency-domain LMS active control method is constructed and used for vibration suppression of milling processes by piezoelectric actuators and sensors, in which only one Fast Fourier Transform (FFT is used and no Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT is involved. The correction formulas are derived by a steepest descent procedure and the control parameters are analyzed and optimized. Then, a novel hybrid error criterion is constructed to improve the adaptability, reliability and anti-interference ability of the constructed control algorithm. Finally, based on piezoelectric actuators and acceleration sensors, a simulation of a spindle and a milling process experiment are presented to verify the proposed method. Besides, a protection program is added in the control flow to enhance the reliability of the control method in applications. The simulation and experiment results indicate that the proposed method is an effective and reliable way for on-line vibration suppression, and the machining quality can be obviously improved.

  12. THE EFFECT OF ADDITION OF Nd3 + ON DIELECTRIC ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    31 déc. 2011 ... ... Cao W. Piezoelectric bimorph coupled to thin metal plate as cooling fan for electronic devices, Sensors and actuators. 2000, 79, 8-19. [5] Rukmini H. R., Choudhary R. N. P., Habhakara D. L. Sintering temperature dependent ferroelectric phase transition of Pb0.91(La1-z/3 Liz)0.09(Zr0.65Ti0.35)0.9775O3,.

  13. Theoretical and experimental studies on the electric impedance of active piezoelectric sensors bonded on cracked beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuang, Y D; Chen, C Y; Shi, S Q; Chan, P K L; He, X Q

    2010-01-01

    The electric impedance of symmetrically surface-bonded piezoelectric sensors on a cracked beam is studied. To investigate the effect of the crack on the electric impedance in a convenient fashion, an analytical expression is derived that is correlated to the physical parameters of the crack and the host beam. The beam segment covered with piezoelectric patches and the cracked region are regarded as a bimorph segment and an equivalent spring, respectively, and the entire beam system is then represented by three elastic beam segments and a bimorph segment together with the spring. Electric impedance experiments are also conducted for uncracked beams and for cracked beams with single-edge or double-edge cracks. The experimental results agree with those generated by the analytical expression. The crack depth has little effect on the corresponding mode frequency for cracks located at the mode node of a beam. For cracks located away from the mode node, the corresponding mode frequency decreases as the crack depth increases. Moreover, the closer the crack to the anti-node of the mode, the greater the decrease in the corresponding mode frequency. The mechanism of these changes is discussed. The findings should prove helpful for structural health monitoring using active piezoelectric sensors

  14. Magnetic plucking of piezoelectric bimorphs for a wearable energy harvester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pozzi, Michele

    2016-04-01

    A compact and low-profile energy harvester designed to be worn on the outside of the knee-joint is presented. Frequency up-conversion has been widely adopted in recent times to exploit the high frequency response of piezoelectric transducers within environments where only low frequencies are present. Contactless magnetic plucking is here introduced, in a variable reluctance framework, with the aim of improving the mechanical energy transfer into the transducers, which is sub-optimal with contact plucking. FEA and experiments were used to design an optimal arrangement of ferromagnetic teeth to interact with the magnets fixed to the piezoelectric beams. A prototype was made and extensively tested in a knee-joint simulator controlled with gait data available in the literature. Energy and power produced were measured for walking and running steps. A power management unit was developed using off-the-shelf components, permitting the generation of a stable and regulated supply of 26 mW at 3.3 V during walking. Record levels of rectified (unregulated) electrical power of over 50 and 70 mW per walking and running steps, respectively, were measured.

  15. Giant piezoelectricity on Si for hyperactive MEMS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baek, S H; Park, J; Kim, D M; Aksyuk, V A; Das, R R; Bu, S D; Felker, D A; Lettieri, J; Vaithyanathan, V; Bharadwaja, S S N; Bassiri-Gharb, N; Chen, Y B; Sun, H P; Folkman, C M; Jang, H W; Kreft, D J; Streiffer, S K; Ramesh, R; Pan, X Q; Trolier-McKinstry, S; Schlom, D G; Rzchowski, M S; Blick, R H; Eom, C B

    2011-11-18

    Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) incorporating active piezoelectric layers offer integrated actuation, sensing, and transduction. The broad implementation of such active MEMS has long been constrained by the inability to integrate materials with giant piezoelectric response, such as Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O(3)-PbTiO(3) (PMN-PT). We synthesized high-quality PMN-PT epitaxial thin films on vicinal (001) Si wafers with the use of an epitaxial (001) SrTiO(3) template layer with superior piezoelectric coefficients (e(31,f) = -27 ± 3 coulombs per square meter) and figures of merit for piezoelectric energy-harvesting systems. We have incorporated these heterostructures into microcantilevers that are actuated with extremely low drive voltage due to thin-film piezoelectric properties that rival bulk PMN-PT single crystals. These epitaxial heterostructures exhibit very large electromechanical coupling for ultrasound medical imaging, microfluidic control, mechanical sensing, and energy harvesting.

  16. Dielectric Actuation of Polymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Xiaofan

    in tactile display is investigated by the prototyping of a large scale refreshable Braille display device. Braille is a critical way for the vision impaired community to learn literacy and improve life quality. Current piezoelectrics-based refreshable Braille display technologies are limited to up to 1 line of Braille text, due to the bulky size of bimorph actuators. Based on the unique actuation feature of BSEP, refreshable Braille display devices up to smartphone-size have been demonstrated by polymer sheet laminates. Dots in the devices can be individually controlled via incorporated field-driven BSEP actuators and Joule heater units. A composite material consisting of silver nanowires (AgNW) embedded in a polymer substrate is brought up as a compliant electrode candidate for BSEP application. The AgNW composite is highly conductive (Rs: 10 Ω/sq) and remains conductive at strains as high as 140% (Rs: <10 3 Ω/sq). The baseline conductivity has only small changes up to 90% strain, which makes it low enough for both field driving and stretchable Joule heating. An out-of-plane bistable area strain up to 68% under Joule heating is achieved.

  17. Development of Cell Culture Microdevice Actuated by Piezoelectric Thin Films for Delivering Mechanical Vibratory Stimuli to Cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Y; Umegaki, G; Kawashima, T; Nagai, M; Shibata, T; Masuzawa, T; Kimura, T; Kishida, A

    2012-01-01

    In order to realize a cell culture microdevice actuated by piezoelectric thin films for on-chip regulation of cell functions, this paper reported on a feasibility study by using the microdevice with KOH-etched cavities surrounded by four (111) sidewalls as microchambers in order to introduce cells to be cultured. As a result, the vibration characteristic of the PZT actuator was improved by using an electric field -150 kV/cm at 70 C for 30 min in poling process. A feasibility study on cell culture for delivering mechanical vibratory stimuli to cells revealed the microdevice could be applicable to the culture with actual biological cells. In addition, it was found that O 2 -plasma treated parylene-C process could be applicable for obtaining homogeneous surface of cell culture microdevice.

  18. An experimental evaluation of the fully coupled hysteretic electro-mechanical behaviour of piezoelectric actuators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Butcher, Mark [Department of Engineering, CERN, 1211 Geneva (Switzerland); Davino, Daniele, E-mail: davino@unisannio.it [Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Benevento (Italy); Giustiniani, Alessandro; Masi, Alessandro [Department of Engineering, CERN, 1211 Geneva (Switzerland)

    2016-04-01

    Piezoelectrics are the most commonly used of the multifunctional smart materials in industrial applications, because of their relatively low cost and ease of use in electric and electronic oriented applications. Nevertheless, while datasheets usually give just small signal quasi-static parameters, their full potential can only be exploited only if a full characterization is available because the maximum stroke or the higher piezo coupling coefficients are available at different electro-mechanical biases, where often small signal analysis is not valid. In this paper a method to get the quasi-static fully coupled characterization is presented. The method is tested on a commercial piezo actuator but can be extended to similar devices.

  19. Real-space post-processing correction of thermal drift and piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities in scanning tunneling microscope images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yothers, Mitchell P.; Browder, Aaron E.; Bumm, Lloyd A.

    2017-01-01

    We have developed a real-space method to correct distortion due to thermal drift and piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities on scanning tunneling microscope images using Matlab. The method uses the known structures typically present in high-resolution atomic and molecularly resolved images as an internal standard. Each image feature (atom or molecule) is first identified in the image. The locations of each feature's nearest neighbors are used to measure the local distortion at that location. The local distortion map across the image is simultaneously fit to our distortion model, which includes thermal drift in addition to piezoelectric actuator hysteresis and creep. The image coordinates of the features and image pixels are corrected using an inverse transform from the distortion model. We call this technique the thermal-drift, hysteresis, and creep transform. Performing the correction in real space allows defects, domain boundaries, and step edges to be excluded with a spatial mask. Additional real-space image analyses are now possible with these corrected images. Using graphite(0001) as a model system, we show lattice fitting to the corrected image, averaged unit cell images, and symmetry-averaged unit cell images. Statistical analysis of the distribution of the image features around their best-fit lattice sites measures the aggregate noise in the image, which can be expressed as feature confidence ellipsoids.

  20. Real-space post-processing correction of thermal drift and piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities in scanning tunneling microscope images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yothers, Mitchell P; Browder, Aaron E; Bumm, Lloyd A

    2017-01-01

    We have developed a real-space method to correct distortion due to thermal drift and piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities on scanning tunneling microscope images using Matlab. The method uses the known structures typically present in high-resolution atomic and molecularly resolved images as an internal standard. Each image feature (atom or molecule) is first identified in the image. The locations of each feature's nearest neighbors are used to measure the local distortion at that location. The local distortion map across the image is simultaneously fit to our distortion model, which includes thermal drift in addition to piezoelectric actuator hysteresis and creep. The image coordinates of the features and image pixels are corrected using an inverse transform from the distortion model. We call this technique the thermal-drift, hysteresis, and creep transform. Performing the correction in real space allows defects, domain boundaries, and step edges to be excluded with a spatial mask. Additional real-space image analyses are now possible with these corrected images. Using graphite(0001) as a model system, we show lattice fitting to the corrected image, averaged unit cell images, and symmetry-averaged unit cell images. Statistical analysis of the distribution of the image features around their best-fit lattice sites measures the aggregate noise in the image, which can be expressed as feature confidence ellipsoids.

  1. A Comprehensive Piezoelectric Bending-Beam Model Inspired by Microaerial Vehicle Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szabo, Peter Andras Kovacs

    Microaerial vehicles are an up-and-coming area of robotics which is fuelled by modern understanding of the unsteady aerodynamics of insect flight and the development of new actuation technologies. In the past two decades computer simulations have aided in uncovering the lift mechanisms which flying insects use to stay aloft. Using these details, roboticists had begun using lightweight structures and high power density actuators to mimic the physical parameters and flapping kinematics of flying insects with the intent to recreate the dynamics of insect flight. One of the most important aspects of flapping-wing microaerial vehicles is the actuation method. Piezoelectric bending-beam actuators have been scaled up from MEMS technology for use in microaerial vehicle applications owing to their high power density and performance at low mass. The initial development toward the UTIAS Robotic Dragonfly, a microaerial vehicle platform using a piezoelectric-based actuator, is outlined. The components are fabricated from lightweight materials such as a carbon fibre frame, polymide film joints, and polyester film wings while the actuator is a piezoelectric bending-beam which was designed using existing mathematical models. The design and fabrication of the wings, actuator, transmission, and power supply are detailed. The prototypes are measured for lift generation using custom lift sensors which had undergone static and dynamic calibration for low-force, high-bandwidth measurement. Although the resulting lift curves qualitatively correspond with the literature, it was determined that more power was needed for lift-off to be achieved and existing piezoelectric models do not fully account for maximizing the force-deflection relationship. An extension to the existing Ballas model of piezoelectric bending-beam devices is derived. This modified Ballas model incorporates devices beyond constant width. Actuator performance limitations highlighted the need for a more comprehensive

  2. Analysis of smart beams with piezoelectric elements using impedance matrix and inverse Laplace transform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Guo-Qing; Miao, Xing-Yuan; Hu, Yuan-Tai; Wang, Ji

    2013-01-01

    A comprehensive study on smart beams with piezoelectric elements using an impedance matrix and the inverse Laplace transform is presented. Based on the authors’ previous work, the dynamics of some elements in beam-like smart structures are represented by impedance matrix equations, including a piezoelectric stack, a piezoelectric bimorph, an elastic straight beam or a circular curved beam. A further transform is applied to the impedance matrix to obtain a set of implicit transfer function matrices. Apart from the analytical solutions to the matrices of smart beams, one computation procedure is proposed to obtained the impedance matrices and transfer function matrices using FEA. By these means the dynamic solution of the elements in the frequency domain is transformed to that in Laplacian s-domain and then inversely transformed to time domain. The connections between the elements and boundary conditions of the smart structures are investigated in detail, and one integrated system equation is finally obtained using the symbolic operation of TF matrices. A procedure is proposed for dynamic analysis and control analysis of the smart beam system using mode superposition and a numerical inverse Laplace transform. The first example is given to demonstrate building transfer function associated impedance matrices using both FEA and analytical solutions. The second example is to verify the ability of control analysis using a suspended beam with PZT patches under close-loop control. The third example is designed for dynamic analysis of beams with a piezoelectric stack and a piezoelectric bimorph under various excitations. The last example of one smart beam with a PPF controller shows the applicability to the control analysis of complex systems using the proposed method. All results show good agreement with the other results in the previous literature. The advantages of the proposed methods are also discussed at the end of this paper. (paper)

  3. Application of Piezoelectric Macro-Fiber-Composite Actuators to the Suppression of Noise Transmission Through Curved Glass Plates

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Nováková, Kateřina; Mokrý, P.; Václavík, Jan

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 59, č. 9 (2012), s. 2004-2014 ISSN 0885-3010. [International Symposium on Applications of Ferroelectrics and 2011 International Symposium on Piezoresponse Force Microscopy and Nanoscale Phenomena in Polar Materials, ISAF/PFM /2011./. Vancouver, 24.07.2011-27.07.2011] R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ED2.1.00/03.0079 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20430508 Keywords : Glass window * MFC piezoelectric actuator * Noise Transmission * FEM Simulation Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics Impact factor: 1.822, year: 2012

  4. Fabrication and characterization of THUNDER actuators—pre-stress-induced nonlinearity in the actuation response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Younghoon; Jiang, Qing; Cai, Ling; Usher, Timothy

    2009-01-01

    This paper documents an experimental and theoretical investigation into characterizing the mechanical configurations and performances of THUNDER actuators, a type of piezoelectric actuator known for their large actuation displacements, through fabrication, measurements and finite element analysis. Five groups of such actuators with different dimensions were fabricated using identical fabrication parameters. The as-fabricated arched configurations, resulting from the thermo-mechanical mismatch among the constituent layers, and their actuation performances were characterized using an experimental set-up based on a laser displacement sensor and through numerical simulations with ANSYS, a widely used commercial software program for finite element analysis. This investigation shows that the presence of large residual stresses within the piezoelectric ceramic layer, built up during the fabrication process, leads to significant nonlinear electromechanical coupling in the actuator response to the driving electric voltage, and it is this nonlinear coupling that is responsible for the large actuation displacements. Furthermore, the severity of the residual stresses, and thus the nonlinearity, increases with increasing substrate/piezoelectric thickness ratio and, to a lesser extent, with decreasing in-plane dimensions of the piezoelectric layer

  5. Experimental identification of piezo actuator characteristic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ľ. Miková

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with piezoelectric material, which can be used as actuator for conversion of electrical energy to mechanical work. Test equipment has been developed for experimental testing of the piezoactuators. Piezoactivity of this actuator has non-linear characteristic. This type of actuator is used for in-pipe mechanism design.

  6. Optimal design of robust piezoelectric unimorph microgrippers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ruiz, David; Díaz-Molina, Alex; Sigmund, Ole

    2018-01-01

    Topology optimization can be used to design piezoelectric actuators by simultaneous design of host structure and polarization profile. Subsequent micro-scale fabrication leads us to overcome important manufacturing limitations: difficulties in placing a piezoelectric layer on both top and bottom...

  7. Vibration suppression in cutting tools using collocated piezoelectric sensors/actuators with an adaptive control algorithm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Radecki, Peter P [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Farinholt, Kevin M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Park, Gyuhae [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Bement, Matthew T [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2008-01-01

    The machining process is very important in many engineering applications. In high precision machining, surface finish is strongly correlated with vibrations and the dynamic interactions between the part and the cutting tool. Parameters affecting these vibrations and dynamic interactions, such as spindle speed, cut depth, feed rate, and the part's material properties can vary in real-time, resulting in unexpected or undesirable effects on the surface finish of the machining product. The focus of this research is the development of an improved machining process through the use of active vibration damping. The tool holder employs a high bandwidth piezoelectric actuator with an adaptive positive position feedback control algorithm for vibration and chatter suppression. In addition, instead of using external sensors, the proposed approach investigates the use of a collocated piezoelectric sensor for measuring the dynamic responses from machining processes. The performance of this method is evaluated by comparing the surface finishes obtained with active vibration control versus baseline uncontrolled cuts. Considerable improvement in surface finish (up to 50%) was observed for applications in modern day machining.

  8. Improving the Sound Pressure Level of Two-Dimensional Audio Actuators by Coating Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Piezoelectric Films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Um, Keehong

    2015-10-01

    As devices for amplifying or transforming electronic signals into audible signals through electromechanical operations, acoustic actuators in the form of loudspeakers are usually solid structures in three dimensional space. Recently there has been increasing demand for mobile electronic devices, such as mobile phones, to become smaller, thinner, and lighter. In contrast to a three dimensional audio system with magnets, we have invented a new type of flexible two dimensional device by utilizing the reverse piezoelectric effect in certain piezoelectric materials. Crystalline piezoelectric materials show electromechanical interaction between the mechanical state and the electrically-charged state. The piezoelectric effect is a reversible process in that materials exhibiting the direct piezoelectric effect (the internal generation of electrical charge resulting from an applied mechanical force) also exhibit the reverse piezoelectric effect (the internal generation of a mechanical strain resulting from an applied electrical field). We have adopted the plasma surface treatment in order to put coating materials on the surface of piezoelectric film. We compared two kinds of coating material, indium tin oxide and single-walled carbon nanotube, and found that single-walled carbon nanotube shows better performance. The results showed improvement of output power in a wider range of operating frequency; for the surface resistance of 0.5 kΩ/square, the single-walled CNT shows the range of operating frequency to be 0.75-17.5 kHz, but ITO shows 2.5-13.4 kHz. For the surface resistance of 1 kΩ/square, single-walled CNT shows the range of operating frequency to be 0.81-17 kHz, but ITO shows it cannot generate audible sound.

  9. Analysis of piezoelectric energy harvester under modulated and filtered white Gaussian noise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quaranta, Giuseppe; Trentadue, Francesco; Maruccio, Claudio; Marano, Giuseppe C.

    2018-05-01

    This paper proposes a comprehensive method for the electromechanical probabilistic analysis of piezoelectric energy harvesters subjected to modulated and filtered white Gaussian noise (WGN) at the base. Specifically, the dynamic excitation is simulated by means of an amplitude-modulated WGN, which is filtered through the Clough-Penzien filter. The considered piezoelectric harvester is a cantilever bimorph modeled as Euler-Bernoulli beam with a concentrated mass at the free-end, and its global behavior is approximated by the fundamental vibration mode (which is tuned with the dominant frequency of the dynamic input). A resistive electrical load is considered in the circuit. Once the Lyapunov equation of the coupled electromechanical problem has been formulated, an original and efficient semi-analytical procedure is proposed to estimate mean and standard deviation of the electrical energy extracted from the piezoelectric layers.

  10. An Equivalent Circuit of Longitudinal Vibration for a Piezoelectric Structure with Losses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Tao; Li, Chaodong; Fan, Pingqing

    2018-03-22

    Equivalent circuits of piezoelectric structures such as bimorphs and unimorphs conventionally focus on the bending vibration modes. However, the longitudinal vibration modes are rarely considered even though they also play a remarkable role in piezoelectric devices. Losses, especially elastic loss in the metal substrate, are also generally neglected, which leads to discrepancies compared with experiments. In this paper, a novel equivalent circuit with four kinds of losses is proposed for a beamlike piezoelectric structure under the longitudinal vibration mode. This structure consists of a slender beam as the metal substrate, and a piezoelectric patch which covers a partial length of the beam. In this approach, first, complex numbers are used to deal with four kinds of losses-elastic loss in the metal substrate, and piezoelectric, dielectric, and elastic losses in the piezoelectric patch. Next in this approach, based on Mason's model, a new equivalent circuit is developed. Using MATLAB, impedance curves of this structure are simulated by the equivalent circuit method. Experiments are conducted and good agreements are revealed between experiments and equivalent circuit results. It is indicated that the introduction of four losses in an equivalent circuit can increase the result accuracy considerably.

  11. Analysis on and Optimization of a Circular Piezoelectric Composite Laminate for a Micro-Pump Driver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia, Jianyuan; Wang, Weidong; Huang, Xinbo

    2002-01-01

    Among the various micro-pump actuation devices, piezoelectric composite laminate actuation has become an effective method. Due to lacking of analysis treatments, the design of this type micro-pump is in a great limitation. In this paper, an electromechanical-coupled mechanics model is established for the circle-flake micro-actuator. A kind of analysis and design method is presented that piezoelectric plate's radial strain induced by inverse piezoelectric effect is equivalently substituted with transverse stress on piezoelectric composite laminates. It is pointed out that the equivalent transverse load depends on the edge electric field distribution of parallel plate capacitor. The question has been solved that where the neutral plane in the piezoelectric composite laminates lies. Finally, an optimization design is developed on the radius ratio of piezoelectric-to-silicon plate radius by utilizing of FEA modeling

  12. Piezoelectric cantilever sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, Wan Y. (Inventor); Shih, Wei-Heng (Inventor); Shen, Zuyan (Inventor)

    2008-01-01

    A piezoelectric cantilever with a non-piezoelectric, or piezoelectric tip useful as mass and viscosity sensors. The change in the cantilever mass can be accurately quantified by monitoring a resonance frequency shift of the cantilever. For bio-detection, antibodies or other specific receptors of target antigens may be immobilized on the cantilever surface, preferably on the non-piezoelectric tip. For chemical detection, high surface-area selective absorbent materials are coated on the cantilever tip. Binding of the target antigens or analytes to the cantilever surface increases the cantilever mass. Detection of target antigens or analytes is achieved by monitoring the cantilever's resonance frequency and determining the resonance frequency shift that is due to the mass of the adsorbed target antigens on the cantilever surface. The use of a piezoelectric unimorph cantilever allows both electrical actuation and electrical sensing. Incorporating a non-piezoelectric tip (14) enhances the sensitivity of the sensor. In addition, the piezoelectric cantilever can withstand damping in highly viscous liquids and can be used as a viscosity sensor in wide viscosity range.

  13. Manufacturing and testing of active composite panels with embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators: wires out by molded-in holes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghasemi-Nejhad, Mehrdad N.; Pourjalali, Saeid

    2003-08-01

    This work presents manufacturing and testing of active composite panels (ACPs) with embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators. The composite material employed here is a plain weave carbon epoxy prepreg fabric with about 0.33 mm ply thickness. The piezoelectric patches employed here are Continuum Control Corporation, CCC, (recently Continuum Photonics, Inc) active fiber composite patches with 0.33 mm thickness, i.e. close to the composite ply thickness. Composite cut-out layers are used to fill the space around the embedded piezoelectric patches to minimize the problems associated with ply drops in composites. The piezoelectric patches were embedded inside the composite laminate. High-temperature wires were soldered to the piezoelectric leads, insulated from the carbon substructure by high-temperature materials, and were taken out of the composite laminates employing a molded-in hole technique that reduces the stress concentration as opposed to a drilled hole, and thereby enhancing the performance of the composite structure. The laminated ACP"s were co-cured inside an autoclave employing the cure cycle recommended by the composite material supplier. The curie temperature of the embedded piezoelectric patches should be well above the curing temperature of the composite materials as was the case here. The manufactured ACP beams and plates were trimmed and then tested for their functionality. Vibration suppression as well as simultaneous vibration suppression and precision positioning tests, using PID control as well as Hybrid Adaptive Control techniques were successfully conducted on the manufactured ACP beams and their functionality were demonstrated. Recommendations on the use of this embedding technique for ACPs are provided.

  14. Electromechanical actuator with controllable motion, fast response rate, and high-frequency resonance based on graphene and polydiacetylene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Jiajie; Huang, Lu; Li, Na; Huang, Yi; Wu, Yingpeng; Fang, Shaoli; Oh, Jiyoung; Kozlov, Mikhail; Ma, Yanfeng; Li, Feifei; Baughman, Ray; Chen, Yongsheng

    2012-05-22

    Although widely investigated, novel electromechanical actuators with high overall actuation performance are still in urgent need for various practical and scientific applications, such as robots, prosthetic devices, sensor switches, and sonar projectors. In this work, combining the properties of unique environmental perturbations-actuated deformational isomerization of polydiacetylene (PDA) and the outstanding intrinsic features of graphene together for the first time, we design and fabricate an electromechanical bimorph actuator composed of a layer of PDA crystal and a layer of flexible graphene paper through a simple yet versatile solution approach. Under low applied direct current (dc), the graphene-PDA bimorph actuator with strong mechanical strength can generate large actuation motion (curvature is about 0.37 cm(-1) under a current density of 0.74 A/mm(2)) and produce high actuation stress (more than 160 MPa/g under an applied dc of only 0.29 A/mm(2)). When applying alternating current (ac), this actuator can display reversible swing behavior with long cycle life under high frequencies even up to 200 Hz; significantly, while the frequency and the value of applied ac and the state of the actuators reach an appropriate value, the graphene-PDA actuator can produce a strong resonance and the swing amplitude will jump to a peak value. Moreover, this stable graphene-PDA actuator also demonstrates rapidly and partially reversible electrochromatic phenomenon when applying an ac. Two mechanisms-the dominant one, electric-induced deformation, and a secondary one, thermal-induced expansion of PDA-are proposed to contribute to these interesting actuation performances of the graphene-PDA actuators. On the basis of these results, a mini-robot with controllable direction of motion based on the graphene-PDA actuator is designed to illustrate the great potential of our discoveries for practical use. Combining the unique actuation mechanism and many outstanding properties of

  15. Synchronized motion control and precision positioning compensation of a 3-DOFs macro-micro parallel manipulator fully actuated by piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Quan; Li, Chaodong; Zhang, Jiantao; Zhang, Xu

    2017-11-01

    The macro-micro combined approach, as an effective way to realize trans-scale nano-precision positioning with multi-dimensions and high velocity, plays a significant role in integrated circuit manufacturing field. A 3-degree-of-freedoms (3-DOFs) macro-micro manipulator is designed and analyzed to compromise the conflictions among the large stroke, high precision and multi-DOFs. The macro manipulator is a 3-Prismatic-Revolute-Revolute (3-PRR) structure parallel manipulator which is driven by three linear ultrasonic motors. The dynamic model and the cross-coupling error based synchronized motion controller of the 3-PRR parallel manipulator are theoretical analyzed and experimental tested. To further improve the positioning accuracy, a 3-DOFs monolithic compliant manipulator actuated by three piezoelectric stack actuators is designed. Then a multilayer BP neural network based inverse kinematic model identifier is developed to perform the positioning control. Finally, by forming the macro-micro structure, the dual stage manipulator successfully achieved the positioning task from the point (2 mm, 2 mm, 0 rad) back to the original point (0 mm, 0 mm, 0 rad) with the translation errors in X and Y directions less than ±50 nm and the rotation error around Z axis less than ±1 μrad, respectively.

  16. submitter An experimental evaluation of the fully coupled hysteretic electro-mechanical behaviour of piezoelectric actuators

    CERN Document Server

    Butcher, Mark; Giustiniani, Alessandro; Masi, Alessandro

    2016-01-01

    Piezoelectrics are the most commonly used of the multifunctional smart materials in industrial applications, because of their relatively low cost and ease of use in electric and electronic oriented applications. Nevertheless, while datasheets usually give just small signal quasi-static parameters, their full potential can only be exploited only if a full characterization is available because the maximum stroke or the higher piezo coupling coefficients are available at different electro-mechanical biases, where often small signal analysis is not valid. In this paper a method to get the quasi-static fully coupled characterization is presented. The method is tested on a commercial piezo actuator but can be extended to similar devices.

  17. Piezoelectric motor development at AlliedSignal Inc., Kansas City Division

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pressly, Robert B.; Mentesana, Charles P.

    1994-11-01

    The Kansas City Division of AlliedSignal Inc. has been investigating the fabrication and use of piezoelectric motors in mechanisms for United States Department of Energy (DOE) weapons applications for about four years. These motors exhibit advantages over solenoids and other electromagnetic actuators. Prototype processes have been developed for complete fabrication of motors from stock materials, including abrasive machining of piezoelectric ceramics and more traditional machining of other motor components, electrode plating and sputtering, electric poling, cleaning, bonding and assembly. Drive circuits have been fabricated and motor controls are being developed. Laboratory facilities have been established for electrical/mechanical testing and evaluation of piezo materials and completed motors. Recent project efforts have focused on the potential of piezoelectric devices for commercial and industrial use. A broad range of various motor types and application areas has been identified, primarily in Japan. The Japanese have been developing piezo motors for many years and have more recently begun commercialization. Piezoelectric motor and actuator technology is emerging in the United States and quickly gaining in commercial interest. The Kansas City Division is continuing development of piezoelectric motors and actuators for defense applications while supporting and participating in the commercialization of piezoelectric devices with private industry through various technology transfer and cooperative development initiatives.

  18. Macro-Fiber Composite actuated simply supported thin airfoils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bilgen, Onur; Kochersberger, Kevin B; Inman, Daniel J; Ohanian, Osgar J III

    2010-01-01

    A piezoceramic composite actuator known as Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) is used for actuation in the design of a variable camber airfoil intended for a ducted fan aircraft. The study focuses on response characterization under aerodynamic loads for circular arc airfoils with variable pinned boundary conditions. A parametric study of fluid–structure interaction is employed to find pin locations along the chordwise direction that result in high lift generation. Wind tunnel experiments are conducted on a 1.0% thick, 127 mm chord MFC actuated bimorph airfoil that is simply supported at 5% and 50% of the chord. Aerodynamic and structural performance results are presented for a flow rate of 15 m s −1 and a Reynolds number of 127 000. Non-linear effects due to aerodynamic and piezoceramic hysteresis are identified and discussed. A lift coefficient change of 1.46 is observed, purely due to voltage actuation. A maximum 2D L/D ratio of 17.8 is recorded through voltage excitation

  19. A FEM-BEM interactive coupling for modeling the piezoelectric health monitoring systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abid A. Shah

    Full Text Available In this research, finite element and boundary element methods are coupled together to model the interaction of a piezoelectric ceramic working as an actuator with an elastic material. Piezoelectric-elastic material's interaction occurs in smart structures. This work is aimed at determining the actuation effects being transferred from the actuators to the host and the resulting overall structural response. To obtain the amount of these actuations, the system of the host structure and an actuator has been modeled by using coupled finite element boundary element method in frequency domain. The host structure, which is assumed as an isotropic elastic solid region is modeled as a half space. The piezoelectric ceramic region is modeled by the 3-D finite element method, while the elastic half space with boundary element method. Finite element model of piezoelectric ceramic and boundary element model of the elastic half space are coupled together at their interface such that the vibrations of the piezo-actuator induce vibrations in the elastic half space. A couple of examples are given to show the induced displacement field around the piezo-actuator on the surface of the elastic medium. The results show that high jump in magnitude of horizontal displacements at the corners of the actuator attached to the structure occurs, which is an indication of high stress concentration, of the shear stress type at the corners. This stress concentration sometimes causes complete debonding of the actuator from the base structure. By using the suggested BEM-FEM coupled model for actuators with different dimensions or material properties much useful information concerning the amount of actuation and load transfer can be obtained. The presented work is a step towards modeling of structural health monitoring systems.

  20. Energy harvesting from radio frequency propagation using piezoelectric cantilevers

    KAUST Repository

    Al Ahmad, Mahmoud

    2012-02-01

    This work reports an induced strain in a piezoelectric cantilever due to radio frequency signal propagation. The piezoelectric actuator is coupled to radio frequency (RF) line through a gap of 0.25 mm. When a voltage signal of 10 Vpp propagates in the line it sets an alternating current in the actuator electrodes. This flowing current drives the piezoelectric cantilever to mechanical movement, especially when the frequency of the RF signal matches the mechanical resonant frequency of the cantilever. Output voltage signals versus frequency for both mechanical vibrational and RF signal excitations have been measured using different loads.© 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Post-buckled precompressed (PBP) elements : A new class of flight control actuators enhancing high-speed autonomous VTOL MAVs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Barrett, R.; McMurtry, R.; Vos, R.; Tiso, P.; De Breuker, R.

    2005-01-01

    This paper describes a new class of flight control actuators using Post-Buckled Precompressed (PBP) piezoelectric elements. These actuators are designed to produce significantly higher deflection and force levels than conventional piezoelectric actuator elements. Classical laminate plate theory

  2. Design and testing of a novel piezoelectric micro-motor actuated by asymmetrical inertial impact driving principle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Ping; Sun, Shujie; Li, Li'an; Xu, Feng; Cheng, Guangming

    2014-03-01

    In this paper, an asymmetrical inertial impact driving principle is first proposed, and accordingly a novel piezoelectrically actuated linear micro-motor is developed. It is driven by the inertial impact force generated by piezoelectric smart cantilever (PSC) with asymmetrical clamping locations during a driving cycle. When the PSC is excited by typical harmonic voltage signals, different equivalent stiffness will be induced due to its asymmetrical clamping locations when it is vibrating back and forth, leading to a tiny displacement difference on the two opposite directions in a cycle, and then the accumulation of tiny displacement difference will allow directional movements. A prototype of the proposed motor has been developed and investigated by means of experimental tests. The motion and dynamics characteristics of the prototype are well studied. The experimental results demonstrate that the resolution of the micro-motor is 0.02 μm, the maximum velocity is 16.87 mm/s, and the maximum loading capacity can reach up to 1 kg with a voltage of 100 V and 35 Hz.

  3. The actuator for micro moving of a body in a plane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasiljev, P.; Borodinas, S.; Yoon, S.-J.; Mazeika, D.; Kulvietis, G.

    2005-01-01

    In present work, the analysis of moving of positioning table in a plane is indicated. For this purpose, only one piezoelectric motor without intermediate parts is created. Being based on researches of compound ultrasonic piezoelectric systems called 'shaking beam' is developed actuator for moving of a body in a plane at any direction. Computer modeling of the actuator is carried out. The prototype is made. The experimental outcomes of the oscillation forms of working surfaces of an actuator are given

  4. A 2-D MEMS scanning mirror based on dynamic mixed mode excitation of a piezoelectric PZT thin film S-shaped actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koh, Kah How; Kobayashi, Takeshi; Lee, Chengkuo

    2011-07-18

    A novel dynamic excitation of an S-shaped PZT piezoelectric actuator, which is conceptualized by having two superimposed AC voltages, is characterized in this paper through the evaluation of the 2-D scanning characteristics of an integrated silicon micromirror. The device is micromachined from a SOI wafer with a 5 μm thick Si device layer and multilayers of Pt/Ti/PZT//Pt/Ti deposited as electrode and actuation materials. A large mirror (1.65 mm x 2mm) and an S-shaped PZT actuator are formed after the backside release process. Three modes of operation are investigated: bending, torsional and mixed. The resonant frequencies obtained for bending and torsional modes are 27Hz and 70Hz respectively. The maximum measured optical deflection angles obtained at 3Vpp are ± 38.9° and ± 2.1° respectively for bending and torsional modes. Various 2-D Lissajous patterns are demonstrated by superimposing two ac sinusoidal electrical signals of different frequencies (27 Hz and 70 Hz) into one signal to be used to actuate the mirror.

  5. Reliability study of Piezoelectric Structures Dedicated to Energy Harvesting by the Way of Blocking Force Investigation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maaroufi, S; Parrain, F; Lefeuvre, E; Boutaud, B; Molin, R Dal

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we propose an approach to study the reliability of piezoelectric structures and more precisely energy harvesting micro-devices dedicated to autonomous active medical implants (new generation pacemakers). The structure under test is designed as a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever with a seismic mass at its tip. Good understanding of material aging and mechanical failure is critical for this kind of system. To study the reliability and durability of the piezoelectric part we propose to establish a new accelerated methodology and an associated test bench where the environment and stimuli can be precisely controlled over a wide period of time. This will allow the identification of potential failure modes and the study of their impacts by the way of direct mechanical investigation based on stiffness and blocking force measurements performed periodically. (paper)

  6. Reliability study of Piezoelectric Structures Dedicated to Energy Harvesting by the Way of Blocking Force Investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maaroufi, S.; Parrain, F.; Lefeuvre, E.; Boutaud, B.; Dal Molin, R.

    2015-12-01

    In this paper we propose an approach to study the reliability of piezoelectric structures and more precisely energy harvesting micro-devices dedicated to autonomous active medical implants (new generation pacemakers). The structure under test is designed as a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever with a seismic mass at its tip. Good understanding of material aging and mechanical failure is critical for this kind of system. To study the reliability and durability of the piezoelectric part we propose to establish a new accelerated methodology and an associated test bench where the environment and stimuli can be precisely controlled over a wide period of time. This will allow the identification of potential failure modes and the study of their impacts by the way of direct mechanical investigation based on stiffness and blocking force measurements performed periodically.

  7. Curved Piezoelectric Actuators for Stretching Optical Fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, Sidney G.; Shams, Qamar A.; Fox, Robert L.

    2008-01-01

    Assemblies containing curved piezoceramic fiber composite actuators have been invented as means of stretching optical fibers by amounts that depend on applied drive voltages. Piezoceramic fiber composite actuators are conventionally manufactured as sheets or ribbons that are flat and flexible, but can be made curved to obtain load-carrying ability and displacement greater than those obtainable from the flat versions. In the primary embodiment of this invention, piezoceramic fibers are oriented parallel to the direction of longitudinal displacement of the actuators so that application of drive voltage causes the actuator to flatten, producing maximum motion. Actuator motion can be transmitted to the optical fiber by use of hinges and clamp blocks. In the original application of this invention, the optical fiber contains a Bragg grating and the purpose of the controlled stretching of the fiber is to tune the grating as part of a small, lightweight, mode-hop-free, rapidly tunable laser for demodulating strain in Bragg-grating strain-measurement optical fibers attached to structures. The invention could also be used to apply controllable tensile force or displacement to an object other than an optical fiber.

  8. Active vibration reduction by optimally placed sensors and actuators with application to stiffened plates by beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daraji, A H; Hale, J M

    2014-01-01

    This study concerns new investigation of active vibration reduction of a stiffened plate bonded with discrete sensor/actuator pairs located optimally using genetic algorithms based on a developed finite element modeling. An isotropic plate element stiffened by a number of beam elements on its edges and having a piezoelectric sensor and actuator pair bonded to its surfaces is modeled using the finite element method and Hamilton’s principle, taking into account the effects of piezoelectric mass, stiffness and electromechanical coupling. The modeling is based on the first order shear deformation theory taking into account the effects of bending, membrane and shear deformation for the plate, the stiffening beam and the piezoelectric patches. A Matlab finite element program has been built for the stiffened plate model and verified with ANSYS and also experimentally. Optimal placement of ten piezoelectric sensor/actuator pairs and optimal feedback gain for active vibration reduction are investigated for a plate stiffened by two beams arranged in the form of a cross. The genetic algorithm was set up for optimization of sensor/actuator placement and feedback gain based on the minimization of the optimal linear quadratic index as an objective function to suppress the first six modes of vibration. Comparison study is presented for active vibration reduction of a square cantilever plate stiffened by crossed beams with two sensor/actuator configurations: firstly, ten piezoelectric sensor/actuator pairs are located in optimal positions; secondly, a piezoelectric layer of single sensor/actuator pair covering the whole of the stiffened plate as a SISO system. (paper)

  9. Energy harvesting from radio frequency propagation using piezoelectric cantilevers

    KAUST Repository

    Al Ahmad, Mahmoud; Alshareef, Husam N.

    2012-01-01

    This work reports an induced strain in a piezoelectric cantilever due to radio frequency signal propagation. The piezoelectric actuator is coupled to radio frequency (RF) line through a gap of 0.25 mm. When a voltage signal of 10 Vpp propagates

  10. A Review of High Voltage Drive Amplifiers for Capacitive Actuators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huang, Lina; Zhang, Zhe; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2012-01-01

    This paper gives an overview of the high voltage amplifiers, which are used to drive capacitive actuators. The amplifiers for both piezoelectric and DEAP (dielectric electroactive polymer) actuator are discussed. The suitable topologies for driving capacitive actuators are illustrated in detail...

  11. Hysteresis Compensation and Sliding Mode Control with Perturbation Estimation for Piezoelectric Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bingxiao Ding

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Based on the background of atomic force microscope (AFM driven by piezoelectric actuators (PEAs, this paper proposes a sliding mode control coupled with an inverse Bouc–Wen (BW hysteresis compensator to improve the positioning performance of PEAs. The intrinsic hysteresis and creep characteristics degrade the performance of the PEA and cause accuracy loss. Although creep effect can be eliminated by the closed-loop control approach, hysteresis effects need to be compensated and alleviated by hysteresis compensators. For the purpose of dealing with the estimation errors, unmodeled vibration, and disturbances, a sliding mode control with perturbation estimation (SMCPE method is adopted to enhance the performance and robustness of the system. In order to validate the feasibility and performance of the proposed method, experimental studies are carried out, and the results show that the proposed controller performs better than a proportional-integral-derivative (PID controller at 1 and 2 Hz, reducing error to 1.2% and 1.4%, respectively.

  12. Optimized electrode coverage of membrane actuators based on epitaxial PZT thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen, M D; Dekkers, M; Blank, D H A; Rijnders, G; Nazeer, H

    2013-01-01

    This research presents an optimization of piezoelectric membrane actuators by maximizing the actuator displacement. Membrane actuators based on epitaxial Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 thin films grown on all-oxide electrodes and buffer layers using silicon technology were fabricated. Electrode coverage was found to be an important factor in the actuation displacement of the piezoelectric membranes. The optimum electrode coverage for maximum displacement was theoretically determined to be 39%, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. Dependences of membrane displacement and optimum electrode coverage on membrane diameter and PZT-film/Si-device-layer thickness ratio have also been investigated. (paper)

  13. Advanced Actuator Concepts for High Precision Deformable Mirrors, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — TRS Technologies proposes to develop a variety of single crystal actuators for adaptive optics deformable mirrors. Single crystal piezoelectric actuators are...

  14. Lead-Free Piezoelectrics

    CERN Document Server

    Nahm, Sahn

    2012-01-01

    Ecological restrictions in many parts of the world are demanding the elimination of Pb from all consumer items. At this moment in the piezoelectric ceramics industry, there is no issue of more importance than the transition to lead-free materials. The goal of Lead-Free Piezoelectrics is to provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals and developments in the field of lead-free materials and products to leading researchers in the world. The text presents chapters on demonstrated applications of the lead-free materials, which will allow readers to conceptualize the present possibilities and will be useful for both students and professionals conducting research on ferroelectrics, piezoelectrics, smart materials, lead-free materials, and a variety of applications including sensors, actuators, ultrasonic transducers and energy harvesters.

  15. Memory characteristics of hysteresis and creep in multi-layer piezoelectric actuators: An experimental analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Biggio, Matteo [Department of Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Genoa, Via Opera Pia 11a, Genova (Italy); Butcher, Mark [Engineering Department, CERN (Switzerland); Giustiniani, Alessandro; Masi, Alessandro [Engineering Department, CERN (Switzerland); Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Piazza Roma, 21, I-82100 Benevento (Italy); Storace, Marco, E-mail: marco.storace@unige.it [Department of Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Genoa, Via Opera Pia 11a, Genova (Italy)

    2014-02-15

    In this paper we provide an experimental characterization of creep and hysteresis in a multi-layer piezoelectric actuator (PEA), taking into account their relationships in terms of memory structure. We fit the well-known log-t model to the response of the PEA when driven by piecewise-constant signals, and find that both the instantaneous and the delayed response of the PEA display hysteretic dependence on the voltage level. We investigate experimentally the dependence of the creep coefficient on the input history, by driving the PEA along first-order reversal curves and congruent minor loops, and find that it displays peculiar features like strict congruence of the minor loops and discontinuities. We finally explain the observed experimental behaviors in terms of a slow relaxation of the staircase interface line in the Preisach plane.

  16. Memory characteristics of hysteresis and creep in multi-layer piezoelectric actuators: An experimental analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Biggio, Matteo; Giustiniani, Alessandro; Masi, Alessandro; Storace, Marco

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we provide an experimental characterization of creep and hysteresis in a multi layer piezoelectric actuator (PEA), taking into account their relationships in terms of memory structure. We fit the well-known log-t model to the response of the PEA when driven by piecewise-constant signals, and find that both the instantaneous and the delayed response of the PEA display hysteretic dependence on the voltage level. We investigate experimentally the dependence of the creep coefficient on the input history, by driving the PEA along first order reversal curves and congruent minor loops, and find that it displays peculiar features like strict congruence of the minor loops and discontinuities. We finally explain the observed experimental behaviors in terms of a slow relaxation of the staircase interface line in the Preisach plane.

  17. Piezoelectric micromotor based on the structure of serial bending arms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Jianhua; Cui, Tianhong; Shao, Peige; Wang, Liding

    2003-09-01

    This paper presents a new piezoelectric micromotor based on the structure of serial bending arms. Serial bending arms are composed of two piezoelectric bimorphs with one end fixed and the other end free, driven by two signals of a biased square wave with a phase difference of pi/2. The free end of a cantilever arm will move along an elliptic orbit so that the cantilever is used to drive a cylinder rotor. The rotor's end surface contacts the free end of the cantilever, resulting in the rotor's rotation. There are six serial bending arms anchored on the base. The driving mechanism of the micromotor is proposed and analyzed. A new micromotor prototype, 5 mm in diameter, has been fabricated and characterized. The maximum rotational speed reaches 325 rpm, and the output torque is about 36.5 microNm.

  18. Progress in engineering high strain lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leontsev, Serhiy O; Eitel, Richard E

    2010-01-01

    Environmental concerns are strongly driving the need to replace the lead-based piezoelectric materials currently employed as multilayer actuators. The current review describes both compositional and structural engineering approaches to achieve enhanced piezoelectric properties in lead-free materials. The review of the compositional engineering approach focuses on compositional tuning of the properties and phase behavior in three promising families of lead-free perovskite ferroelectrics: the titanate, alkaline niobate and bismuth perovskites and their solid solutions. The 'structural engineering' approaches focus instead on optimization of microstructural features including grain size, grain orientation or texture, ferroelectric domain size and electrical bias field as potential paths to induce large piezoelectric properties in lead-free piezoceramics. It is suggested that a combination of both compositional and novel structural engineering approaches will be required in order to realize viable lead-free alternatives to current lead-based materials for piezoelectric actuator applications. (topical review)

  19. Progress in engineering high strain lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leontsev, Serhiy O; Eitel, Richard E

    2010-01-01

    Environmental concerns are strongly driving the need to replace the lead-based piezoelectric materials currently employed as multilayer actuators. The current review describes both compositional and structural engineering approaches to achieve enhanced piezoelectric properties in lead-free materials. The review of the compositional engineering approach focuses on compositional tuning of the properties and phase behavior in three promising families of lead-free perovskite ferroelectrics: the titanate, alkaline niobate and bismuth perovskites and their solid solutions. The ‘structural engineering’ approaches focus instead on optimization of microstructural features including grain size, grain orientation or texture, ferroelectric domain size and electrical bias field as potential paths to induce large piezoelectric properties in lead-free piezoceramics. It is suggested that a combination of both compositional and novel structural engineering approaches will be required in order to realize viable lead-free alternatives to current lead-based materials for piezoelectric actuator applications. PMID:27877343

  20. Piezoelectric actuator based phase locking system to improve the dynamics of the control scheme for a heavy ion superconducting linac

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sahu, B.K., E-mail: bhuban@iuac.res.in [Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi – 110 067 (India); Ahuja, R.; Kumar, Rajesh; Suman, S.K.; Mathuria, D.S.; Rai, A.; Patra, P.; Pandey, A.; Karmakar, J.; Chowdhury, G.K.; Dutt, R.N. [Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi – 110 067 (India); Joshi, G. [Electronics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai – 400 085 (India); Ghosh, S.; Kanjilal, D.; Roy, A. [Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi – 110 067 (India)

    2015-03-21

    The superconducting heavy ion linear accelerator at Inter-University Accelerator Centre Delhi has been in operation since 2007. Initially, the superconducting niobium Quarter Wave Resonators (QWRs) in the linac were phase locked using a combination of electronic and mechanical controls which operated in fast (~10 μsec) and slow (~sec) time scales respectively. In this scheme, fast control was achieved through dynamic phase control whereas slow control of the frequency was done through the niobium tuner bellows installed at the drift tube end of the resonator and flexed using helium gas to change the resonance frequency. In order to improve the dynamics of this control system, an alternate scheme using piezoelectric actuator, instead of helium gas, to flex the same niobium bellows, has been implemented in the QWRs of the second and third accelerating modules of the linac. The piezoelectric actuator is used in closed loop along with the fast dynamic phase control scheme. The feedback loop of the piezoelectric control includes a dual control scheme - an integral control loop to arrest the slow drift, and the positive position feedback (PPF) based control loop to damp the microphonics. This control scheme has been found to arrest slow drifts in the resonator frequency more tightly along with damping of low frequency microphonics (~few tens of Hz) picked up by the resonator from its surrounding environment. This has substantially eased the load from the fast electronic control, resulting in the reduction of the radio frequency (RF) power requirement during operation. In addition, it has improved the stability of phase and amplitude of the QWRs. The details of the new scheme along with results obtained during the online run of the linac for beam acceleration are presented.

  1. Modeling and Experimental Analysis of Piezoelectric Shakers for High-Frequency Calibration of Accelerometers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vogl, Gregory W.; Harper, Kari K.; Payne, Bev

    2010-01-01

    Piezoelectric shakers have been developed and used at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for decades for high-frequency calibration of accelerometers. Recently, NIST researchers built new piezoelectric shakers in the hopes of reducing the uncertainties in the calibrations of accelerometers while extending the calibration frequency range beyond 20 kHz. The ability to build and measure piezoelectric shakers invites modeling of these systems in order to improve their design for increased performance, which includes a sinusoidal motion with lower distortion, lower cross-axial motion, and an increased frequency range. In this paper, we present a model of piezoelectric shakers and match it to experimental data. The equations of motion for all masses are solved along with the coupled state equations for the piezoelectric actuator. Finally, additional electrical elements like inductors, capacitors, and resistors are added to the piezoelectric actuator for matching of experimental and theoretical frequency responses.

  2. Development and Research of Peristaltic Multiphase Piezoelectric Micro-Pump

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinogradov, Alexander N.; Ivanikin, Igor A.; Lubchenco, Roman V.; Matveev, Yegor V.; Titov, Pavel A.

    2016-01-01

    The paper presents the results of a study of existing models and mathematical representations of a range of truly peristaltic multiphase micro-pumps with a piezoelectric actuator (piezo drive). Piezo drives with different types of substrates use vertical movements at deformation of individual piezoelectric elements, which define device…

  3. Development and Validation of an Enhanced Coupled-Field Model for PZT Cantilever Bimorph Energy Harvester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Long Zhang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The power source with the limited life span has motivated the development of the energy harvesters that can scavenge the ambient environment energy and convert it into the electrical energy. With the coupled field characteristics of structure to electricity, piezoelectric energy harvesters are under consideration as a means of converting the mechanical energy to the electrical energy, with the goal of realizing completely self-powered sensor systems. In this paper, two previous models in the literatures for predicting the open-circuit and close-circuit voltages of a piezoelectric cantilever bimorph (PCB energy harvester are first described, that is, the mechanical equivalent spring mass-damper model and the electrical equivalent circuit model. Then, the development of an enhanced coupled field model for the PCB energy harvester based on another previous model in the literature using a conservation of energy method is presented. Further, the laboratory experiments are carried out to evaluate the enhanced coupled field model and the other two previous models in the literatures. The comparison results show that the enhanced coupled field model can better predict the open-circuit and close-circuit voltages of the PCB energy harvester with a proof mass bonded at the free end of the structure in order to increase the energy-harvesting level of the system.

  4. Development of a Piezoelectric Rotary Hammer Drill

    Science.gov (United States)

    Domm, Lukas N.

    2011-01-01

    The Piezoelectric Rotary Hammer Drill is designed to core through rock using a combination of rotation and high frequency hammering powered by a single piezoelectric actuator. It is designed as a low axial preload, low mass, and low power device for sample acquisition on future missions to extraterrestrial bodies. The purpose of this internship is to develop and test a prototype of the Piezoelectric Rotary Hammer Drill in order to verify the use of a horn with helical or angled cuts as a hammering and torque inducing mechanism. Through an iterative design process using models in ANSYS Finite Element software and a Mason's Equivalent Circuit model in MATLAB, a horn design was chosen for fabrication based on the predicted horn tip motion, electromechanical coupling, and neutral plane location. The design was then machined and a test bed assembled. The completed prototype has proven that a single piezoelectric actuator can be used to produce both rotation and hammering in a drill string through the use of a torque inducing horn. Final data results include bit rotation produced versus input power, and best drilling rate achieved with the prototype.

  5. Characterization of a next-generation piezo bimorph X-ray mirror for synchrotron beamlines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alcock, Simon G., E-mail: simon.alcock@diamond.ac.uk; Nistea, Ioana; Sutter, John P.; Sawhney, Kawal [Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE (United Kingdom); Fermé, Jean-Jacques; Thellièr, Christophe; Peverini, Luca [Thales-SESO, 305 rue Louis Armand, Pôle d’Activités d’Aix les Milles, Aix-en-Provence (France)

    2015-01-01

    A next-generation bimorph mirror with piezos bonded to the side faces of a monolithic substrate was created. When replacing a first-generation bimorph mirror suffering from the junction effect, the new type of mirror significantly improved the size and shape of the reflected synchrotron X-ray beam. No evidence of the junction effect was observed even after eight months of continuous beamline usage. Piezo bimorph mirrors are versatile active optics used on many synchrotron beamlines. However, many bimorphs suffer from the ‘junction effect’: a periodic deformation of the optical surface which causes major aberrations to the reflected X-ray beam. This effect is linked to the construction of such mirrors, where piezo ceramics are glued directly below the thin optical substrate. In order to address this problem, a next-generation bimorph with piezos bonded to the side faces of a monolithic substrate was developed at Thales-SESO and optimized at Diamond Light Source. Using metrology feedback from the Diamond-NOM, the optical slope error was reduced to ∼0.5 µrad r.m.s. for a range of ellipses. To maximize usability, a novel holder was built to accommodate the substrate in any orientation. When replacing a first-generation bimorph on a synchrotron beamline, the new mirror significantly improved the size and shape of the reflected X-ray beam. Most importantly, there was no evidence of the junction effect even after eight months of continuous beamline usage. It is hoped that this new design will reinvigorate the use of active bimorph optics at synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities to manipulate and correct X-ray wavefronts.

  6. Characterization of a next-generation piezo bimorph X-ray mirror for synchrotron beamlines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alcock, Simon G.; Nistea, Ioana; Sutter, John P.; Sawhney, Kawal; Fermé, Jean-Jacques; Thellièr, Christophe; Peverini, Luca

    2015-01-01

    A next-generation bimorph mirror with piezos bonded to the side faces of a monolithic substrate was created. When replacing a first-generation bimorph mirror suffering from the junction effect, the new type of mirror significantly improved the size and shape of the reflected synchrotron X-ray beam. No evidence of the junction effect was observed even after eight months of continuous beamline usage. Piezo bimorph mirrors are versatile active optics used on many synchrotron beamlines. However, many bimorphs suffer from the ‘junction effect’: a periodic deformation of the optical surface which causes major aberrations to the reflected X-ray beam. This effect is linked to the construction of such mirrors, where piezo ceramics are glued directly below the thin optical substrate. In order to address this problem, a next-generation bimorph with piezos bonded to the side faces of a monolithic substrate was developed at Thales-SESO and optimized at Diamond Light Source. Using metrology feedback from the Diamond-NOM, the optical slope error was reduced to ∼0.5 µrad r.m.s. for a range of ellipses. To maximize usability, a novel holder was built to accommodate the substrate in any orientation. When replacing a first-generation bimorph on a synchrotron beamline, the new mirror significantly improved the size and shape of the reflected X-ray beam. Most importantly, there was no evidence of the junction effect even after eight months of continuous beamline usage. It is hoped that this new design will reinvigorate the use of active bimorph optics at synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities to manipulate and correct X-ray wavefronts

  7. Load optimised piezoelectric generator for powering battery-less TPMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blažević, D.; Kamenar, E.; Zelenika, S.

    2013-05-01

    The design of a piezoelectric device aimed at harvesting the kinetic energy of random vibrations on a vehicle's wheel is presented. The harvester is optimised for powering a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). On-road experiments are performed in order to measure the frequencies and amplitudes of wheels' vibrations. It is hence determined that the highest amplitudes occur in an unperiodic manner. Initial tests of the battery-less TPMS are performed in laboratory conditions where tuning and system set-up optimization is achieved. The energy obtained from the piezoelectric bimorph is managed by employing the control electronics which converts AC voltage to DC and conditions the output voltage to make it compatible with the load (i.e. sensor electronics and transmitter). The control electronics also manages the sleep/measure/transmit cycles so that the harvested energy is efficiently used. The system is finally tested in real on-road conditions successfully powering the pressure sensor and transmitting the data to a receiver in the car cockpit.

  8. Evaluation of Breaking Performance in Vibration-Assisted Electrostatic Surface Induction Actuator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nemoto, Takeru; Zsurzsan, Tiberiu-Gabriel; Yamamoto, Akio

    2015-01-01

    This paper evaluates breaking performance of an electrostatic surface induction actuator. The actuator is equipped with piezoelectric vibrator such that the friction between the slider and the stator electrodes can be dramatically reduced by squeeze-film effect. In such an actuator, the friction...... conditions. The result clearly shows the effect of friction change in breaking performance of the actuator....

  9. Survey of Active Structural Control and Repair Using Piezoelectric Patches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Abuzaid

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The piezoelectric actuator has gained popularity over the last few years. Attention has been directed towards the study of their electromechanical response in active repair and the control of damaged structures. This has been made possible through the development of various numerical and analytical techniques for such studies. The shift of focus towards the piezoelectric based approaches has been due to their advantages, which include strategic cost benefits in maintenance, as well as an increase in the life cycle of the repaired structures. Furthermore, adhesively bonded joints are widely used in the manufacturing and repairing of structures in many industries, especially automotive and aerospace engineering. This is due to the requirement for lightweight materials as well as the potential adhesive used to join materials with different characteristics. The piezoelectric actuator has also shown the capacity in controlling and lowering the shear stress concentration and joint edge peel in adhesively bonded joint systems. The structure’s control of stress and repair can generally be viewed as a reinforcement that influences the structure’s damage tolerance. Therefore, the interest of this review is on the applications of the piezoelectric actuators in both structural damage and the bonded adhesive joint system. The specific goal is to recognize the contemporary scientific challenges, including future opportunities.

  10. Mathematical modeling of a V-stack piezoelectric aileron actuation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ioan URSU

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article presents a mathematical modeling of aileron actuation that uses piezo V-shaped stacks. The aim of the actuation is the increasing of flutter speed in the context of a control law, in order to widen the flight envelope. In this way the main advantage of such a piezo actuator, the bandwidth is exploited. The mathematical model is obtained based on free body diagrams, and the numerical simulations allow a preliminary sizing of the actuator.

  11. Piezoelectric Composites by Solid Freeform Fabrication: A Nature-Inspired Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safari, A.; Akdoğan, E. K.

    Piezoelectrics and electrostrictors are indispensable materials for use in transducer technology, as they inherently possess both direct (sensing) and converse (actuation) effects. A piezoelectric/electrostrictive sensor converts a mechanical input (displacement or force) into a measurable electrical output through piezoelectric/electrostrictive energy conversion. In the case of a piezoelectric, an applied mechanical force (stress) induces a voltage across the terminals of the transducer. On the other hand, an applied mechanical force induces a change in the capacitance of an electrostrictive transducer that could be electrically detected. Hence, the mechanical to electrical energy conversion is accomplished directly when a piezoelectric is used, while the same is obtained indirectly if the electroactive material of choice is an electrostrictor. Conversely, both piezoelectric and electrostrictive materials develop an elastic strain under an applied electric field. The said elastic strain is linearly proportional to the applied field in a piezoelectric, whereas electrostrictive coupling involves the second-order (quadratic) coupling of electric field with elastic strain. While piezoelectricity is possible only in noncentrosymetric point groups, electrostriction is observed in all solids, which make it a much more general solid-state phenomenon. Sensing and actuation functions can coexist in a given transducer by the intelligent use of such materials. Piezoelectrics and electrostrictors, therefore, constitute the backbone of modern transducer technology, as mechanical to electric energy (and vice versa) conversion can be accomplished with great efficiency in a way that is second to none among all phenomena known to date [1,2].

  12. Static aeroelastic behavior of an adaptive laminated piezoelectric composite wing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weisshaar, T. A.; Ehlers, S. M.

    1990-01-01

    The effect of using an adaptive material to modify the static aeroelastic behavior of a uniform wing is examined. The wing structure is idealized as a laminated sandwich structure with piezoelectric layers in the upper and lower skins. A feedback system that senses the wing root loads applies a constant electric field to the piezoelectric actuator. Modification of pure torsional deformaton behavior and pure bending deformation are investigated, as is the case of an anisotropic composite swept wing. The use of piezoelectric actuators to create an adaptive structure is found to alter static aeroelastic behavior in that the proper choice of the feedback gain can increase or decrease the aeroelastic divergence speed. This concept also may be used to actively change the lift effectiveness of a wing. The ability to modify static aeroelastic behavior is limited by physical limitations of the piezoelectric material and the manner in which it is integrated into the parent structure.

  13. Attitude and vibration control of a satellite containing flexible solar arrays by using reaction wheels, and piezoelectric transducers as sensors and actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Fonseca, Ijar M.; Rade, Domingos A.; Goes, Luiz C. S.; de Paula Sales, Thiago

    2017-10-01

    The primary purpose of this paper is to provide insight into control-structure interaction for satellites comprising flexible appendages and internal moving components. The physical model considered herein aiming to attend such purpose is a rigid-flexible satellite consisting of a rigid platform containing two rotating flexible solar panels. The solar panels rotation is assumed to be in a sun-synchronous configuration mode. The panels contain surface-bonded piezoelectric patches that can be used either as sensors for the elastic displacements or as actuators to counteract the vibration motion. It is assumed that in the normal mode operation the satellite platform points towards the Earth while the solar arrays rotate so as to follow the Sun. The vehicle moves in a low Earth polar orbit. The technique used to obtain the mathematical model combines the Lagrangian formulation with the Finite Elements Method used to describe the dynamics of the solar panel. The gravity-gradient torque as well as the torque due to the interaction of the Earth magnetic field and the satellite internal residual magnetic moment is included as environmental perturbations. The actuators are three reaction wheels for attitude control and piezoelectric actuators to control the flexible motion of the solar arrays. Computer simulations are performed using the MATLAB® software package. The following on-orbit satellite operating configurations are object of analysis: i) Satellite pointing towards the Earth (Earth acquisition maneuver) by considering the initial conditions in the elastic displacement equal to zero, aiming the assessment of the flexible modes excitation by the referred maneuver; ii) the satellite pointing towards the Earth with the assumption of an initial condition different from zero for the flexible motion such that the attitude alterations are checked against the elastic motion disturbance; and iii) attitude acquisition accomplished by taking into account initial conditions

  14. Control and characterization of a bistable laminate generated with piezoelectricity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Andrew J.; Moosavian, Amin; Inman, Daniel J.

    2017-08-01

    Extensive research has been conducted on utilizing smart materials such as piezoelectric and shape memory alloy actuators to induce snap through of bistable structures for morphing applications. However, there has only been limited success in initiating snap through from both stable states due to the lack of actuation authority. A novel solution in the form of a piezoelectrically generated bistable laminate consisting of only macro fiber composites (MFC), allowing complete configuration control without any external assistance, is explored in detail here. Specifically, this paper presents the full analytical, computational, and experimental results of the laminate’s design, geometry, bifurcation behavior, and snap through capability. By bonding two actuated MFCs in a [0MFC/90MFC]T layup and releasing the voltage post cure, piezoelectric strain anisotropy and the resulting in-plane residual stresses yield two statically stable states that are cylindrically shaped. The analytical model uses the Rayleigh-Ritz minimization of total potential energy and finite element analysis is implemented in MSC Nastran. The [0MFC/90MFC]T laminate is then manufactured and experimentally characterized for model validation. This paper demonstrates the adaptive laminate’s unassisted forward and reverse snap through capability enabled by the efficiencies gained from simultaneously being the actuator and the primary structure.

  15. Finite element analysis of the macro fiber composite actuator: macroscopic elastic and piezoelectric properties and active control thereof by means of negative capacitance shunt circuit

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Steiger, Kateřina; Mokrý, P.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 24, č. 2 (2015), 025026-025026 ISSN 0964-1726 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1206; GA ČR GA13-10365S Institutional support: RVO:61389021 Keywords : piezoelectric macro-fiber composite actuator * macroscopic material properties * finite element analysis (FEA) Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics Impact factor: 2.769, year: 2015 http://iopscience.iop.org/0964-1726

  16. The direct piezoelectric effect in the globular protein lysozyme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stapleton, A.; Noor, M. R.; Sweeney, J.; Casey, V.; Kholkin, A. L.; Silien, C.; Gandhi, A. A.; Soulimane, T.; Tofail, S. A. M.

    2017-10-01

    Here, we present experimental evidence of the direct piezoelectric effect in the globular protein, lysozyme. Piezoelectric materials are employed in many actuating and sensing applications because they can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and vice versa. Although originally studied in inorganic materials, several biological materials including amino acids and bone, also exhibit piezoelectricity. The exact mechanisms supporting biological piezoelectricity are not known, nor is it known whether biological piezoelectricity conforms strictly to the criteria of classical piezoelectricity. The observation of piezoelectricity in protein crystals presented here links biological piezoelectricity with the classical theory of piezoelectricity. We quantify the direct piezoelectric effect in monoclinic and tetragonal aggregate films of lysozyme using conventional techniques based on the Berlincourt Method. The largest piezoelectric effect measured in a crystalline aggregate film of lysozyme was approximately 6.5 pC N-1. These findings raise fundamental questions as to the possible physiological significance of piezoelectricity in lysozyme and the potential for technical applications.

  17. Auto-Gopher: A Wireline Deep Sampler Driven by Piezoelectric Percussive Actuator and EM Rotary Motor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badescu, Mircea; Ressa, Aaron; Jae Lee, Hyeong; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Sherrit, Stewart; Zacny, Kris; Paulsen, Gale L.; Beegle, Luther; Bao, Xiaoqi

    2013-01-01

    The ability to penetrate subsurfaces and perform sample acquisition at depth of meters may be critical for future NASA in-situ exploration missions to bodies in the solar system, including Mars and Europa. A corer/sampler was developed with the goal of enabling acquisition of samples from depths of several meters where if used on Mars would be beyond the oxidized and sterilized zone. For this purpose, we developed a rotary-hammering coring drill, called Auto-Gopher, which employs a piezoelectric actuated percussive mechanism for breaking formations and an electric motor that rotates the bit to remove the powdered cuttings. This sampler is a wireline mechanism that can be fed into and retrieved from the drilled hole using a winch and a cable. It includes an inchworm anchoring mechanism allowing the drill advancement and weight on bit control without twisting the reeling and power cables. The penetration rate is being optimized by simultaneously activating the percussive and rotary motions of the Auto-Gopher. The percussive mechanism is based on the Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corer (USDC) mechanism that is driven by piezoelectric stack and that was demonstrated to require low axial preload. The design and fabrication of this device were presented in previous publications. This paper presents the results of laboratory and field tests and lessons learned from this development.

  18. TOPICAL REVIEW: Progress in engineering high strain lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leontsev, Serhiy O.; Eitel, Richard E.

    2010-08-01

    Environmental concerns are strongly driving the need to replace the lead-based piezoelectric materials currently employed as multilayer actuators. The current review describes both compositional and structural engineering approaches to achieve enhanced piezoelectric properties in lead-free materials. The review of the compositional engineering approach focuses on compositional tuning of the properties and phase behavior in three promising families of lead-free perovskite ferroelectrics: the titanate, alkaline niobate and bismuth perovskites and their solid solutions. The 'structural engineering' approaches focus instead on optimization of microstructural features including grain size, grain orientation or texture, ferroelectric domain size and electrical bias field as potential paths to induce large piezoelectric properties in lead-free piezoceramics. It is suggested that a combination of both compositional and novel structural engineering approaches will be required in order to realize viable lead-free alternatives to current lead-based materials for piezoelectric actuator applications.

  19. Advanced Electroactive Single Crystal and Polymer Actuator Concepts for Passive Optics, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — TRS Technologies proposes large stroke and high precision piezoelectric single crystal and electroactive polymer actuator concepts?HYBrid Actuation System (HYBAS)...

  20. System and Method for Monitoring Piezoelectric Material Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moses, Robert W. (Inventor); Fox, Christopher L. (Inventor); Fox, Melanie L. (Inventor); Chattin, Richard L. (Inventor); Shams, Qamar A. (Inventor); Fox, Robert L. (Inventor)

    2007-01-01

    A system and method are provided for monitoring performance capacity of a piezoelectric material that may form part of an actuator or sensor device. A switch is used to selectively electrically couple an inductor to the piezoelectric material to form an inductor-capacitor circuit. Resonance is induced in the inductor-capacitor circuit when the switch is operated to create the circuit. The resonance of the inductor-capacitor circuit is monitored with the frequency of the resonance being indicative of performance capacity of the device's piezoelectric material.

  1. Structural and aerodynamic considerations of an active piezoelectric trailing-edge tab on a helicopter rotor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, Gabriel Jon

    This dissertation is concerned with an active tab for use on a rotorcraft for noise and vibration reduction. The tab is located at the trailing edge of the airfoil. The tab consists of a shim sandwiched by layers of the piezoelectric actuators, macro fiber composites, of varying length. This configuration is similar to a bimorph. The modus operandi is similar to that of a trailing edge flap. The actuators deform the tab, bending it to achieve a tip displacement. This provides a change in the lift, moment, and drag coefficients of the airfoil. By actuating the system at 3/rev to 5/rev, reductions in noise and vibration can be realized. The system was examined and designed around using the UH-60 Blackhawk as the model rotorcraft. The tab is envisioned to operate between 65% to 85% of the main rotor span. The tab's chordwise dimensions considered were 20% and 15% of the blade chord. In order to assess the potential of the tab to change the lift and moment coefficients of the airfoil-tab system, a steady computational fluid dynamics study was conducted. The results were generated via the University of Maryland's Transonic Unsteady Navier-Stokes code. Various tab deflection angles, Mach numbers, and angle-of-attack values were computed. These results were compared to a trailing edge flap of similar size. The comparison shows that the tab produces lift and moment increments similar to that of the trailing edge flap. The design of the tab---composed of both active piezoelectric actuators and passive materials---was conducted using finite element analysis. The objectives were to maximize the tip deflection due to the actuators, while minimizing the deformation due to inertial and aerodynamic forces and loads. The inertial loads (acceleration terms) come from both blade motion, such as flapping and pitch, as well as the rotation of the rotor (centrifugal force). All of these previously mentioned terms cause the tab to undergo undesirable deflections. The original concept

  2. Modeling and design of a high-performance hybrid actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aloufi, Badr; Behdinan, Kamran; Zu, Jean

    2016-12-01

    This paper presents the model and design of a novel hybrid piezoelectric actuator which provides high active and passive performances for smart structural systems. The actuator is composed of a pair of curved pre-stressed piezoelectric actuators, so-called commercially THUNDER actuators, installed opposite each other using two clamping mechanisms constructed of in-plane fixable hinges, grippers and solid links. A fully mathematical model is developed to describe the active and passive dynamics of the actuator and investigate the effects of its geometrical parameters on the dynamic stiffness, free displacement and blocked force properties. Among the literature that deals with piezoelectric actuators in which THUNDER elements are used as a source of electromechanical power, the proposed study is unique in that it presents a mathematical model that has the ability to predict the actuator characteristics and achieve other phenomena, such as resonances, mode shapes, phase shifts, dips, etc. For model validation, the measurements of the free dynamic response per unit voltage and passive acceleration transmissibility of a particular actuator design are used to check the accuracy of the results predicted by the model. The results reveal that there is a good agreement between the model and experiment. Another experiment is performed to teste the linearity of the actuator system by examining the variation of the output dynamic responses with varying forces and voltages at different frequencies. From the results, it can be concluded that the actuator acts approximately as a linear system at frequencies up to 1000 Hz. A parametric study is achieved here by applying the developed model to analyze the influence of the geometrical parameters of the fixable hinges on the active and passive actuator properties. The model predictions in the frequency range of 0-1000 Hz show that the hinge thickness, radius, and opening angle parameters have great effects on the frequency dynamic

  3. Stroke maximizing and high efficient hysteresis hybrid modeling for a rhombic piezoelectric actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shao, Shubao; Xu, Minglong; Zhang, Shuwen; Xie, Shilin

    2016-06-01

    Rhombic piezoelectric actuator (RPA), which employs a rhombic mechanism to amplify the small stroke of PZT stack, has been widely used in many micro-positioning machineries due to its remarkable properties such as high displacement resolution and compact structure. In order to achieve large actuation range along with high accuracy, the stroke maximizing and compensation for the hysteresis are two concerns in the use of RPA. However, existing maximization methods based on theoretical model can hardly accurately predict the maximum stroke of RPA because of approximation errors that are caused by the simplifications that must be made in the analysis. Moreover, despite the high hysteresis modeling accuracy of Preisach model, its modeling procedure is trivial and time-consuming since a large set of experimental data is required to determine the model parameters. In our research, to improve the accuracy of theoretical model of RPA, the approximation theory is employed in which the approximation errors can be compensated by two dimensionless coefficients. To simplify the hysteresis modeling procedure, a hybrid modeling method is proposed in which the parameters of Preisach model can be identified from only a small set of experimental data by using the combination of discrete Preisach model (DPM) with particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The proposed novel hybrid modeling method can not only model the hysteresis with considerable accuracy but also significantly simplified the modeling procedure. Finally, the inversion of hysteresis is introduced to compensate for the hysteresis non-linearity of RPA, and consequently a pseudo-linear system can be obtained.

  4. An Exact Analytical Solution to Exponentially Tapered Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Salmani

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available It has been proven that tapering the piezoelectric beam through its length optimizes the power extracted from vibration based energy harvesting. This phenomenon has been investigated by some researchers using semianalytical, finite element and experimental methods. In this paper, an exact analytical solution is presented to calculate the power generated from vibration of exponentially tapered unimorph and bimorph with series and parallel connections. The mass normalized mode shapes of the exponentially tapered piezoelectric beam with tip mass are implemented to transfer the proposed electromechanical coupled equations into modal coordinates. The steady states harmonic solution results are verified both numerically and experimentally. Results show that there exist values for tapering parameter and electric resistance in a way that the output power per mass of the energy harvester will be maximized. Moreover it is concluded that the electric resistance must be higher than a specified value for gaining more power by tapering the beam.

  5. High Bandwidth, Fine Resolution Deformable Mirror Design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1980-03-01

    Low Temperature Solders 68 B.6 Influence Function Parameters 68 APPENDIX C 19 Capacitance Measurement 69 ACCESSION for NTIS white Sectloo ODC Buff...Multilayer actuator: Dilatation versus applied electric field 10 Figure 3 - Multilayer actuator: Influence function 11 Figure 4 - Honeycomb device...bimorph 20 Figure 8 - Bimorph device: Influence function of a bimorph device which has a glass plate 0.20 cm thick 24 Figure 9 - Bimorph device

  6. A Study on a Microwave-Driven Smart Material Actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Sang H.; Chu, Sang-Hyon; Kwak, M.; Cutler, A. D.

    2001-01-01

    NASA s Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) has a large deployable, fragmented optical surface (greater than or = 2 8 m in diameter) that requires autonomous correction of deployment misalignments and thermal effects. Its high and stringent resolution requirement imposes a great deal of challenge for optical correction. The threshold value for optical correction is dictated by lambda/20 (30 nm for NGST optics). Control of an adaptive optics array consisting of a large number of optical elements and smart material actuators is so complex that power distribution for activation and control of actuators must be done by other than hard-wired circuitry. The concept of microwave-driven smart actuators is envisioned as the best option to alleviate the complexity associated with hard-wiring. A microwave-driven actuator was studied to realize such a concept for future applications. Piezoelectric material was used as an actuator that shows dimensional change with high electric field. The actuators were coupled with microwave rectenna and tested to correlate the coupling effect of electromagnetic wave. In experiments, a 3x3 rectenna patch array generated more than 50 volts which is a threshold voltage for 30-nm displacement of a single piezoelectric material. Overall, the test results indicate that the microwave-driven actuator concept can be adopted for NGST applications.

  7. Experimental/analytical determination of optimal piezoelectric actuator locations on complex structures based on the actuator power factor

    OpenAIRE

    Bhargava, Adesh

    1995-01-01

    The actuator power factor is defined as the ratio of the total dissipative mechanical power of a PZT actuator to the total supplied electrical power to the PZT actuator. If measured experimentally, it can be used to optinlize the actuator location and configuration for complex structures. The concept of actuator power factor is based on the ability of an integrated induced strain actuator such as a PZT actuator to transfer supplied electrical energy into structural mechanical energy. For a gi...

  8. Multi-parameter actuation of a neutrally stable shell: a flexible gear-less motor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamouche, W; Maurini, C; Vidoli, S; Vincenti, A

    2017-08-01

    We have designed and tested experimentally a morphing structure consisting of a neutrally stable thin cylindrical shell driven by a multi-parameter piezoelectric actuation. The shell is obtained by plastically deforming an initially flat copper disc, so as to induce large isotropic and almost uniform inelastic curvatures. Following the plastic deformation, in a perfectly isotropic system, the shell is theoretically neutrally stable, having a continuous set of stable cylindrical shapes corresponding to the rotation of the axis of maximal curvature. Small imperfections render the actual structure bistable, giving preferred orientations. A three-parameter piezoelectric actuation, exerted through micro-fibre-composite actuators, allows us to add a small perturbation to the plastic inelastic curvature and to control the direction of maximal curvature. This actuation law is designed through a geometrical analogy based on a fully nonlinear inextensible uniform-curvature shell model. We report on the fabrication, identification and experimental testing of a prototype and demonstrate the effectiveness of the piezoelectric actuators in controlling its shape. The resulting motion is an apparent rotation of the shell, controlled by the voltages as in a 'gear-less motor', which is, in reality, a precession of the axis of principal curvature.

  9. Diaphragm Pump With Resonant Piezoelectric Drive

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izenson, Michael G.; Kline-Schoder, Robert J.; Shimko, Martin A.

    2007-01-01

    A diaphragm pump driven by a piezoelectric actuator is undergoing development. This pump is intended to be a prototype of lightweight, highly reliable pumps for circulating cooling liquids in protective garments and high-power electronic circuits, and perhaps for some medical applications. The pump would be highly reliable because it would contain no sliding seals or bearings that could wear, the only parts subject to wear would be two check valves, and the diaphragm and other flexing parts could be designed, by use of proven methods, for extremely long life. Because the pump would be capable of a large volumetric flow rate and would have only a small dead volume, its operation would not be disrupted by ingestion of gas, and it could be started reliably under all conditions. The prior art includes a number piezoelectrically actuated diaphragm pumps. Because of the smallness of the motions of piezoelectric actuators (typical maximum strains only about 0.001), the volumetric flow rates of those pumps are much too small for typical cooling applications. In the pump now undergoing development, mechanical resonance would be utilized to amplify the motion generated by the piezoelectric actuator and thereby multiply the volumetric flow rate. The prime mover in this pump would be a stack of piezoelectric ceramic actuators, one end of which would be connected to a spring that would be part of a spring-and-mass resonator structure. The mass part of the resonator structure would include the pump diaphragm (see Figure 1). Contraction of the spring would draw the diaphragm to the left, causing the volume of the fluid chamber to increase and thereby causing fluid to flow into the chamber. Subsequent expansion of the spring would push the diaphragm to the right, causing the volume of the fluid chamber to decrease, and thereby expelling fluid from the chamber. The fluid would enter and leave the chamber through check valves. The piezoelectric stack would be driven electrically to

  10. Modeling Bistable Composite Laminates for Piezoelectric Morphing Structures

    OpenAIRE

    Darryl V. Murray; Oliver J. Myers

    2013-01-01

    A sequential modeling effort for bistable composite laminates for piezoelectric morphing structures is presented. Thin unsymmetric carbon fiber composite laminates are examined for use of morphing structures using piezoelectric actuation. When cooling from the elevated cure temperature to room temperature, these unsymmetric composite laminates will deform. These postcure room temperature deformation shapes can be used as morphing structures. Applying a force to these deformed laminates will c...

  11. Characterization of a next-generation piezo bimorph X-ray mirror for synchrotron beamlines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcock, Simon G; Nistea, Ioana; Sutter, John P; Sawhney, Kawal; Fermé, Jean Jacques; Thellièr, Christophe; Peverini, Luca

    2015-01-01

    Piezo bimorph mirrors are versatile active optics used on many synchrotron beamlines. However, many bimorphs suffer from the `junction effect': a periodic deformation of the optical surface which causes major aberrations to the reflected X-ray beam. This effect is linked to the construction of such mirrors, where piezo ceramics are glued directly below the thin optical substrate. In order to address this problem, a next-generation bimorph with piezos bonded to the side faces of a monolithic substrate was developed at Thales-SESO and optimized at Diamond Light Source. Using metrology feedback from the Diamond-NOM, the optical slope error was reduced to ∼ 0.5 µrad r.m.s. for a range of ellipses. To maximize usability, a novel holder was built to accommodate the substrate in any orientation. When replacing a first-generation bimorph on a synchrotron beamline, the new mirror significantly improved the size and shape of the reflected X-ray beam. Most importantly, there was no evidence of the junction effect even after eight months of continuous beamline usage. It is hoped that this new design will reinvigorate the use of active bimorph optics at synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities to manipulate and correct X-ray wavefronts.

  12. Design, analysis and testing of a new piezoelectric tool actuator for elliptical vibration turning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Jieqiong; Han, Jinguo; Lu, Mingming; Yu, Baojun; Gu, Yan

    2017-08-01

    A new piezoelectric tool actuator (PETA) for elliptical vibration turning has been developed based on a hybrid flexure hinge connection. Two double parallel four-bar linkage mechanisms and two right circular flexure hinges were chosen to guide the motion. The two input displacement directional stiffness were modeled according to the principle of virtual work modeling method and the kinematic analysis was conducted theoretically. Finite element analysis was used to carry out static and dynamic analyses. To evaluate the performance of the developed PETA, off-line experimental tests were carried out to investigate the step responses, motion strokes, resolutions, parasitic motions, and natural frequencies of the PETA along the two input directions. The relationship between input displacement and output displacement, as well as the tool tip’s elliptical trajectory in different phase shifts was analyzed. By using the developed PETA mechanism, micro-dimple patterns were generated as the preliminary application to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of PETA for elliptical vibration turning.

  13. Monitoring of bone healing by piezoelectric-EMI method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazlina, M. H.; Sarpinah, Bibi; Tawie, Rudy; Daho, Claira Dalislone; Annuar, Ishak

    2016-02-01

    Smart Piezoelectric devices which have excellent piezoelectric properties have been employed for various sensor and actuators applications. The work presented here is an attempt to demonstrate the feasibility of bone healing monitoring by using piezoelectric-electromechanical impedance (EMI) method that have several advantages such as low cost, portable, light weight and simplicity in measurement. A Piezoelectric sensor (PZT) has been widely used in damage detection of various structures including concrete, pipes and bones due to their unique sensing and actuating properties. The EMI technique has emerged as a universal Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) tool suitable for almost all engineering materials and structures. The method used for this proposed study consists of put healing agent in the host structure in particular cracks bone to be monitored by PZT-needle sensor which is embedded to the host structure. The measurements were taken in the frequency range between 0.04 to 100 kHz at 1 kHz interval using AD5933 evaluation board. The signals retrieved from the AD5933 evaluation board, were quantify and analyse to obtain Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) percentage value. Measurements were taken every hour for 12 hours. The result from the study shows the feasibility of the piezoelectric-EMI method to effectively detect changes during bone-cracks healing process until the cracks bone is fully recovered.

  14. Electromechanical responses of a long piezoelectric tube subjected to dynamic loading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Jin H; Shiah, Y C; Lee, Bing Jean

    2008-01-01

    This paper deals with the fully coupled electromechanical response of a long piezoelectric tube subjected to periodic excitation loads. By adopting the variation approach for generalized loading conditions and utilizing Hamilton's principle, the governing differential equations are described in this paper. For studying the direct and converse effect of the piezoelectric tube, the equations of motion are then solved to give exact solutions corresponding to different boundary conditions prescribed for the tube functioning as sensors or actuators. For numerical illustrations of our analysis, a long tube made of polyvinylidene difluoride is investigated for its dynamic responses under different harmonic excitation loads. Contributing to the development of novel acousto-optic, actuator and sensor devices, this work may be extended to investigating the electromechanical responses of piezoelectric coatings on optical fibres

  15. Symmetry Breaking by Surface Blocking: Synthesis of Bimorphic Silver Nanoparticles, Nanoscale Fishes and Apples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cathcart, Nicole; Kitaev, Vladimir

    2016-09-01

    A powerful approach to augment the diversity of well-defined metal nanoparticle (MNP) morphologies, essential for MNP advanced applications, is symmetry breaking combined with seeded growth. Utilizing this approach enabled the formation of bimorphic silver nanoparticles (bi-AgNPs) consisting of two shapes linked by one regrowth point. Bi-AgNPs were formed by using an adsorbing polymer, poly(acrylic acid), PAA, to block the surface of a decahedral AgNP seed and restricting growth of new silver to a single nucleation point. First, we have realized 2-D growth of platelets attached to decahedra producing nanoscale shapes reminiscent of apples, fishes, mushrooms and kites. 1-D bimorphic growth of rods (with chloride) and 3-D bimorphic growth of cubes and bipyramids (with bromide) were achieved by using halides to induce preferential (100) stabilization over (111) of platelets. Furthermore, the universality of the formation of bimorphic nanoparticles was demonstrated by using different seeds. Bi-AgNPs exhibit strong SERS enhancement due to regular cavities at the necks. Overall, the reported approach to symmetry breaking and bimorphic nanoparticle growth offers a powerful methodology for nanoscale shape design.

  16. High-Fidelity Piezoelectric Audio Device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodward, Stanley E.; Fox, Robert L.; Bryant, Robert G.

    2003-01-01

    ModalMax is a very innovative means of harnessing the vibration of a piezoelectric actuator to produce an energy efficient low-profile device with high-bandwidth high-fidelity audio response. The piezoelectric audio device outperforms many commercially available speakers made using speaker cones. The piezoelectric device weighs substantially less (4 g) than the speaker cones which use magnets (10 g). ModalMax devices have extreme fabrication simplicity. The entire audio device is fabricated by lamination. The simplicity of the design lends itself to lower cost. The piezoelectric audio device can be used without its acoustic chambers and thereby resulting in a very low thickness of 0.023 in. (0.58 mm). The piezoelectric audio device can be completely encapsulated, which makes it very attractive for use in wet environments. Encapsulation does not significantly alter the audio response. Its small size (see Figure 1) is applicable to many consumer electronic products, such as pagers, portable radios, headphones, laptop computers, computer monitors, toys, and electronic games. The audio device can also be used in automobile or aircraft sound systems.

  17. Development of piezoelectric composites for transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safari, A.

    1994-07-01

    For the past decade and a half, many different types of piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites have been developed intended for transducer applications. These diphasic composites are prepared from non-active polymer, such as epoxy, and piezoelectric ceramic, such as PZT, in the form of filler powders, elongated fibers, multilayer and more complex three-dimensional structures. For the last four years, most of the efforts have been given to producing large area and fine scale PZT fiber composites. In this paper, processing of piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites with various connectivity patterns are reviewed. Development of fine scale piezoelectric composites by lost mold, injection molding and the relic method are described. Research activities of different groups for preparing large area piezocomposites for hydrophone and actuator applications are briefly reviewed. Initial development of electrostrictive ceramics and composites are also

  18. Overview of NASA Langley's Piezoelectric Ceramic Packaging Technology and Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryant, Robert G.

    2007-01-01

    Over the past decade, NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) has developed several actuator packaging concepts designed to enhance the performance of commercial electroactive ceramics. NASA LaRC focused on properly designed actuator and sensor packaging for the following reasons, increased durability, protect the working material from the environment, allow for proper mechanical and electrical contact, afford "ready to use" mechanisms that are scalable, and develop fabrication methodology applicable to any active material of the same physical class. It is more cost effective to enhance or tailor the performance of existing systems, through innovative packaging, than to develop, test and manufacture new materials. This approach led to the development of several solid state actuators that include THUNDER, the Macrofiber Composite or (MFC) and the Radial Field Diaphragm or (RFD). All these actuators are fabricated using standard materials and processes derived from earlier concepts. NASA s fabrication and packaging technology as yielded, piezoelectric actuators and sensors that are easy to implement, reliable, consistent in properties, and of lower cost to manufacture in quantity, than their predecessors (as evidenced by their continued commercial availability.) These piezoelectric actuators have helped foster new research and development in areas involving computational modeling, actuator specific refinements, and engineering system redesign which led to new applications for piezo-based devices that replace traditional systems currently in use.

  19. Optically Defined Modal Sensors Incorporating Spiropyran-Doped Liquid Crystals with Piezoelectric Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui-Lung Kuo

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We integrated a piezoelectric sensing layer lamina containing liquid crystals (LC and spiropyran (SP in a LC/SP mixture to create an optically reconfigurable modal sensor for a cantilever beam. The impedance of this LC/SP lamina was decreased by UV irradiation which constituted the underlying mechanism to modulate the voltage externally applied to the piezoelectric actuating layer. Illuminating a specific pattern onto the LC/SP lamina provided us with a way to spatially modulate the piezoelectric vibration signal. We showed that if an UV illuminated pattern matches the strain distribution of a specific mode, a piezoelectric modal sensor can be created. Since UV illumination can be changed in situ in real-time, our results confirm for the first time since the inception of smart sensors, that an optically tailored modal sensor can be created. Some potential applications of this type of sensor include energy harvesting devices, bio-chips, vibration sensing and actuating devices.

  20. Analysis of Piezoelectric Solids using Finite Element Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aslam, Mohammed; Nagarajan, Praveen; Remanan, Mini

    2018-03-01

    Piezoelectric materials are extensively used in smart structures as sensors and actuators. In this paper, static analysis of three piezoelectric solids is done using general-purpose finite element software, Abaqus. The simulation results from Abaqus are compared with the results obtained using numerical methods like Boundary Element Method (BEM) and meshless point collocation method (PCM). The BEM and PCM are cumbersome for complex shape and complicated boundary conditions. This paper shows that the software Abaqus can be used to solve the governing equations of piezoelectric solids in a much simpler and faster way than the BEM and PCM.

  1. Electrostrain in excess of 1% in polycrystalline piezoelectrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narayan, Bastola; Malhotra, Jaskaran Singh; Pandey, Rishikesh; Yaddanapudi, Krishna; Nukala, Pavan; Dkhil, Brahim; Senyshyn, Anatoliy; Ranjan, Rajeev

    2018-05-01

    Piezoelectric actuators transform electrical energy into mechanical energy, and because of their compactness, quick response time and accurate displacement, they are sought after in many applications. Polycrystalline piezoelectric ceramics are technologically more appealing than single crystals due to their simpler and less expensive processing, but have yet to display electrostrain values that exceed 1%. Here we report a material design strategy wherein the efficient switching of ferroelectric-ferroelastic domains by an electric field is exploited to achieve a high electrostrain value of 1.3% in a pseudo-ternary ferroelectric alloy system, BiFeO3-PbTiO3-LaFeO3. Detailed structural investigations reveal that this electrostrain is associated with a combination of several factors: a large spontaneous lattice strain of the piezoelectric phase, domain miniaturization, a low-symmetry ferroelectric phase and a very large reverse switching of the non-180° domains. This insight for the design of a new class of polycrystalline piezoceramics with high electrostrains may be useful to develop alternatives to costly single-crystal actuators.

  2. Development of blood extraction system for health monitoring system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuchiya, Kazuyoshi; Nakanishi, Naoyuki; Nakamachi, Eiji

    2004-03-01

    The purpose of this research is to develop the compact human blood sampling device applied for a health monitoring system(HMS), which is called "Mobile Hospital". The HMS consists of (1) a micro electrical pumping system for blood extraction, (2) a bio-sensor to detect and evaluate an amount of Glucose, Cholesterol and Urea in extracted blood, by using enzyme such as Glucoseoxidase (GOD), Cholesteroloxidase and Urease. The mechanical design elements of the device are bio-compatible microneedle, indentation unit using a shape memory alloy(SMA) actuator and pumping unit using a piezoelectric microactuator. The design concept is the biomimetic micromachine of female mosquito"s blood sampling mechanism. The performances of the main mechanical elements such as indentation force of the microneedle, actual stroke of the indentation unit using a SMA actuator and liquid sampling ability of the pumping unit using PZT piezoelectric microactuator were measured. The 3 mm stroke of the indentation load generated by SMA actuator was 0.8mN. The amount of imitation blood extracted by using bimorph PZT actuators was about 0.5 microliters for 10 sec. A 60-micrometer outer diameter and 25-micrometer inner diameter Titanium microneedle, which size is same as female mosquito"s labium, was produced by sputter deposition.

  3. Actuator Location and Voltages Optimization for Shape Control of Smart Beams Using Genetic Algorithms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georgios E. Stavroulakis

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a numerical study on optimal voltages and optimal placement of piezoelectric actuators for shape control of beam structures. A finite element model, based on Timoshenko beam theory, is developed to characterize the behavior of the structure and the actuators. This model accounted for the electromechanical coupling in the entire beam structure, due to the fact that the piezoelectric layers are treated as constituent parts of the entire structural system. A hybrid scheme is presented based on great deluge and genetic algorithm. The hybrid algorithm is implemented to calculate the optimal locations and optimal values of voltages, applied to the piezoelectric actuators glued in the structure, which minimize the error between the achieved and the desired shape. Results from numerical simulations demonstrate the capabilities and efficiency of the developed optimization algorithm in both clamped−free and clamped−clamped beam problems are presented.

  4. Gust load alleviation wind tunnel tests of a large-aspect-ratio flexible wing with piezoelectric control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Bi

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available An active control technique utilizing piezoelectric actuators to alleviate gust-response loads of a large-aspect-ratio flexible wing is investigated. Piezoelectric materials have been extensively used for active vibration control of engineering structures. In this paper, piezoelectric materials further attempt to suppress the vibration of the aeroelastic wing caused by gust. The motion equation of the flexible wing with piezoelectric patches is obtained by Hamilton’s principle with the modal approach, and then numerical gust responses are analyzed, based on which a gust load alleviation (GLA control system is proposed. The gust load alleviation system employs classic proportional-integral-derivative (PID controllers which treat piezoelectric patches as control actuators and acceleration as the feedback signal. By a numerical method, the control mechanism that piezoelectric actuators can be used to alleviate gust-response loads is also analyzed qualitatively. Furthermore, through low-speed wind tunnel tests, the effectiveness of the gust load alleviation active control technology is validated. The test results agree well with the numerical results. Test results show that at a certain frequency range, the control scheme can effectively alleviate the z and x wingtip accelerations and the root bending moment of the wing to a certain extent. The control system gives satisfying gust load alleviation efficacy with the reduction rate being generally over 20%.

  5. Finite element modelling and experimental characterization of an electro-thermally actuated silicon-polymer micro gripper

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krecinic, F; Duc, T Chu; Sarro, P M; Lau, G K

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents simulation and experimental characterization of an electro-thermally actuated micro gripper. This micro actuator can conceptually be seen as a bi-morph structure of SU-8 and silicon, actuated by thermal expansion of the polymer. The polymer micro gripper with an embedded comb-like silicon skeleton is designed to reduce unwanted out-of-plane bending of the actuator, while offering a large gripper stroke. The temperature and displacement field of the micro gripper structure is determined using a two-dimensional finite element analysis. This analysis is compared to experimental data from steady-state and transient measurements of the integrated heater resistance, which depends on the average temperature of the actuator. The stability of the polymer actuator is evaluated by recording the transient behaviour of the actual jaw displacements. The maximum single jaw displacement of this micro gripper design is 34 µm at a driving voltage of 4 V and an average actuator temperature of 170 °C. The transient thermal response is modelled by a first-order system with a characteristic time constant of 11.1 ms. The simulated force capability of the device is 0.57 mN per µm jaw displacement

  6. Topological design of compliant smart structures with embedded movable actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Yiqiang; Zhang, Xiaopeng; Kang, Zhan; Luo, Zhen

    2014-01-01

    In the optimal configuration design of piezoelectric smart structures, it is favorable to use actuation elements with certain predefined geometries from the viewpoint of manufacturability of fragile piezoelectric ceramics in practical applications. However, preserving the exact shape of these embedded actuators and tracking their dynamic motions presents a more challenging research task than merely allowing them to take arbitrary shapes. This paper proposes an integrated topology optimization method for the systematic design of compliant smart structures with embedded movable PZT (lead zirconate titanate) actuators. Compared with most existing studies, which either optimize positions/sizes of the actuators in a given host structure or design the host structure with pre-determined actuator locations, the proposed method simultaneously optimizes the positions of the movable PZT actuators and the topology of the host structure, typically a compliant mechanism for amplifying the small strain stroke. A combined topological description model is employed in the optimization, where the level set model is used to track the movements of the PZT actuators and the independent point-wise density interpolation (iPDI) approach is utilized to search for the optimal topology of the host structure. Furthermore, we define an integral-type constraint function to prevent overlaps between the PZT actuators and between the actuators and the external boundaries of the design domain. Such a constraint provides a unified and explicit mathematical statement of the non-overlap condition for any number of arbitrarily shaped embedded actuators. Several numerical examples are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed optimization method. (paper)

  7. Using piezo-electric material to simulate a vibration environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jepsen, Richard A.; Davie, Neil T.; Vangoethem, Douglas J.; Romero, Edward F.

    2010-12-14

    A target object can be vibrated using actuation that exploits the piezo-electric ("PE") property. Under combined conditions of vibration and centrifugal acceleration, a centrifugal load of the target object on PE vibration actuators can be reduced by using a counterweight that offsets the centrifugal loading. Target objects are also subjected to combinations of: spin, vibration, and acceleration; spin and vibration; and spin and acceleration.

  8. Fatigue life characterization for piezoelectric macrofiber composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    A Henslee, Isaac; Miller, David A; Tempero, Tyler

    2012-01-01

    In an effort to aid the investigation into lightweight and reliable materials for actuator design, a study was developed to characterize the temperature-dependent lifetime performance of a piezoelectric macrofiber composite (MFC). MFCs are thin rectangular patches of polyimide film, epoxy and a single layer of rectangular lead zirconium titanate (PZT) fibers. In this study, the useful life of the MFC is characterized to determine the effect of temperature on the performance of the composite as it is fatigued by cyclic piezoelectric excitation. The test specimen consists of the MFC laminated to a cantilevered stainless steel beam. Beam strain and tip displacement measurements are used as a basis for determining the performance of the MFC as it is cyclically actuated under various operating temperatures. The temperature of the beam laminate is held constant and then cycled to failure, or 250 million cycles, in order to determine the useful life of the MFC over a temperature range from − 15 to 145 °C. The results of the experiments show a strong temperature dependence of the operational life for the MFC. Damage inside the composite was identified through in situ visual inspection and during post-test microstructural observation; however, no degradation in operational performance was identified as it was cyclically actuated up to the point of failure, regardless of temperature or actuation cycle number. (paper)

  9. Fatigue life characterization for piezoelectric macrofiber composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henslee, Isaac A.; Miller, David A.; Tempero, Tyler

    2012-10-01

    In an effort to aid the investigation into lightweight and reliable materials for actuator design, a study was developed to characterize the temperature-dependent lifetime performance of a piezoelectric macrofiber composite (MFC). MFCs are thin rectangular patches of polyimide film, epoxy and a single layer of rectangular lead zirconium titanate (PZT) fibers. In this study, the useful life of the MFC is characterized to determine the effect of temperature on the performance of the composite as it is fatigued by cyclic piezoelectric excitation. The test specimen consists of the MFC laminated to a cantilevered stainless steel beam. Beam strain and tip displacement measurements are used as a basis for determining the performance of the MFC as it is cyclically actuated under various operating temperatures. The temperature of the beam laminate is held constant and then cycled to failure, or 250 million cycles, in order to determine the useful life of the MFC over a temperature range from - 15 to 145 °C. The results of the experiments show a strong temperature dependence of the operational life for the MFC. Damage inside the composite was identified through in situ visual inspection and during post-test microstructural observation; however, no degradation in operational performance was identified as it was cyclically actuated up to the point of failure, regardless of temperature or actuation cycle number.

  10. Refreshable Braille displays using EAP actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

    2010-04-01

    Refreshable Braille can help visually impaired persons benefit from the growing advances in computer technology. The development of such displays in a full screen form is a great challenge due to the need to pack many actuators in small area without interferences. In recent years, various displays using actuators such as piezoelectric stacks have become available in commercial form but most of them are limited to one line Braille code. Researchers in the field of electroactive polymers (EAP) investigated methods of using these materials to form full screen displays. This manuscript reviews the state of the art of producing refreshable Braille displays using EAP-based actuators.

  11. Refreshable Braille Displays Using EAP Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

    2010-01-01

    Refreshable Braille can help visually impaired persons benefit from the growing advances in computer technology. The development of such displays in a full screen form is a great challenge due to the need to pack many actuators in small area without interferences. In recent years, various displays using actuators such as piezoelectric stacks have become available in commercial form but most of them are limited to one line Braille code. Researchers in the field of electroactive polymers (EAP) investigated methods of using these materials to form full screen displays. This manuscript reviews the state of the art of producing refreshable Braille displays using EAP-based actuators..

  12. Improving tapping mode atomic force microscopy with piezoelectric cantilevers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rogers, B.; Manning, L.; Sulchek, T.; Adams, J.D.

    2004-01-01

    This article summarizes improvements to the speed, simplicity and versatility of tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). Improvements are enabled by a piezoelectric microcantilever with a sharp silicon tip and a thin, low-stress zinc oxide (ZnO) film to both actuate and sense deflection. First, we demonstrate self-sensing tapping mode without laser detection. Similar previous work has been limited by unoptimized probe tips, cantilever thicknesses, and stress in the piezoelectric films. Tests indicate self-sensing amplitude resolution is as good or better than optical detection, with double the sensitivity, using the same type of cantilever. Second, we demonstrate self-oscillating tapping mode AFM. The cantilever's integrated piezoelectric film serves as the frequency-determining component of an oscillator circuit. The circuit oscillates the cantilever near its resonant frequency by applying positive feedback to the film. We present images and force-distance curves using both self-sensing and self-oscillating techniques. Finally, high-speed tapping mode imaging in liquid, where electric components of the cantilever require insulation, is demonstrated. Three cantilever coating schemes are tested. The insulated microactuator is used to simultaneously vibrate and actuate the cantilever over topographical features. Preliminary images in water and saline are presented, including one taken at 75.5 μm/s - a threefold improvement in bandwidth versus conventional piezotube actuators

  13. Low-energy impact of adaptive cylindrical piezoelectric-composite shells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saravanos, D.A. [University of Patras (United Kingdom). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics; Christoforou, A.P. [Kuwait Univ. (Kuwait). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

    2002-04-01

    A theoretical framework for analyzing low-energy impacts of laminated shells with active and sensory piezoelectric layers is presented, including impactor dynamics and contact law. The formulation encompasses a coupled piezoelectric shell theory mixing first order shear displacement assumptions and layerwise variation of electric potential. An exact in-plane Ritz solution for the impact of open cylindrical piezoelectric-composite shells is developed and solved numerically using an explicit time integration scheme. The active impact control problem of adaptive cylindrical shells with distributed curved piezoelectric actuators is addressed. The cases of optimized state feedback controllers and output feedback controllers using piezoelectric sensors are analyzed. Numerical results quantify the impact response of cylindrical shells of various curvatures including the signal of curved piezoelectric sensors. Additional numerical studies quantify the impact response of adaptive cylindrical panels and investigate the feasibility of actively reducing the impact force. (author)

  14. Advanced Modified High Performance Synthetic Jet Actuator with Curved Chamber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tian-Bing (Inventor); Su, Ji (Inventor); Jiang, Xiaoning (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    The advanced modified high performance synthetic jet actuator with optimized curvature shape chamber (ASJA-M) is a synthetic jet actuator (SJA) with a lower volume reservoir or chamber. A curved chamber is used, instead of the conventional cylinder chamber, to reduce the dead volume of the jet chamber and increase the efficiency of the synthetic jet actuator. The shape of the curvature corresponds to the maximum displacement (deformation) profile of the electroactive diaphragm. The jet velocity and mass flow rate for the ASJA-M will be several times higher than conventional piezoelectric actuators.

  15. A phenomenological model for pre-stressed piezoelectric ceramic stack actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, D H; Zhu, W

    2011-01-01

    In order to characterize the hysteretic characteristics between the output displacement and applied voltage of pre-stressed piezoelectric ceramic stack actuators (PCSAs), this paper considers that a linear force and a hysteretic force will be generated by a linear extension and a hysteretic extension, respectively, due to the applied voltage to a pre-stressed PCSA and the total force will result in the forced vibration of the single-degree-of-freedom (DOF) system composed of the mass of the pre-stressed PCSA and the equivalent spring and damper of the pre-stressed mechanism, which lets the PCSA be pre-stressed to endure enough tension. On this basis, the phenomenological model to characterize the hysteretic behavior of the pre-stressed PCSA is put forward by using the Bouc–Wen hysteresis operator to model the hysteretic extension. The parameter identification method in a least-squares sense is established by identifying the parameters for the linear and hysteretic components separately with the step and periodic responses of the pre-stressed PCSA, respectively. The performance of the proposed phenomenological model with the corresponding parameter identification method is experimentally verified by the established experimental set-up. The research results show that the phenomenological model for the pre-stressed PCSA with the corresponding parameter identification method can accurately portray the hysteretic characteristics of the pre-stressed PCSA. In addition, the phenomenological model for PCSAs can be deduced from the phenomenological model for pre-stressed PCSAs by removing the terms related to the pre-stressed mechanisms

  16. Modified Continuum Mechanics Modeling on Size-Dependent Properties of Piezoelectric Nanomaterials: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhi Yan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric nanomaterials (PNs are attractive for applications including sensing, actuating, energy harvesting, among others in nano-electro-mechanical-systems (NEMS because of their excellent electromechanical coupling, mechanical and physical properties. However, the properties of PNs do not coincide with their bulk counterparts and depend on the particular size. A large amount of efforts have been devoted to studying the size-dependent properties of PNs by using experimental characterization, atomistic simulation and continuum mechanics modeling with the consideration of the scale features of the nanomaterials. This paper reviews the recent progresses and achievements in the research on the continuum mechanics modeling of the size-dependent mechanical and physical properties of PNs. We start from the fundamentals of the modified continuum mechanics models for PNs, including the theories of surface piezoelectricity, flexoelectricity and non-local piezoelectricity, with the introduction of the modified piezoelectric beam and plate models particularly for nanostructured piezoelectric materials with certain configurations. Then, we give a review on the investigation of the size-dependent properties of PNs by using the modified continuum mechanics models, such as the electromechanical coupling, bending, vibration, buckling, wave propagation and dynamic characteristics. Finally, analytical modeling and analysis of nanoscale actuators and energy harvesters based on piezoelectric nanostructures are presented.

  17. Modified Continuum Mechanics Modeling on Size-Dependent Properties of Piezoelectric Nanomaterials: A Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Zhi; Jiang, Liying

    2017-01-26

    Piezoelectric nanomaterials (PNs) are attractive for applications including sensing, actuating, energy harvesting, among others in nano-electro-mechanical-systems (NEMS) because of their excellent electromechanical coupling, mechanical and physical properties. However, the properties of PNs do not coincide with their bulk counterparts and depend on the particular size. A large amount of efforts have been devoted to studying the size-dependent properties of PNs by using experimental characterization, atomistic simulation and continuum mechanics modeling with the consideration of the scale features of the nanomaterials. This paper reviews the recent progresses and achievements in the research on the continuum mechanics modeling of the size-dependent mechanical and physical properties of PNs. We start from the fundamentals of the modified continuum mechanics models for PNs, including the theories of surface piezoelectricity, flexoelectricity and non-local piezoelectricity, with the introduction of the modified piezoelectric beam and plate models particularly for nanostructured piezoelectric materials with certain configurations. Then, we give a review on the investigation of the size-dependent properties of PNs by using the modified continuum mechanics models, such as the electromechanical coupling, bending, vibration, buckling, wave propagation and dynamic characteristics. Finally, analytical modeling and analysis of nanoscale actuators and energy harvesters based on piezoelectric nanostructures are presented.

  18. Effect of β-PVDF Piezoelectric Transducers’ Positioning on the Acoustic Streaming Flows

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susana O. Catarino

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports the numerical and experimental analysis of the acoustic streaming effect in a fluidic domain. The actuation of a piezoelectric transducer generates acoustic waves that propagate to the fluids, generating pressure gradients that induce the flow. The number and positioning of the transducers affect the pressure gradients and, consequently, the resultant flow profile. Two actuation conditions were considered: (1 acoustic streaming generated by a 28 μm thick β-poly(vinylidene fluoride (β-PVDF piezoelectric transducer placed asymmetrically relative to the fluidic domain and (2 acoustic streaming generated by two 28 μm thick β-PVDF piezoelectric transducers placed perpendicularly to each other. The transducers were fixed to the lower left corner of a poly(methyl methacrylate (PMMAcuvette and were actuated with a 24 Vpp and 34.2 MHz sinusoidal voltage. The results show that the number of transducers and their positioning affects the shape and number of recirculation areas in the acoustic streaming flows. The obtained global flows show great potential for mixing and pumping, being an alternative to the previous geometries studied by the authors, namely, a single transducer placed symmetrically under a fluidic domain.

  19. Production and characterization of rainbow piezoelectric actuators. Advantages from other traditional devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Durán-Martín, P.

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available A new actuator called RAINBOW is presently intensively studied because of the extremely large displacement that it is able to generate. The aim of the present work is to fully characterize the performances of this kind of actuator in terms of voltage, frequency and temperature dependence of both maximum displacement and force generated. These results will be compared with the performances shown in the literature for some other traditional piezoelectric actuators. The present work explores two types of compositions for RAINBOWS fabrication: electrostrictive based on PLZT and ferroelectric PZT-based. Results show that this actuator can be engineered upon their thickness to optimize the performances. Maximum displacement and generated force increase in a rate of 7446 10-12 m/V and 2.9 N/kV, respectively, per mm of increase of disk diameter. The change with frequency of these properties along 0.01Hz to 500Hz range keeps within 20% for maximum displacement and 10% for blocking force. Thermal stability of the performaces shows an unexpected 50% of variation through the studied range from -40ºC up to 50ºC.

    Un nuevo actuador piezoeléctrico denominado RAINBOW está siendo intensamente estudiado a causa de los extremadamente altos desplazamientos que es capaz de realizar. La motivación del presente trabajo se centra en la caracterización exhaustiva de este tipo de actuadores, en términos de la dependencia del máximo desplazamiento y de la fuerza generados en función de la amplitud y la frecuencia del voltaje aplicado, así como de la temperatura. Dicha caracterización será objeto en algunos casos de comparación con los resultados presentes en la literatura respecto de otros actuadores piezoeléctricos tradicionales. El trabajo explora dos tipos de composiciones utilizadas en la fabricación de RAINBOWS: una electrostrictiva basada en PLZT y otra ferroeléctrica basada en PZT. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que este tipo de

  20. Monitoring of Failure Mechanisms in a Composite Bending Actuator during Cyclic Loading by Acoustic Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo, Sung-Choong; Goo, Nam Seo

    The objective of this work is to investigate the influence of electromechanical cyclic loading on the performance of a bending piezoelectric composite actuator. We have analyzed the fatigue damage mechanisms in terms of the behavior of the AE event rate. It was found that whether the actuators are subjected to purely electric loading or electromechanical loading, the initial fatigue damage of the bending piezoelectric composite actuator was caused by the transgranular fracture in the PZT ceramic layer; the final failure was caused only in the case of PCAWB under electromechanical loading by a local discharge, which critically affected the performance reduction of the actuators. As the number of cycles increased, a large reduction in displacement performance coincided with a high AE event rate, which was identified via microscopic observations.

  1. Class-D amplifier design and performance for driving a Piezo Actuator Drive servomotor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zsurzsan, Tiberiu-Gabriel; Zhang, Zhe; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the behavior of piezoelectric stacks in a Piezoelectric Actuator Drive (PAD) motor, which shows non-linear equivalent impedance and has a dramatic impact on the overall system performance. Therefore, in this paper, the piezo stackt’s model is discussed and an improved large...

  2. Applications of Piezoelectric Materials in Structural Health Monitoring and Repair: Selected Research Examples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duan, Wen Hui; Wang, Quan; Quek, Ser Tong

    2010-12-06

    The paper reviews the recent applications of piezoelectric materials in structural health monitoring and repair conducted by the authors. First, commonly used piezoelectric materials in structural health monitoring and structure repair are introduced. The analysis of plain piezoelectric sensors and actuators and interdigital transducer and their applications in beam, plate and pipe structures for damage detection are reviewed in detail. Second, an overview is presented on the recent advances in the applications of piezoelectric materials in structural repair. In addition, the basic principle and the current development of the technique are examined.

  3. Applications of Piezoelectric Materials in Structural Health Monitoring and Repair: Selected Research Examples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ser Tong Quek

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper reviews the recent applications of piezoelectric materials in structural health monitoring and repair conducted by the authors. First, commonly used piezoelectric materials in structural health monitoring and structure repair are introduced. The analysis of plain piezoelectric sensors and actuators and interdigital transducer and their applications in beam, plate and pipe structures for damage detection are reviewed in detail. Second, an overview is presented on the recent advances in the applications of piezoelectric materials in structural repair. In addition, the basic principle and the current development of the technique are examined.

  4. AlN piezoelectric films for sensing and actuation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tran, A.T.

    2014-01-01

    Aluminum Nitride (AlN) is explored as a thin film material for piezoelectric MEMS applications. A pulse DC reactive sputtering technique is used to deposit the AlN thin films and process parameters are optimized to obtain good crystallinity and high c-axis orientation films. A CMOS compatible

  5. Exact analytical solution of shear-induced flexural vibration of functionally graded piezoelectric beam

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sharma, Pankaj, E-mail: psharma@rtu.ac.in; Parashar, Sandeep Kumar, E-mail: parashar2@yahoo.com [Mechanical Engineering Department, Rajasthan Technical University, Kota (India)

    2016-05-06

    The priority of this paper is to obtain the exact analytical solution for free flexural vibration of FGPM beam actuated using the d{sub 15} effect. In piezoelectric actuators, the potential use of d{sub 15} effect has been of particular interest for engineering applications since shear piezoelectric coefficient d15 is much higher than the other piezoelectric coupling constants d{sub 31} and d{sub 33}. The applications of shear actuators are to induce and control the flexural vibrations of beams and plates. In this study, a modified Timoshenko beam theory is used where electric potential is assumed to vary sinusoidaly along the thickness direction. The material properties are assumed to be graded across the thickness in accordance with power law distribution. Hamilton's principle is employed to obtain the equations of motion along with the associated boundary conditions for FGPM beams. Exact analytical solution is derived thus obtained equations of motion. Results for clamped-clamped and clamped-free boundary conditions are presented. The presented result and method shell serve as benchmark for comparing the results obtained from the other approximate methods.

  6. Deep Drilling and Sampling via the Wireline Auto-Gopher Driven by Piezoelectric Percussive Actuator and EM Rotary Motor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Badescu, Mircea; Sherrit, Stewart; Zacny, Kris; Paulsen, Gale L; Beegle, Luther; Bao, Xiaoqi

    2012-01-01

    The ability to penetrate subsurfaces and perform sample acquisition at depths of meters is critical for future NASA in-situ exploration missions to bodies in the solar system, including Mars and Europa. A corer/sampler was developed with the goal of acquiring pristine samples by reaching depths on Mars beyond the oxidized and sterilized zone. To developed rotary-hammering coring drill, called Auto-Gopher, employs a piezoelectric actuated percussive mechanism for breaking formations and an electric motor rotates the bit to remove the powdered cuttings. This sampler is a wireline mechanism that is incorporated with an inchworm mechanism allowing thru cyclic coring and core removal to reach great depths. The penetration rate is being optimized by simultaneously activating the percussive and rotary motions of the Auto-Gopher. The percussive mechanism is based on the Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corer (USDC) mechanism that is driven by piezoelectric stack and that was demonstrated to require low axial preload. The Auto-Gopher has been produced taking into account the a lessons learned from the development of the Ultrasonic/Sonic Gopher that was designed as a percussive ice drill and was demonstrated in Antarctica in 2005 to reach about 2 meters deep. A field demonstration of the Auto-Gopher is currently being planned with objective of reaching as deep as 3 to 5 meters in tufa subsurface.

  7. Adaptive Piezoelectric Absorber for Active Vibration Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sven Herold

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Passive vibration control solutions are often limited to working reliably at one design point. Especially applied to lightweight structures, which tend to have unwanted vibration, active vibration control approaches can outperform passive solutions. To generate dynamic forces in a narrow frequency band, passive single-degree-of-freedom oscillators are frequently used as vibration absorbers and neutralizers. In order to respond to changes in system properties and/or the frequency of excitation forces, in this work, adaptive vibration compensation by a tunable piezoelectric vibration absorber is investigated. A special design containing piezoelectric stack actuators is used to cover a large tuning range for the natural frequency of the adaptive vibration absorber, while also the utilization as an active dynamic inertial mass actuator for active control concepts is possible, which can help to implement a broadband vibration control system. An analytical model is set up to derive general design rules for the system. An absorber prototype is set up and validated experimentally for both use cases of an adaptive vibration absorber and inertial mass actuator. Finally, the adaptive vibration control system is installed and tested with a basic truss structure in the laboratory, using both the possibility to adjust the properties of the absorber and active control.

  8. Integration of bulk piezoelectric materials into microsystems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aktakka, Ethem Erkan

    Bulk piezoelectric ceramics, compared to deposited piezoelectric thin-films, provide greater electromechanical coupling and charge capacity, which are highly desirable in many MEMS applications. In this thesis, a technology platform is developed for wafer-level integration of bulk piezoelectric substrates on silicon, with a final film thickness of 5-100microm. The characterized processes include reliable low-temperature (200°C) AuIn diffusion bonding and parylene bonding of bulk-PZT on silicon, wafer-level lapping of bulk-PZT with high-uniformity (+/-0.5microm), and low-damage micro-machining of PZT films via dicing-saw patterning, laser ablation, and wet-etching. Preservation of ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties is confirmed with hysteresis and piezo-response measurements. The introduced technology offers higher material quality and unique advantages in fabrication flexibility over existing piezoelectric film deposition methods. In order to confirm the preserved bulk properties in the final film, diaphragm and cantilever beam actuators operating in the transverse-mode are designed, fabricated and tested. The diaphragm structure and electrode shapes/sizes are optimized for maximum deflection through finite-element simulations. During tests of fabricated devices, greater than 12microm PP displacement is obtained by actuation of a 1mm2 diaphragm at 111kHz with integration of a 50-80% efficient power management IC, which incorporates a supply-independent bias circuitry, an active diode for low-dropout rectification, a bias-flip system for higher efficiency, and a trickle battery charger. The overall system does not require a pre-charged battery, and has power consumption of <1microW in active-mode (measured) and <5pA in sleep-mode (simulated). Under lg vibration at 155Hz, a 70mF ultra-capacitor is charged from OV to 1.85V in 50 minutes.

  9. Enhanced actuation performance of piezoelectric fiber composites induced by incorporated BaTiO3 nanoparticles in epoxy resin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Mingliang; Yuan, Xi; Luo, Hang; Chen, Haiyan; Chen, Chao; Zhou, Kechao; Zhang, Dou

    2017-01-01

    Piezoelectric fiber composites (PFCs) have attracted much interest owing to their flexibility and toughness compared with conventional monolithic piezoceramic wafers. The free strain values and actuation property of PFCs strongly depend on the active electric field applied in Pb(Zr 1−x Ti x )O 3 (PZT) fibers. Reducing the dielectric constant mismatch between PZT fiber and the assembling epoxy resin would greatly increase the active electric field in PZT fiber. Therefore, BaTiO 3 (BT) nanoparticles were introduced into the epoxy resin to enhance the dielectric constant. Homogeneous dispersion of BT nanoparticles and tight adhesion with the epoxy resin were achieved through a surface modification by dopamine. The maximum dielectric constant of dopamine modified BT/epoxy (BT@Dop/epoxy) nanocomposites was 10.38 with 12 wt% BT@Dop content at 1 kHz. The maximum free strain of PFCs reached 1820 ppm with 6 wt% BT@Dop content, while PFCs assembled by pure epoxy showed 790 ppm at the same processing condition. The tip displacement of cantilever beam actuated by PFCs reached the peak of 19 mm at the resonance frequency with 6 wt% BT@Dop, which was improved by 90% comparing to PFCs with pure epoxy. - Highlights: • The effect of dielectric mismatch on effective electric field in piezoceramic fibers was explained by a model. • The dispersibility and adhesion of BaTiO 3 nanoparticles in epoxy was improved by the dopamine modification. • The actuation performance increased firstly and then decreased with adding BaTiO 3 nanoparticles. • The maximum free strain and displacement of cantilever beam were up to 1820 ppm and 19 mm, respectively.

  10. Actuator topology design using the controllability Gramian

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alves da Silveira, Otávio Augusto; Ono Fonseca, Jun Sérgio; Santos, Ilmar

    2015-01-01

    This work develops a methodology for the optimal design of actuators for the vibration control of flexible structures. The objective is the maximization of a measure of the controllability Gramian. The test case is the embedding of piezoelectric inserts in elastic structures for vibration control...

  11. Dynamic analysis of composite beam with piezoelectric layers under thermo-mechanical load

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toudehdehghan, A.; Rahman, M. M.; Nagi, Farrukh

    2017-10-01

    In this paper, the control of composite beam vibrations with sensor and actuator connected layers is considered with consideration of the effect of thermal environment. The coupling relation between electrical field and mechanical deformation with uncoupled thermal impact are used. The mathematical model of shear deformation (Timoshenko’s theory) has been applied and basic equations for piezoelectric sensors and actuators have been proposed. The equation of motion for the beam structure is obtained by the Hamilton principle and analyzed by finite element method. The control algorithm is based on proportional velocity control. Hence, the purpose of this article is to investigate the direct and inverse effects of piezoelectric on control of simply supported beam vibration under uniform temperature.

  12. Vertical Tail Buffeting Alleviation Using Piezoelectric Actuators: Some Results of the Actively Controlled Response of Buffet-Affected Tails (ACROBAT) Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moses, Robert W.

    1997-01-01

    A 1/6-scale F-18 wind-tunnel model was tested in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center as part of the Actively Controlled Response Of Buffet Affected Tails (ACROBAT) program to assess the use of active controls in reducing vertical tail buffeting. The starboard vertical tail was equipped with an active rudder and the port vertical tail was equipped with piezoelectric actuators. The tunnel conditions were atmospheric air at a dynamic pressure of 14 psf. By using single-input-single-output control laws at gains well below the physical limits of the actuators, the power spectral density of the root strains at the frequency of the first bending mode of the vertical tail was reduced by as much as 60 percent up to angles of attack of 37 degrees. Root mean square (RMS) values of root strain were reduced by as much as 19 percent. Buffeting alleviation results when using the rudder are presented for comparison. Stability margins indicate that a constant gain setting in the control law may be used throughout the range of angle of attack tested.

  13. Optimization of a piezoelectric linear motor in terms of the contact parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ko, Hyun-Phill; Kim, Sangsig; Kang, Chong-Yun; Kim, Hyun-Jai; Yoon, Seok-Jin

    2005-01-01

    The contact kinetics of piezoelectric linear motors determines the operational characteristics like speed and torque or transmitted mechanical power and efficiency. Piezoelectric linear motors are driven by tangential stress in the interface between tip of shaking beam and slider. A good contact between the tip and slider is necessary for a reliable analysis of the motor, which is needed for the optimization of its performance. The piezoelectric linear motor was fabricated and the characteristics of the motor were investigated by external conditions such as tip shape with different curvatures and contact force between the tip and the slider. It was found in this investigation that the optimal curvature of the tip and the contact force are curvature of 1 and 10, respectively, for the high actuating speed, and curvature of 1 and 40 N, respectively, for the high actuating force. Finally, tip shape has an influence on the characteristics of linear motor

  14. Fabrication of flexible piezoelectric PZT/fabric composite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Caifeng; Hong, Daiwei; Wang, Andong; Ni, Chaoying

    2013-01-01

    Flexible piezoelectric PZT/fabric composite material is pliable and tough in nature which is in a lack of traditional PZT patches. It has great application prospect in improving the sensitivity of sensor/actuator made by piezoelectric materials especially when they are used for curved surfaces or complicated conditions. In this paper, glass fiber cloth was adopted as carrier to grow PZT piezoelectric crystal particles by hydrothermal method, and the optimum conditions were studied. The results showed that the soft glass fiber cloth was an ideal kind of carrier. A large number of cubic-shaped PZT nanocrystallines grew firmly in the carrier with a dense and uniform distribution. The best hydrothermal condition was found to be pH 13, reaction time 24 h, and reaction temperature 200°C.

  15. Piezoelectricity of chiral polymeric fiber and its application in biomedical engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tajitsu, Y

    2008-05-01

    Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), which is a type of chiral polymer, exhibits a high shear piezoelectric constant. To realize a higher shear piezoelectric constant, we spun PLLA resin into fibers. We succeeded in controlling the piezoelectric motion of a PLLA fiber by applying a dc voltage and ac voltage, similar to the control of a piezoelectric actuator. On the basis of this experimental result, we designed a catheter using a PLLA fiber (PLLA fiber catheter) and tweezers using a pair of PLLA fibers (PLLA fiber tweezers), controlled by adjusting the applied voltage. Then, using the PLLA fiber tweezers or catheter, we successfully picked up and removed small samples, such as a thrombosis in a blood vessel.

  16. Feedback tracking control for dynamic morphing of piezocomposite actuated flexible wings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaoming; Zhou, Wenya; Wu, Zhigang

    2018-03-01

    Aerodynamic properties of flexible wings can be improved via shape morphing using piezocomposite materials. Dynamic shape control of flexible wings is investigated in this study by considering the interactions between structural dynamics, unsteady aerodynamics and piezo-actuations. A novel antisymmetric angle-ply bimorph configuration of piezocomposite actuators is presented to realize coupled bending-torsional shape control. The active aeroelastic model is derived using finite element method and Theodorsen unsteady aerodynamic loads. A time-varying linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) tracking control system is designed to enhance aerodynamic lift with pre-defined trajectories. Proof-of-concept simulations of static and dynamic shape control are presented for a scaled high-aspect-ratio wing model. Vibrations of the wing and fluctuations in aerodynamic forces are caused by using the static voltages directly in dynamic shape control. The lift response has tracked the trajectories well with favorable dynamic morphing performance via feedback tracking control.

  17. Development, Characterization and Piezoelectric Fatigue Behavior of Lead-Free Perovskite Piezoelectric Ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patterson, Eric Andrew

    Much recent research has focused on the development lead-free perovskite piezoelectrics as environmentally compatible alternatives to lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Two main categories of lead free perovskite piezoelectric ceramic systems were investigated as potential replacements to lead zirconate titanate (PZT) for actuator devices. First, solid solutions based on Li, Ta, and Sb modified (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 (KNN) lead-free perovskite systems were created using standard solid state methods. Secondly, Bi-based materials a variety of compositions were explored for (1-x)(Bi 0.5Na0.5)TiO3-xBi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O 3 (BNT-BZT) and Bi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3-(Bi 0.5K0.5)TiO3-(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO 3 (BZT-BKT-BNT). It was shown that when BNT-BKT is combined with increasing concentrations of Bi(Zn1/2i1/2)O3 (BZT), a transition from normal ferroelectric behavior to a material with large electric field induced strains was observed. The higher BZT containing compositions are characterized by large hysteretic strains(> 0.3%) with no negative strains that might indicate domain switching. This work summarizes and analyzes the fatigue behavior of the new generation of Pb-free piezoelectric materials. In piezoelectric materials, fatigue is observed as a degradation in the electromechanical properties under the application of a bipolar or unipolar cyclic electrical load. In Pb-based materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), fatigue has been studied in great depth for both bulk and thin film applications. In PZT, fatigue can result from microcracking or electrode effects (especially in thin films). Ultimately, however, it is electronic and ionic point defects that are the most influential mechanism. Therefore, this work also analyzes the fatigue characteristics of bulk polycrystalline ceramics of the modified-KNN and BNT-BKT-BZT compositions developed. The defect chemistry that underpins the fatigue behavior will be examined and the results will be compared to the existing body of work on PZT. It will

  18. Mems-based pzt/pzt bimorph thick film vibration energy harvester

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xu, Ruichao; Lei, Anders; Dahl-Petersen, Christian

    2011-01-01

    We describe fabrication and characterization of a significantly improved version of a MEMS-based PZT/PZT thick film bimorph vibration energy harvester with an integrated silicon proof mass. The main advantage of bimorph vibration energy harvesters is that strain energy is not lost in mechanical...... support materials since only PZT is strained, and thus it has a potential for significantly higher output power. An improved process scheme for the energy harvester resulted in a robust fabrication process with a record high fabrication yield of 98.6%. Moreover, the robust fabrication process allowed...... a high pressure treatment of the screen printed PZT thick films prior to sintering, improving the PZT thick film performance and harvester power output reaches 37.1 μW at 1 g....

  19. Dissolvable microneedle fabrication using piezoelectric dispensing technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Evin A; O'Mahony, Conor; Cronin, Michael; O'Mahony, Thomas; Moore, Anne C; Crean, Abina M

    2016-03-16

    Dissolvable microneedle (DMN) patches are novel dosage forms for the percutaneous delivery of vaccines. DMN are routinely fabricated by dispensing liquid formulations into microneedle-shaped moulds. The liquid formulation within the mould is then dried to create dissolvable vaccine-loaded microneedles. The precision of the dispensing process is critical to the control of formulation volume loaded into each dissolvable microneedle structure. The dispensing process employed must maintain vaccine integrity. Wetting of mould surfaces by the dispensed formulation is also an important consideration for the fabrication of sharp-tipped DMN. Sharp-tipped DMN are essential for ease of percutaneous administration. In this paper, we demonstrate the ability of a piezoelectric dispensing system to dispense picolitre formulation volumes into PDMS moulds enabling the fabrication of bilayer DMN. The influence of formulation components (trehalose and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) content) and piezoelectric actuation parameters (voltage, frequency and back pressure) on drop formation is described. The biological integrity of a seasonal influenza vaccine following dispensing was investigated and maintained voltage settings of 30 V but undermined at higher settings, 50 and 80 V. The results demonstrate the capability of piezoelectric dispensing technology to precisely fabricate bilayer DMN. They also highlight the importance of identifying formulation and actuation parameters to ensure controlled droplet formulation and vaccine stabilisation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Energy harvesting for self-powered aerostructure actuation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryant, Matthew; Pizzonia, Matthew; Mehallow, Michael; Garcia, Ephrahim

    2014-04-01

    This paper proposes and experimentally investigates applying piezoelectric energy harvesting devices driven by flow induced vibrations to create self-powered actuation of aerostructure surfaces such as tabs, flaps, spoilers, or morphing devices. Recently, we have investigated flow-induced vibrations and limit cycle oscillations due to aeroelastic flutter phenomena in piezoelectric structures as a mechanism to harvest energy from an ambient fluid flow. We will describe how our experimental investigations in a wind tunnel have demonstrated that this harvested energy can be stored and used on-demand to actuate a control surface such as a trailing edge flap in the airflow. This actuated control surface could take the form of a separate and discrete actuated flap, or could constitute rotating or deflecting the oscillating energy harvester itself to produce a non-zero mean angle of attack. Such a rotation of the energy harvester and the associated change in aerodynamic force is shown to influence the operating wind speed range of the device, its limit cycle oscillation (LCO) amplitude, and its harvested power output; hence creating a coupling between the device's performance as an energy harvester and as a control surface. Finally, the induced changes in the lift, pitching moment, and drag acting on a wing model are quantified and compared for a control surface equipped with an oscillating energy harvester and a traditional, static control surface of the same geometry. The results show that when operated in small amplitude LCO the energy harvester adds negligible aerodynamic drag.

  1. Fatigue response of a PZT multilayer actuator under high-field electric cycling with mechanical preload

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hong; Wereszczak, Andrew A.; Lin, Hua-Tay

    2009-01-01

    An electric fatigue test system was developed for evaluating the reliability of piezoelectric actuators with a mechanical loading capability. Fatigue responses of a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) multilayer actuator with a platethrough electrode configuration were studied under an electric field (1.7 times that of the coercive field of PZT material) and a concurrent mechanical preload (30.0 MPa). A total of 109 cycles was carried out. Variations in charge density and mechanical strain under the high electric field and constant mechanical loads were observed during the fatigue test. The dc and the first harmonic (at 10 Hz) dielectric and piezoelectric coefficients were subsequently characterized using fast Fourier transformation. Both the dielectric and the piezoelectric coefficients exhibited a monotonic decrease prior to 2.86×108 cycles under certain preloading conditions, and then fluctuated. Both the dielectric loss tangent and the piezoelectric loss tangent also fluctuated after a decrease. The results are interpreted and discussed with respect to domain wall activities, microdefects, and other anomalies.

  2. Design of a Compact, Bimorph Deformable Mirror-Based Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Yi; Deng, Guohua; Wei, Ling; Li, Xiqi; Yang, Jinsheng; Shi, Guohua; Zhang, Yudong

    2016-01-01

    We have designed, constructed and tested an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) using a bimorph mirror. The simulated AOSLO system achieves diffraction-limited criterion through all the raster scanning fields (6.4 mm pupil, 3° × 3° on pupil). The bimorph mirror-based AOSLO corrected ocular aberrations in model eyes to less than 0.1 μm RMS wavefront error with a closed-loop bandwidth of a few Hz. Facilitated with a bimorph mirror at a stroke of ±15 μm with 35 elements and an aperture of 20 mm, the new AOSLO system has a size only half that of the first-generation AOSLO system. The significant increase in stroke allows for large ocular aberrations such as defocus in the range of ±600° and astigmatism in the range of ±200°, thereby fully exploiting the AO correcting capabilities for diseased human eyes in the future.

  3. Cryogenic Piezo Actuators for Lightweight, Large Aperture, Deployable Membrane Mirrors, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Single crystal piezoelectric actuators are proposed to enable large stroke, high precision, shape control for cryogenic lightweight deployable membrane mirror...

  4. Experimental Research on Fluid Coupling Flexible Actuator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiangli Zeng

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available In the field of micromechanics, piezoelectric actuator has attracted great attention for its high-frequency response, high displacement resolution, and high output force. However, its prospect of practical application has been largely limited by the displacement of micrometer. A fluid coupling flexible actuator was proposed, which utilizes resonance to enlarge the output displacement. The actuator uses a piezoelectric oscillator as an excitation source, fluid as the transmission medium and a flexible diaphragm for the displacement output. On the condition that the fluid is inviscid and incompressible, mathematical formulation of the membrane vibration theory has been analyzed. Then, the prototype is made. The displacement is amplified 21 times to 1.106 mm when driving frequency is 127 Hz. The flexible diaphragm appears the largest displacement output when driving frequency is close to one of the system’s natural frequency. Then, the points with zero amplitude form a circle on the surface of flexible diaphragm and the movement direction of the flexible diaphragm is opposite on different sides of the circle. In fact, rather than vibrates at the first resonance frequency, the membrane in the essay is vibrating at a certain higher-order resonance frequency. The experimental results are mainly consistent with the theoretical analysis.

  5. Simultaneous control and piezoelectric insert optimization for manipulators with flexible link

    OpenAIRE

    Bottega, Valdecir; Pergher, Rejane; Fonseca, Jun S. O.

    2009-01-01

    This work proposes a tracking control model for a flexible link robotic manipulator using simultaneously motor torques and piezoelectric actuators. The dynamic model of manipulator is obtained in a closed form through the Lagrangian approach. The control uses the motor torques for the tracking control of the joints and also to reduce the low frequency vibration induced in the manipulator links. The stability of this control is guaranteed by the Lyapunov stability theory. Piezoelectric actuato...

  6. Cellulose Nanofibril Film as a Piezoelectric Sensor Material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajala, Satu; Siponkoski, Tuomo; Sarlin, Essi; Mettänen, Marja; Vuoriluoto, Maija; Pammo, Arno; Juuti, Jari; Rojas, Orlando J; Franssila, Sami; Tuukkanen, Sampo

    2016-06-22

    Self-standing films (45 μm thick) of native cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) were synthesized and characterized for their piezoelectric response. The surface and the microstructure of the films were evaluated with image-based analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The measured dielectric properties of the films at 1 kHz and 9.97 GHz indicated a relative permittivity of 3.47 and 3.38 and loss tangent tan δ of 0.011 and 0.071, respectively. The films were used as functional sensing layers in piezoelectric sensors with corresponding sensitivities of 4.7-6.4 pC/N in ambient conditions. This piezoelectric response is expected to increase remarkably upon film polarization resulting from the alignment of the cellulose crystalline regions in the film. The CNF sensor characteristics were compared with those of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as reference piezoelectric polymer. Overall, the results suggest that CNF is a suitable precursor material for disposable piezoelectric sensors, actuators, or energy generators with potential applications in the fields of electronics, sensors, and biomedical diagnostics.

  7. Single Piezo-Actuator Rotary-Hammering Drill

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Bao, Xiaoqi; Badescu, Mircea; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

    2011-01-01

    This innovation comprises a compact drill that uses low-axial preload, via vibrations, that fractures the rock under the bit kerf, and rotates the bit to remove the powdered cuttings while augmenting the rock fracture via shear forces. The vibrations fluidize the powered cuttings inside the flutes around the bit, reducing the friction with the auger surface. These combined actions reduce the consumed power and the heating of the drilled medium, helping to preserve the pristine content of the produced samples. The drill consists of an actuator that simultaneously impacts and rotates the bit by applying force and torque via a single piezoelectric stack actuator without the need for a gearbox or lever mechanism. This reduces the development/fabrication cost and complexity. The piezoelectric actuator impacts the surface and generates shear forces, fragmenting the drilled medium directly under the bit kerf by exceeding the tensile and/or shear strength of the struck surface. The percussive impact action of the actuator leads to penetration of the medium by producing a zone of finely crushed rock directly underneath the struck location. This fracturing process is highly enhanced by the shear forces from the rotation and twisting action. To remove the formed cuttings, the bit is constructed with an auger on its internal or external surface. One of the problems with pure hammering is that, as the teeth become embedded in the sample, the drilling efficiency drops unless the teeth are moved away from the specific footprint location. By rotating the teeth, they are moved to areas that were not fragmented, and thus the rock fracturing is enhanced via shear forces. The shear motion creates ripping or chiseling action to produce larger fragments to increase the drilling efficiency, and to reduce the required power. The actuator of the drill consists of a piezoelectric stack that vibrates the horn. The stack is compressed by a bolt between the backing and the horn in order to

  8. Piezoelectric array elements for sound reconstruction with a digital input

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo

    2016-10-13

    Various examples are provided for digital sound reconstruction using piezoelectric array elements. In one example, a digital loudspeaker includes a fixed frame and an array of transducers disposed on the fixed frame. Individual transducers of the array of transducers can include a flexible membrane disposed on a piezoelectric actuation element positioned over a corresponding opening that extends through the fixed frame. In another example, a method includes forming a flexible membrane structure on a substrate and backetching the substrate opposite the flexible membrane structure. The flexible membrane structure can be formed by disposing a first electrode layer on a substrate, disposing a piezoelectric layer on the first electrode layer and disposing a second electrode layer on the piezoelectric layer. A flexible membrane layer (e.g., polyimide) can be disposed on the second electrode layer.

  9. Piezoelectric array elements for sound reconstruction with a digital input

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Gonzalez, David Conchouso; Signoret, David Castro; Foulds, Ian G.

    2016-01-01

    Various examples are provided for digital sound reconstruction using piezoelectric array elements. In one example, a digital loudspeaker includes a fixed frame and an array of transducers disposed on the fixed frame. Individual transducers of the array of transducers can include a flexible membrane disposed on a piezoelectric actuation element positioned over a corresponding opening that extends through the fixed frame. In another example, a method includes forming a flexible membrane structure on a substrate and backetching the substrate opposite the flexible membrane structure. The flexible membrane structure can be formed by disposing a first electrode layer on a substrate, disposing a piezoelectric layer on the first electrode layer and disposing a second electrode layer on the piezoelectric layer. A flexible membrane layer (e.g., polyimide) can be disposed on the second electrode layer.

  10. Various aspects of the placement of a piezoelectric material in composite actuators, motors, and transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lierke, Ernst Gunter; Littmann, Walter; Morita, Takeshi; Hemsel, Tobias

    2010-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials have found wide applications in technical systems. Most often, a combination of piezoelectric and other materials is advantageous. The position and the amount of the piezoelectric material within the overall system depends on various aspects, such as the maximum mechanical output to the load, the maximum electromechanical efficiency of the system, the maximum utilization of the piezoelectric material, the minimum self-heating of the piezoelectric material, and the controllability of the system, which might be key aspects for the optimization of the system design. For a composite longitudinal vibrator (bolted Langevin transducer), which is a base for many technical applications, this contribution shows in detail, how the above-mentioned aspects depend on the position and the volume of the piezoelectric material related to the mode shape.

  11. Subatomic deformation driven by vertical piezoelectricity from CdS ultrathin films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xuewen; He, Xuexia; Zhu, Hongfei; Sun, Linfeng; Fu, Wei; Wang, Xingli; Hoong, Lai Chee; Wang, Hong; Zeng, Qingsheng; Zhao, Wu; Wei, Jun; Jin, Zhong; Shen, Zexiang; Liu, Jie; Zhang, Ting; Liu, Zheng

    2016-07-01

    Driven by the development of high-performance piezoelectric materials, actuators become an important tool for positioning objects with high accuracy down to nanometer scale, and have been used for a wide variety of equipment, such as atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. However, positioning at the subatomic scale is still a great challenge. Ultrathin piezoelectric materials may pave the way to positioning an object with extreme precision. Using ultrathin CdS thin films, we demonstrate vertical piezoelectricity in atomic scale (three to five space lattices). With an in situ scanning Kelvin force microscopy and single and dual ac resonance tracking piezoelectric force microscopy, the vertical piezoelectric coefficient (d 33) up to 33 pm·V(-1) was determined for the CdS ultrathin films. These findings shed light on the design of next-generation sensors and microelectromechanical devices.

  12. Enhanced actuation performance of piezoelectric fiber composites induced by incorporated BaTiO{sub 3} nanoparticles in epoxy resin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Mingliang; Yuan, Xi [State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); Luo, Hang, E-mail: xtluohang@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); Chen, Haiyan; Chen, Chao; Zhou, Kechao [State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); Zhang, Dou, E-mail: dzhang@csu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China)

    2017-05-18

    Piezoelectric fiber composites (PFCs) have attracted much interest owing to their flexibility and toughness compared with conventional monolithic piezoceramic wafers. The free strain values and actuation property of PFCs strongly depend on the active electric field applied in Pb(Zr{sub 1−x}Ti{sub x})O{sub 3} (PZT) fibers. Reducing the dielectric constant mismatch between PZT fiber and the assembling epoxy resin would greatly increase the active electric field in PZT fiber. Therefore, BaTiO{sub 3} (BT) nanoparticles were introduced into the epoxy resin to enhance the dielectric constant. Homogeneous dispersion of BT nanoparticles and tight adhesion with the epoxy resin were achieved through a surface modification by dopamine. The maximum dielectric constant of dopamine modified BT/epoxy (BT@Dop/epoxy) nanocomposites was 10.38 with 12 wt% BT@Dop content at 1 kHz. The maximum free strain of PFCs reached 1820 ppm with 6 wt% BT@Dop content, while PFCs assembled by pure epoxy showed 790 ppm at the same processing condition. The tip displacement of cantilever beam actuated by PFCs reached the peak of 19 mm at the resonance frequency with 6 wt% BT@Dop, which was improved by 90% comparing to PFCs with pure epoxy. - Highlights: • The effect of dielectric mismatch on effective electric field in piezoceramic fibers was explained by a model. • The dispersibility and adhesion of BaTiO{sub 3} nanoparticles in epoxy was improved by the dopamine modification. • The actuation performance increased firstly and then decreased with adding BaTiO{sub 3} nanoparticles. • The maximum free strain and displacement of cantilever beam were up to 1820 ppm and 19 mm, respectively.

  13. Dynamic Characteristics of a Hydraulic Amplification Mechanism for Large Displacement Actuators Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xavier Arouette

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available We have developed a hydraulic displacement amplification mechanism (HDAM and studied its dynamic response when combined with a piezoelectric actuator. The HDAM consists of an incompressible fluid sealed in a microcavity by two largely deformable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS membranes. The geometry with input and output surfaces having different cross-sectional areas creates amplification. By combining the HDAM with micro-actuators, we can amplify the input displacement generated by the actuators, which is useful for applications requiring large deformation, such as tactile displays. We achieved a mechanism offering up to 18-fold displacement amplification for static actuation and 12-fold for 55 Hz dynamic actuation.

  14. Piezoelectric-hydraulic pump based band brake actuation system for automotive transmission control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Gi-Woo; Wang, K. W.

    2007-04-01

    The actuation system of friction elements (such as band brakes) is essential for high quality operations in modern automotive automatic transmissions (in short, ATs). The current band brake actuation system consists of several hydraulic components, including the oil pump, the regulating valve and the control valves. In general, it has been recognized that the current AT band brake actuation system has many limitations. For example, the oil pump and valve body are relatively heavy and complex. Also, the oil pumps induce inherently large drag torque, which affects fuel economy. This research is to overcome these problems of the current system by exploring the utilization of a hybrid type piezo-hydraulic pump device for AT band brake control. This new actuating system integrates a piezo-hydraulic pump to the input of the band brake. Compared with the current systems, this new actuator features much simpler structure, smaller size, and lower weight. This paper describes the development, design and fabrication of the new stand-alone prototype actuator for AT band brake control. An analytical model is developed and validated using experimental data. Performance tests on the hardware and system simulations utilizing the validated model are performed to characterize the new prototype actuator. It is predicted that with increasing of accumulator pressure and driving frequency, the proposed prototype actuating system will satisfy the band brake requirement for AT shift control.

  15. The concept of a novel hybrid smart composite reinforced with radially aligned zigzag carbon nanotubes on piezoelectric fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ray, M C

    2010-01-01

    A new hybrid piezoelectric composite (HPZC) reinforced with zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and piezoelectric fibers is proposed. The novel constructional feature of this composite is that the uniformly aligned CNTs are radially grown on the surface of piezoelectric fibers. A micromechanics model is derived to estimate the effective piezoelectric and elastic properties. It is found that the effective piezoelectric coefficient e 31 of the proposed HPZC, which accounts for the in-plane actuation, is significantly higher than that of the existing 1-3 piezoelectric composite without reinforcement with carbon nanotubes and the previously reported hybrid piezoelectric composite (Ray and Batra 2009 ASME J. Appl. Mech. 76 034503)

  16. Active and passive damping based on piezoelectric elements -controllability issues-

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Holterman, J.; de Vries, Theodorus J.A.; van Amerongen, J.; Jonker, Jan B.; Jonker, J.B.

    2001-01-01

    Piezoelectric elements are widely used for damping micro-vibrations in mechanical structures. Active damping can be realised robustly by means of collocated actuator-sensor-pairs, controlled so as to extract vibration energy. Excellent damping performance is possible as long as sufficient

  17. A novel ultra-planar, long-stroke and low-voltage piezoelectric micromirror

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakke, Thor; Vogl, Andreas; Żero, Oleg; Tyholdt, Frode; Johansen, Ib-Rune; Wang, Dag

    2010-06-01

    A novel piston-type micromirror with a stroke of up to 20 µm at 20 V formed out of a silicon-on-insulator wafer with integrated piezoelectric actuators was designed, fabricated and characterized. The peak-to-valley planarity of a 2 mm diameter mirror was better than 15 nm, and tip-to-tip tilt upon actuation less than 30 nm. A resonance frequency of 9.8 kHz was measured. Analytical and finite element models were developed and compared to measurements. The design is based on a silicon-on-insulator wafer where the circular mirror is formed out of the handle silicon, thus forming a thick, highly rigid and ultra-planar mirror surface. The mirror plate is connected to a supporting frame through a membrane formed out of the device silicon layer. A piezoelectric actuator made of lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) thin film is structured on top of the membrane, providing mirror deflection by deformation of the membrane. Two actuator designs were tested: one with a single ring and the other with a double ring providing bidirectional movement of the mirror. The fabricated mirrors were characterized by white light interferometry to determine the static and temporal response as well as mirror planarity.

  18. A novel ultra-planar, long-stroke and low-voltage piezoelectric micromirror

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bakke, Thor; Vogl, Andreas; Żero, Oleg; Tyholdt, Frode; Johansen, Ib-Rune; Wang, Dag

    2010-01-01

    A novel piston-type micromirror with a stroke of up to 20 µm at 20 V formed out of a silicon-on-insulator wafer with integrated piezoelectric actuators was designed, fabricated and characterized. The peak-to-valley planarity of a 2 mm diameter mirror was better than 15 nm, and tip-to-tip tilt upon actuation less than 30 nm. A resonance frequency of 9.8 kHz was measured. Analytical and finite element models were developed and compared to measurements. The design is based on a silicon-on-insulator wafer where the circular mirror is formed out of the handle silicon, thus forming a thick, highly rigid and ultra-planar mirror surface. The mirror plate is connected to a supporting frame through a membrane formed out of the device silicon layer. A piezoelectric actuator made of lead–zirconate–titanate (PZT) thin film is structured on top of the membrane, providing mirror deflection by deformation of the membrane. Two actuator designs were tested: one with a single ring and the other with a double ring providing bidirectional movement of the mirror. The fabricated mirrors were characterized by white light interferometry to determine the static and temporal response as well as mirror planarity.

  19. Investigation of holder pressure and size effects in micro deep drawing of rectangular work pieces driven by piezoelectric actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aminzahed, Iman; Mashhadi, Mahmoud Mosavi; Sereshk, Mohammad Reza Vaziri

    2017-02-01

    Micro forming is a manufacturing process to fabricate micro parts with high quality and a cost effective manner. Deep drawing could be a favorable method for production of complicated parts in macro and micro sizes. In this paper piezoelectric actuator is used as a novel approach in the field of micro manufacturing. Also, in current work, investigations are conducted with four rectangular punches and blanks with various thicknesses. Blank holder pressure effects on thickness distributions, punch force, and springback are studied. According to the results of this work, increasing of blank holder pressure in scaled deep drawing, in contrast to thickness of drawn part, leads to decrease in the punch forces and springback. Furthermore, it is shown that in micro deep drawing, the effects of holder pressure on mentioned parameters can be ignored. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Nanoscale piezoelectric vibration energy harvester design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foruzande, Hamid Reza; Hajnayeb, Ali; Yaghootian, Amin

    2017-09-01

    Development of new nanoscale devices has increased the demand for new types of small-scale energy resources such as ambient vibrations energy harvesters. Among the vibration energy harvesters, piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) can be easily miniaturized and fabricated in micro and nano scales. This change in the dimensions of a PEH leads to a change in its governing equations of motion, and consequently, the predicted harvested energy comparing to a macroscale PEH. In this research, effects of small scale dimensions on the nonlinear vibration and harvested voltage of a nanoscale PEH is studied. The PEH is modeled as a cantilever piezoelectric bimorph nanobeam with a tip mass, using the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory in conjunction with Hamilton's principle. A harmonic base excitation is applied as a model of the ambient vibrations. The nonlocal elasticity theory is used to consider the size effects in the developed model. The derived equations of motion are discretized using the assumed-modes method and solved using the method of multiple scales. Sensitivity analysis for the effect of different parameters of the system in addition to size effects is conducted. The results show the significance of nonlocal elasticity theory in the prediction of system dynamic nonlinear behavior. It is also observed that neglecting the size effects results in lower estimates of the PEH vibration amplitudes. The results pave the way for designing new nanoscale sensors in addition to PEHs.

  1. 1D Piezoelectric Material Based Nanogenerators: Methods, Materials and Property Optimization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xing; Sun, Mei; Wei, Xianlong; Shan, Chongxin; Chen, Qing

    2018-03-23

    Due to the enhanced piezoelectric properties, excellent mechanical properties and tunable electric properties, one-dimensional (1D) piezoelectric materials have shown their promising applications in nanogenerators (NG), sensors, actuators, electronic devices etc. To present a clear view about 1D piezoelectric materials, this review mainly focuses on the characterization and optimization of the piezoelectric properties of 1D nanomaterials, including semiconducting nanowires (NWs) with wurtzite and/or zinc blend phases, perovskite NWs and 1D polymers. Specifically, the piezoelectric coefficients, performance of single NW-based NG and structure-dependent electromechanical properties of 1D nanostructured materials can be respectively investigated through piezoresponse force microscopy, atomic force microscopy and the in-situ scanning/transmission electron microcopy. Along with the introduction of the mechanism and piezoelectric properties of 1D semiconductor, perovskite materials and polymers, their performance improvement strategies are summarized from the view of microstructures, including size-effect, crystal structure, orientation and defects. Finally, the extension of 1D piezoelectric materials in field effect transistors and optoelectronic devices are simply introduced.

  2. Structural and piezoelectric properties of aged 1-mol% Li2O-excess (Na0.51K0.47Li0.02)(Nb0.8Ta0.2)O3 ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moon, Sang-Ho; Yun, Seok-Woo; Ham, Yong-Su; Lee, Young-Hie; Nam, Song-Min; Koh, Jung-Hyuk; Jeong, Soon-Jong; Kim, Min-Soo

    2010-01-01

    One (1)-mol% Li 2 O-excess (Na 0.51 K 0.47 Li 0.02 )(Nb 0.8 Ta 0.2 )O 3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics were aged under different unipolar electric fields. Unipolar electric fields of 3, 5, and 7 kV/cm were applied to the specimens to accelerate the electric aging behavior. By employing a unipolar electric field for the piezoelectric actuators, we were able to remove undesirable heating problem from the relaxation current in the ferroelectric domain motions. To accelerate the aging test, we used an applied electric fields with a frequency of 910 Hz. To earn enough time for charging and discharging, we used an accurate time constant for the equivalent model for the piezoelectric actuators. X-ray diffraction analyses were carried out to determine the structural aging behavior of the poled piezoelectric specimens. As the piezoelectric specimens were exposed to high electric fields for aging tests, the actuators lost their tetragonality and took on a pseudo-cubic structure. The cycling dependent piezoelectric coefficient and electromechnical coupling coefficient followed a stretched exponential law as aging process.

  3. Experimental parametric study of a biomimetic fish robot actuated by piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiguna, T.; Park, Hoon C.; Heo, S.; Goo, Nam S.

    2007-04-01

    This paper presents an experiment and parametric study of a biomimetic fish robot actuated by the Lightweight Piezocomposite Actuator (LIPCA). The biomimetic aspects in this work are the oscillating tail beat motion and shape of caudal fin. Caudal fins that resemble fins of BCF (Body and Caudal Fin) mode fish were made in order to perform parametric study concerning the effect of caudal fin characteristics on thrust production at an operating frequency range. The observed caudal fin characteristics are the shape, stiffness, area, and aspect ratio. It is found that a high aspect ratio caudal fin contributes to high swimming speed. The robotic fish propelled by artificial caudal fins shaped after thunniform-fish and mackerel caudal fins, which have relatively high aspect ratio, produced swimming speed as high as 2.364 cm/s and 2.519 cm/s, respectively, for a 300 V p-p input voltage excited at 0.9 Hz. Thrust performance of the biomimetic fish robot is examined by calculating Strouhal number, Froude number, Reynolds number, and power consumption.

  4. Development of PZT Actuated Valveless Micropump

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fathima Rehana Munas

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available A piezoelectrically actuated valveless micropump has been designed and developed. The principle components of this system are piezoelectrically actuated (PZT metal diaphragms and a complete fluid flow system. The design of this pump mainly focuses on a cross junction, which is generated by a nozzle jet attached to a pump chamber and the intersection of two inlet channels and an outlet channel respectively. During each PZT diaphragm vibration cycle, the junction connecting the inlet and outlet channels with the nozzle jet permits consistencies in fluidic momentum and resistances in order to facilitate complete fluidic path throughout the system, in the absence of any physical valves. The entire micropump structure is fabricated as a plate-by-plate element of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA sheets and sandwiched to get required fluidic network as well as the overall device. In order to identify the flow characteristics, and to validate the test results with numerical simulation data, FEM analysis using ANSYS was carried out and an eigenfrequency analysis was performed to the PZT diaphragm using COMSOL Multiphysics. In addition, the control system of the pump was designed and developed to change the applied frequency to the piezoelectric diaphragms. The experimental data revealed that the maximum flow rate is 31.15 mL/min at a frequency of 100 Hz. Our proposed design is not only for a specific application but also useful in a wide range of biomedical applications.

  5. Development of PZT Actuated Valveless Micropump.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munas, Fathima Rehana; Melroy, Gehan; Abeynayake, Chamitha Bhagya; Chathuranga, Hiniduma Liyanage; Amarasinghe, Ranjith; Kumarage, Pubudu; Dau, Van Thanh; Dao, Dzung Viet

    2018-04-24

    A piezoelectrically actuated valveless micropump has been designed and developed. The principle components of this system are piezoelectrically actuated (PZT) metal diaphragms and a complete fluid flow system. The design of this pump mainly focuses on a cross junction, which is generated by a nozzle jet attached to a pump chamber and the intersection of two inlet channels and an outlet channel respectively. During each PZT diaphragm vibration cycle, the junction connecting the inlet and outlet channels with the nozzle jet permits consistencies in fluidic momentum and resistances in order to facilitate complete fluidic path throughout the system, in the absence of any physical valves. The entire micropump structure is fabricated as a plate-by-plate element of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) sheets and sandwiched to get required fluidic network as well as the overall device. In order to identify the flow characteristics, and to validate the test results with numerical simulation data, FEM analysis using ANSYS was carried out and an eigenfrequency analysis was performed to the PZT diaphragm using COMSOL Multiphysics. In addition, the control system of the pump was designed and developed to change the applied frequency to the piezoelectric diaphragms. The experimental data revealed that the maximum flow rate is 31.15 mL/min at a frequency of 100 Hz. Our proposed design is not only for a specific application but also useful in a wide range of biomedical applications.

  6. Proposition for sensorless self-excitation by a piezoelectric device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Y.; Kokubun, Y.; Yabuno, H.

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, we propose a method to realize self-excitation in an oscillator actuated by a piezoelectric device without a sensor. In general, the positive feedback associated with the oscillator velocity causes the self-excitation. Instead of measuring the velocity with a sensor, we utilize the electro-mechanical coupling effect in the oscillator and piezoelectric device. We drive the piezoelectric device with a current proportional to the linear combination of the voltage across the terminals of the piezoelectric device and its differential voltage signal. Then, the oscillator with the piezoelectric device behaves like a third-order system, which has three eigenvalues. The self-excitation can be realized because appropriate feedback gains can set two of the eigenvalues to be conjugate complex roots with a positive real part and the other eigenvalue to be a negative real root. To confirm the validity of the proposed method, we experimentally demonstrated the sensorless self-excitation and, as an application example, carried out mass sensing in a sensorless self-excited macrocantilever.

  7. Piezoelectric MEMS sensors: state-of-the-art and perspectives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tadigadapa, S; Mateti, K

    2009-01-01

    Over the past two decades, several advances have been made in micromachined sensors and actuators. As the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) has advanced, a clear need for the integration of materials other than silicon and its compounds into micromachined transducers has emerged. Piezoelectric materials are high energy density materials that scale very favorably upon miniaturization and that has led to an ever-growing interest in piezoelectric films for MEMS applications. At this time, piezoelectric aluminum-nitride-based film bulk acoustic resonators (FBAR) have already been successfully commercialized. Future innovations and improvements in inertial sensors for navigation, high-frequency crystal oscillators and filters for wireless applications, microactuators for RF applications, chip-scale chemical analysis systems and countless other applications hinge upon the successful miniaturization of components and integration of piezoelectrics and metals into these systems. In this article, a comprehensive review of micromachined piezoelectric transducer technology will be presented. Piezoelectric materials in bulk and thin film forms will be reviewed and fabrication techniques for the integration of these materials for microsensor applications will be presented. Recent advances in various piezoelectric microsensors will be presented through specific examples. This review will conclude with a critical assessment of the future trends and promise of this technology. (topical review)

  8. Optimization of electrode geometry and piezoelectric layer thickness of a deformable mirror

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nováková Kateřina

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Deformable mirrors are the most commonly used wavefront correctors in adaptive optics systems. Nowadays, many applications of adaptive optics to astronomical telescopes, high power laser systems, and similar fast response optical devices require large diameter deformable mirrors with a fast response time and high actuator stroke. In order to satisfy such requirements, deformable mirrors based on piezoelectric layer composite structures have become a subject of intense scientific research during last two decades. In this paper, we present an optimization of several geometric parameters of a deformable mirror that consists of a nickel reflective layer deposited on top of a thin lead zirconate titanate (PZT piezoelectric disk. Honeycomb structure of gold electrodes is deposited on the bottom of the PZT layer. The analysis of the optimal thickness ratio between the PZT and nickel layers is performed to get the maximum actuator stroke using the finite element method. The effect of inter-electrode distance on the actuator stroke and influence function is investigated. Applicability and manufacturing issues are discussed.

  9. Solid freeform fabrication of piezoelectric actuators by a micro-casting method

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, B.; Gorter, H.; Dortmans, L.J.M.G.

    2004-01-01

    In recent years, there has been much interest in the manufacturing of piezoceramic actuators by Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) methods, following developments in polymer and metal shaping. With these methods, actuator shapes can be realized that are impossible or very difficult to obtain by

  10. Optimization of sensing and feedback control for vibration/flutter of rotating disk by PZT actuators via air coupled pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Tianhong; Xu, Xinsheng; Han, Jianqiang; Lin, Rongming; Ju, Bingfeng; Li, Qing

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, a feedback control mechanism and its optimization for rotating disk vibration/flutter via changes of air-coupled pressure generated using piezoelectric patch actuators are studied. A thin disk rotates in an enclosure, which is equipped with a feedback control loop consisting of a micro-sensor, a signal processor, a power amplifier, and several piezoelectric (PZT) actuator patches distributed on the cover of the enclosure. The actuator patches are mounted on the inner or the outer surfaces of the enclosure to produce necessary control force required through the airflow around the disk. The control mechanism for rotating disk flutter using enclosure surfaces bonded with sensors and piezoelectric actuators is thoroughly studied through analytical simulations. The sensor output is used to determine the amount of input to the actuator for controlling the response of the disk in a closed loop configuration. The dynamic stability of the disk-enclosure system, together with the feedback control loop, is analyzed as a complex eigenvalue problem, which is solved using Galerkin's discretization procedure. The results show that the disk flutter can be reduced effectively with proper configurations of the control gain and the phase shift through the actuations of PZT patches. The effectiveness of different feedback control methods in altering system characteristics and system response has been investigated. The control capability, in terms of control gain, phase shift, and especially the physical configuration of actuator patches, are also evaluated by calculating the complex eigenvalues and the maximum displacement produced by the actuators. To achieve a optimal control performance, sizes, positions and shapes of PZT patches used need to be optimized and such optimization has been achieved through numerical simulations.

  11. On the identification of Hammerstein systems in the presence of an input hysteretic nonlinearity with nonlocal memory: Piezoelectric actuators – an experimental case study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Butcher, Mark; Giustiniani, Alessandro, E-mail: alessandro.giustiniani@cern.ch; Masi, Alessandro

    2016-04-01

    The identification problem of the linear dynamic part of piezo based actuators is addressed in this paper, exploiting the use of binary signals, specifically the pseudo random binary sequences (PRBS). Due to the presence of nonlocal memory hysteretic behavior in piezoelectric active materials, the dependence of the identification results on this strongly nonlinear effect is analyzed and useful guidelines for the design of the PRBS stimulating signal are derived. Moreover, some properties of hysteresis like cancellation and congruency are experimentally analyzed and their effects on the identification process are discussed. Finally, the use of a hysteresis compensation strategy in the identification process is evaluated and discussed.

  12. A process chain for integrating piezoelectric transducers into aluminum die castings to generate smart lightweight structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Stefan; Wedler, Jonathan; Rhein, Sebastian; Schmidt, Michael; Körner, Carolin; Michaelis, Alexander; Gebhardt, Sylvia

    The application of piezoelectric transducers to structural body parts of machines or vehicles enables the combination of passive mechanical components with sensor and actuator functions in one single structure. According to Herold et al. [1] and Staeves [2] this approach indicates significant potential regarding smart lightweight construction. To obtain the highest yield, the piezoelectric transducers need to be integrated into the flux of forces (load path) of load bearing structures. Application in a downstream process reduces yield and process efficiency during manufacturing and operation, due to the necessity of a subsequent process step of sensor/actuator application. The die casting process offers the possibility for integration of piezoelectric transducers into metal structures. Aluminum castings are particularly favorable due to their high quality and feasibility for high unit production at low cost (Brunhuber [3], Nogowizin [4]). Such molded aluminum parts with integrated piezoelectric transducers enable functions like active vibration damping, structural health monitoring or energy harvesting resulting in significant possibilities of weight reduction, which is an increasingly important driving force of automotive and aerospace industry (Klein [5], Siebenpfeiffer [6]) due to increasingly stringent environmental protection laws. In the scope of those developments, this paper focuses on the entire process chain enabling the generation of lightweight metal structures with sensor and actuator function, starting from the manufacturing of piezoelectric modules over electrical and mechanical bonding to the integration of such modules into aluminum (Al) matrices by die casting. To achieve this challenging goal, piezoceramic sensors/actuator modules, so-called LTCC/PZT modules (LPM) were developed, since ceramic based piezoelectric modules are more likely to withstand the thermal stress of about 700 °C introduced by the casting process (Flössel et al., [7]). The

  13. Characterization of Piezoelectric Stacks for Space Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Jones, Christopher; Aldrich, Jack; Blodget, Chad; Bao, Xiaoqi; Badescu, Mircea; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

    2008-01-01

    Future NASA missions are increasingly seeking to actuate mechanisms to precision levels in the nanometer range and below. Co-fired multilayer piezoelectric stacks offer the required actuation precision that is needed for such mechanisms. To obtain performance statistics and determine reliability for extended use, sets of commercial PZT stacks were tested in various AC and DC conditions at both nominal and high temperatures and voltages. In order to study the lifetime performance of these stacks, five actuators were driven sinusoidally for up to ten billion cycles. An automated data acquisition system was developed and implemented to monitor each stack's electrical current and voltage waveforms over the life of the test. As part of the monitoring tests, the displacement, impedance, capacitance and leakage current were measured to assess the operation degradation. This paper presents some of the results of this effort.

  14. A process chain for integrating piezoelectric transducers into aluminum die castings to generate smart lightweight structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Stein

    Full Text Available The application of piezoelectric transducers to structural body parts of machines or vehicles enables the combination of passive mechanical components with sensor and actuator functions in one single structure. According to Herold et al. [1] and Staeves [2] this approach indicates significant potential regarding smart lightweight construction. To obtain the highest yield, the piezoelectric transducers need to be integrated into the flux of forces (load path of load bearing structures. Application in a downstream process reduces yield and process efficiency during manufacturing and operation, due to the necessity of a subsequent process step of sensor/actuator application. The die casting process offers the possibility for integration of piezoelectric transducers into metal structures. Aluminum castings are particularly favorable due to their high quality and feasibility for high unit production at low cost (Brunhuber [3], Nogowizin [4]. Such molded aluminum parts with integrated piezoelectric transducers enable functions like active vibration damping, structural health monitoring or energy harvesting resulting in significant possibilities of weight reduction, which is an increasingly important driving force of automotive and aerospace industry (Klein [5], Siebenpfeiffer [6] due to increasingly stringent environmental protection laws. In the scope of those developments, this paper focuses on the entire process chain enabling the generation of lightweight metal structures with sensor and actuator function, starting from the manufacturing of piezoelectric modules over electrical and mechanical bonding to the integration of such modules into aluminum (Al matrices by die casting. To achieve this challenging goal, piezoceramic sensors/actuator modules, so-called LTCC/PZT modules (LPM were developed, since ceramic based piezoelectric modules are more likely to withstand the thermal stress of about 700 °C introduced by the casting process (Flössel et

  15. Design and Research of Piezoelectric Ceramics Drive Power

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guang Ya LIU

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric amplifier is a very important part of the piezoelectric actuator. It does not only require high positioning accuracy, but also high frequency response. This paper designs the error amplifier drive power consisting of high-voltage op amp and discrete components, consisting of an error-amplified circuit, a power amplifier circuit, a feedback network and a discharge circuit. A compensation technique based on feedback zero compensation is proposed and it increases the frequency bandwidth and dynamic characteristics of the PZT power effectively. Through the power of the theoretical analysis and Multisim software simulation, the power supply has a good drive capability.

  16. Design of a linear-motion dual-stage actuation system for precision control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong, W; Tang, J; ElDeeb, Y

    2009-01-01

    Actuators with high linear-motion speed, high positioning resolution and a long motion stroke are needed in many precision machining systems. In some current systems, voice coil motors (VCMs) are implemented for servo control. While the voice coil motors may provide the long motion stroke needed in many applications, the main obstacle that hinders the improvement of the machining accuracy and efficiency is their limited bandwidth. To fundamentally solve this issue, we propose to develop a dual-stage actuation system that consists of a voice coil motor that covers the coarse motion, and a piezoelectric stack actuator that induces the fine motion, thus enhancing the positioning accuracy. The focus of this present research is the mechatronics design and synthesis of the new actuation system. In particular, a flexure hinge based mechanism is developed to provide a motion guide and preload to the piezoelectric stack actuator that is serially connected to the voice coil motor. This mechanism is built upon parallel plane flexure hinges. A series of numerical and experimental studies are carried out to facilitate the system design and the model identification. The effectiveness of the proposed system is demonstrated through open-loop studies and preliminary closed-loop control practice. While the primary goal of this particular design is aimed at enhancing optical lens machining, the concept and approach outlined are generic and can be extended to a variety of applications

  17. Adaptive piezoelectric sensoriactuators for active structural acoustic control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vipperman, Jeffrey Stuart

    1997-09-01

    A new transducer technology with application to active control systems, modal analysis, and autonomous system health monitoring, is brought to fruition in this work. It has the advantages of being lightweight, potentially cost-effective, self-tuning, has negligible dynamics, and most importantly (from a robustness perspective), it provides a colocated sensor/actuator pair. The transducer consists of a piezoceramic element which serves as both an actuator and a sensor and will be referred to in this work as a sensoriactuator. Simple, adaptive signal processing in conjunction with a voltage controlled amplifier, reference capacitor, and a common-mode rejection circuit extract the mechanical response from the total response of the piezoelectric sensoriactuator for sensing. The digital portion of the adaptive piezoelectric sensoriactuator merely serves to tune the circuit, avoiding the potentially destabilizing effects of introducing a digital delay in the signal path, when used for feedback control applications. Adaptive compensation of the sensoriactuator is necessary since the signal to noise ratio is typically greater than 40 dB, making it prohibitive to tune the circuit manually. In addition, the constitutive properties of piezoceramics vary with time and environment, necessitating that the circuit be periodically re-tuned. The analog portion of the hardware is based upon op-amp circuits and an AD632 analog multiplier chip, which serves as both a voltage controlled amplifier (VCA) and a common mode rejection (CMR) circuit. A single coefficient least-mean square (LMS) adaptive filter continuously adjusts the gain of the VCA circuit as necessary. Nonideal behavior of piezoceramics is discussed along with methods to counter the consequential deterioration in circuit performance. A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) implementation of the adaptive piezoelectric sensoriactuator is developed using orthogonal white noise training signals for each sensoriactuator. Two

  18. Characterization of piesoelectric ZnO thin films and the fabrication of piezoelectric micro-cantilevers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, Raegan Lynn [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2005-01-01

    In Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), a microcantilever is raster scanned across the surface of a sample in order to obtain a topographical image of the sample's surface. In a traditional, optical AFM, the sample rests on a bulk piezoelectric tube and a control loop is used to control the tip-sample separation by actuating the piezo-tube. This method has several disadvantages--the most noticeable one being that response time of the piezo-tube is rather long which leads to slow imaging speeds. One possible solution aimed at improving the speed of imaging is to incorporate a thin piezoelectric film on top of the cantilever beam. This design not only improves the speed of imaging because the piezoelectric film replaces the piezo-tube as an actuator, but the film can also act as a sensor. In addition, the piezoelectric film can excite the cantilever beam near its resonance frequency. This project aims to fabricate piezoelectric microcantilevers for use in the AFM. Prior to fabricating the cantilevers and also part of this project, a systematic study was performed to examine the effects of deposition conditions on the quality of piezoelectric ZnO thin films deposited by RF sputtering. These results will be presented. The deposition parameters that produced the highest quality ZnO film were used in the fabrication of the piezoelectric cantilevers. Unfortunately, the fabricated cantilevers warped due to the intrinsic stress of the ZnO film and were therefore not usable in the AFM. The complete fabrication process will be detailed, the results will be discussed and reasons for the warping will be examined.

  19. Inertial piezoelectric linear motor driven by a single-phase harmonic wave with automatic clamping mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Liangguo; Chu, Yuheng; Hao, Sai; Zhao, Xiaoyong; Dong, Yuge; Wang, Yong

    2018-05-01

    A novel, single-phase, harmonic-driven, inertial piezoelectric linear motor using an automatic clamping mechanism was designed, fabricated, and tested to reduce the sliding friction and simplify the drive mechanism and power supply control of the inertial motor. A piezoelectric bimorph and a flexible hinge were connected in series to form the automatic clamping mechanism. The automatic clamping mechanism was used as the driving and clamping elements. A dynamic simulation by Simulink was performed to prove the feasibility of the motor. The finite element method software COMSOL was used to design the structure of the motor. An experimental setup was built to validate the working principle and evaluate the performance of the motor. The prototype motor outputted a no-load velocity of 3.178 mm/s at a voltage of 220 Vp-p and a maximum traction force of 4.25 N under a preload force of 8 N. The minimum resolution of 1.14 μm was achieved at a driving frequency of 74 Hz, a driving voltage of 50 Vp-p, and a preload force of 0 N.

  20. Real-time deflection and friction force imaging by bimorph-based resonance-type high-speed scanning force microscopy in the contact mode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Wei; Fan, Haiyun; Zhao, Jianyong; Shang, Guangyi

    2014-01-01

    We report herein an alternative high-speed scanning force microscopy method in the contact mode based on a resonance-type piezoelectric bimorph scanner. The experimental setup, the modified optical beam deflection scheme suitable for smaller cantilevers, and a high-speed control program for simultaneous data capture are described in detail. The feature of the method is that the deflection and friction force images of the sample surface can be obtained simultaneously in real time. Images of various samples (e.g., a test grating, a thin gold film, and fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated glass slides) are acquired successfully. The imaging rate is 25 frames per second, and the average scan speed reaches a value of approximately 2.5 cm/s. The method combines the advantages of both observing the dynamic processes of the sample surface and monitoring the frictional properties on the nanometer scale. 07.79.Lh; 07.79.Sp; 68.37.Ps.

  1. Study of a Fuel Supply Pump with a Piezoelectric Effect for Microdirect Alcohol Fuel Cells

    OpenAIRE

    Ma, Hsiao-Kang; Wang, Jyun-Sheng; Cheng, Wei-Yang; Huang, Shin-Han

    2011-01-01

    A novel design for an ethanol injection system has been proposed, which consists of one pump chamber, two valves, and one central-vibrating piezoelectric device. The system uses a microdiaphragm pump with a piezoelectric device for microdirect alcohol fuel cells. The diameters of the pump chamber are 31 mm and 23 mm, and the depths of the chamber are 1 mm and 2 mm. When the piezoelectric device actuates for changing pump chamber volume, the valves will be opened/closed, and the ethanol will b...

  2. Numerical simulation of actuation behavior of active fiber composites in helicopter rotor blade application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paik, Seung Hoon; Kim, Ji Yeon; Shin, Sang Joon; Kim, Seung Jo

    2004-07-01

    Smart structures incorporating active materials have been designed and analyzed to improve aerospace vehicle performance and its vibration/noise characteristics. Helicopter integral blade actuation is one example of those efforts using embedded anisotropic piezoelectric actuators. To design and analyze such integrally-actuated blades, beam approach based on homogenization methodology has been traditionally used. Using this approach, the global behavior of the structures is predicted in an averaged sense. However, this approach has intrinsic limitations in describing the local behaviors in the level of the constituents. For example, the failure analysis of the individual active fibers requires the knowledge of the local behaviors. Microscopic approach for the analysis of integrally-actuated structures is established in this paper. Piezoelectric fibers and matrices are modeled individually and finite element method using three-dimensional solid elements is adopted. Due to huge size of the resulting finite element meshes, high performance computing technology is required in its solution process. The present methodology is quoted as Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of the smart structure. As an initial validation effort, present analytical results are correlated with the experiments from a small-scaled integrally-actuated blade, Active Twist Rotor (ATR). Through DNS, local stress distribution around the interface of fiber and matrix can be analyzed.

  3. Large electrical manipulation of permittivity in BaTiO3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 bimorph heterostructure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ci, Penghong; Liu, Guoxi; Dong, Shuxiang; Zhang, Li

    2014-01-01

    We report a strain-mediated electric field manipulation of permittivity in BaTiO 3 (barium titanate, BT) ceramic by a Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 (PZT) bimorph. This BT/PZT heterostructure exhibited a relatively large permittivity tunability of BT up to ±10% in a wide frequency range under an electric field of ±4 kV/cm applied to the PZT bimorph. The permittivity tunability is attributed to the strain in BT produced by the PZT bimorph. Calculations of the relationship between permittivity and applied electric field were developed, and corresponded well with measurements. The BT/PZT heterostructure has potential for applications in broadband field tunable smart electronic devices.

  4. A modular scanning tunneling microscope with an interchangeable elastic closed cell and external actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bjarnason, Elias H.; Arnalds, Unnar B.; Olafsson, Sveinn

    2006-01-01

    We introduce a novel modular cell based scanning tunneling microscope with external piezoelectric actuators. A tip and a sample are contained in a closed interchangeable cell, consisting of a stiff top plate and a bottom part, fastened together by an elastic material. The bottom part, containing a scanning tip, is fastened to a base unit while the top plate, containing a sample, is capable of scanning motion by external piezoelectric actuators mounted in the same base unit. The actuators are pre-loaded by the deformation of the elastic material of the cell, giving an increased stability. This design is expected to simplify the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) operation in difficult environments greatly by enclosing only the tip and sample in a small cell-module, which is pluggable to a scanning mechanism and other supportive functionalities. A frequency characterization and an image scan showing atomic resolution of highly oriented graphite in air, at room temperature, is presented

  5. High Performance Lead--free Piezoelectric Materials

    OpenAIRE

    Gupta, Shashaank

    2013-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials find applications in number of devices requiring inter-conversion of mechanical and electrical energy.  These devices include different types of sensors, actuators and energy harvesting devices. A number of lead-based perovskite compositions (PZT, PMN-PT, PZN-PT etc.) have dominated the field in last few decades owing to their giant piezoresponse and convenient application relevant tunability. With increasing environmental concerns, in the last one decade, focus has be...

  6. Tubular fluoropolymer arrays with high piezoelectric response

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhukov, Sergey; Eder-Goy, Dagmar; Biethan, Corinna; Fedosov, Sergey; Xu, Bai-Xiang; von Seggern, Heinz

    2018-01-01

    Polymers with electrically charged internal air cavities called ferroelectrets exhibit a pronounced piezoelectric effect and are regarded as soft functional materials suitable for sensor and actuator applications. In this work, a simple method for fabricating piezoelectret arrays with open-tubular channels is introduced. A set of individual fluoroethylenepropylene (FEP) tubes is compressed between two heated metal plates. The squeezed FEP tubes are melted together at +270 °C. The resulting structure is a uniform, multi-tubular, flat array that reveals a strong piezoelectric response after a poling step. The fabricated arrays have a high ratio between piezoelectrically active and non-active areas. The optimal charging voltage and stability of the piezoelectric coefficients with pressures and frequency were experimentally investigated for two specific array structures with wall thickness of 50 and 120 μm. The array fabricated from 50 μm thick FEP tubes reveals a stable and high piezoelectric coefficient of {d}33 = 120-160 pC N-1 with a flat frequency response between 0.1 Hz and 10 kHz for pressures between 1 and 100 kPa. An increase of wall thickness to 120 μm is accompanied by a more than twofold decrease in the piezoelectric coefficient as a result of a simultaneously higher effective array stiffness and lower remanent polarization. The obtained experimental results can be used to optimize the array design with regard to the electromechanical performance.

  7. Fast bender actuators for fish-like aquatic robots

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGovern, S. T.; Spinks, G. M.; Xi, B.; Alici, G.; Truong, V.; Wallace, G. G.

    2008-03-01

    Small, highly-mobile "swimming" robots are desired for underwater monitoring operations, including pollution detection, video mapping and other tasks. Actuator materials of all types are of interest for any application where space is limited. This constraint certainly applies to the small-scale swimming robot, where multiple small actuators are needed for forward/backward propulsion, steering and diving/surfacing. A number of previous studies have demonstrated propulsion of floating objects using IPMC type polymer actuators [1-3] or piezoceramic actuators [4, 5]. Here, we show how propulsion is also possible using a multi-layer polypyrrole bimorph actuator. The actuator is based on our previously published work showing very fast resonance actuation in polypyrrole bending-type actuators [6]. The bending actuator is a tri-layer structure, in which the gold-PVDF (porous poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane) substrate was coated on both sides with polypyrrole layers to form an electrochemical cell. Polypyrrole films on gold coated PVDF were grown galvanostatically at a current density of 0.10 mA/cm2 for 12 hours from propylene carbonate (PC) solution containing 0.1 M Li+TFSI-, 0.1 M pyrrole and 1% (w/w) water. The polypyrrole deposited PVDF was thoroughly rinsed with acetone and stored in 0.1 M Li+TFSI- / PC solution. The edges of the bulk film were trimmed off and the bending actuators were prepared as rectangular strips typically 2mm wide and 25 mm long. These actuators gave fast operation in air (to 90 Hz), and were utilised as active flexural joints on the tail fin of a fishshaped floating "boat". The actuators were attached to a simple truncated shaped fin and the deflection angle was analysed in both air and liquid for excitation with +/- 1V square wave at a range of frequencies. The mechanical resonance of the fin was seen to be 4.5 Hz in air and 0.45 Hz in PC, which gave deflection angles of approximately 60° and 55° respectively. The boat contained a battery

  8. A Piezoelectric Cryogenic Heat Switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jahromi, Amir E.; Sullivan, Dan F.

    2014-01-01

    We have measured the thermal conductance of a mechanical heat switch actuated by a piezoelectric positioner, the PZHS (PieZo electric Heat Switch), at cryogenic temperatures. The thermal conductance of the PZHS was measured between 4 K and 10 K, and on/off conductance ratios greater than 100 were achieved when the positioner applied its maximum force of 8 N. We discuss the advantages of using this system in cryogenic applications, and estimate the ultimate performance of an optimized PZHS.

  9. Optimization of Sensing and Feedback Control for Vibration/Flutter of Rotating Disk by PZT Actuators via Air Coupled Pressure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bingfeng Ju

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a feedback control mechanism and its optimization for rotating disk vibration/flutter via changes of air-coupled pressure generated using piezoelectric patch actuators are studied. A thin disk rotates in an enclosure, which is equipped with a feedback control loop consisting of a micro-sensor, a signal processor, a power amplifier, and several piezoelectric (PZT actuator patches distributed on the cover of the enclosure. The actuator patches are mounted on the inner or the outer surfaces of the enclosure to produce necessary control force required through the airflow around the disk. The control mechanism for rotating disk flutter using enclosure surfaces bonded with sensors and piezoelectric actuators is thoroughly studied through analytical simulations. The sensor output is used to determine the amount of input to the actuator for controlling the response of the disk in a closed loop configuration. The dynamic stability of the disk-enclosure system, together with the feedback control loop, is analyzed as a complex eigenvalue problem, which is solved using Galerkin’s discretization procedure. The results show that the disk flutter can be reduced effectively with proper configurations of the control gain and the phase shift through the actuations of PZT patches. The effectiveness of different feedback control methods in altering system characteristics and system response has been investigated. The control capability, in terms of control gain, phase shift, and especially the physical configuration of actuator patches, are also evaluated by calculating the complex eigenvalues and the maximum displacement produced by the actuators. To achieve a optimal control performance, sizes, positions and shapes of PZT patches used need to be optimized and such optimization has been achieved through numerical simulations.

  10. submitter On the identification of Hammerstein systems in the presence of an input hysteretic nonlinearity with nonlocal memory: Piezoelectric actuators – an experimental case study

    CERN Document Server

    Butcher, Mark; Masi, Alessandro

    2016-01-01

    The identification problem of the linear dynamic part of piezo based actuators is addressed in this paper, exploiting the use of binary signals, specifically the pseudo random binary sequences (PRBS). Due to the presence of nonlocal memory hysteretic behavior in piezoelectric active materials, the dependence of the identification results on this strongly nonlinear effect is analyzed and useful guidelines for the design of the PRBS stimulating signal are derived. Moreover, some properties of hysteresis like cancellation and congruency are experimentally analyzed and their effects on the identification process are discussed. Finally, the use of a hysteresis compensation strategy in the identification process is evaluated and discussed.

  11. Piezoelectric actuated micro-resonators based on the growth of diamond on aluminum nitride thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hees, J; Heidrich, N; Pletschen, W; Sah, R E; Wolfer, M; Lebedev, V; Nebel, C E; Ambacher, O; Williams, O A

    2013-01-01

    Unimorph heterostructures based on piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) and diamond thin films are highly desirable for applications in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. In this paper, we present a new approach to combine thin conductive boron-doped as well as insulating nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) with sputtered AlN films without the need for any buffer layers between AlN and NCD or polishing steps. The zeta potentials of differently treated nanodiamond (ND) particles in aqueous colloids are adjusted to the zeta potential of AlN in water. Thereby, the nucleation density for the initial growth of diamond on AlN can be varied from very low (10 8 cm −2 ), in the case of hydrogen-treated ND seeding particles, to very high values of 10 11 cm −2 for oxidized ND particles. Our approach yielding high nucleation densities allows the growth of very thin NCD films on AlN with thicknesses as low as 40 nm for applications such as microelectromechanical beam resonators. Fabricated piezo-actuated micro-resonators exhibit enhanced mechanical properties due to the incorporation of boron-doped NCD films. Highly boron-doped NCD thin films which replace the metal top electrode offer Young’s moduli of more than 1000 GPa. (paper)

  12. A periodic piezoelectric smart structure with the integrated passive/active vibration-reduction performances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yuxi; Niu, Shengkai; Hu, Yuantai

    2017-06-01

    The paper proposes a new piezoelectric smart structure with the integrated passive/active vibration-reduction performances, which is made of a series of periodic structural units. Every structural unit is made of two layers, one is an array of piezoelectric bimorphs (PBs) and one is an array of metal beams (MBs), both are connected as a whole by a metal plate. Analyses show that such a periodic smart structure possesses two aspects of vibration-reduction performance: one comes from its phonon crystal characteristics which can isolate those vibrations with the driving frequency inside the band gap(s). The other one comes from the electromechanical conversion of bent PBs, which is actively aimed at those vibrations with the driving frequency outside the band gap(s). By adjusting external inductance, the equivalent circuit of the proposed structure can be forced into parallel resonance such that most of the vibration energy is converted into electrical energy for dissipation by a resistance. Thus, an external circuit under the parallel resonance state is equivalent to a strong damping to the interrelated vibrating structure, which is just the action mechanism of the active vibration reduction performance of the proposed smart structure.

  13. Nanoscans of piezoelectric activity using an atomic force microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Z.; Guy, I.L.; Butcher, K.S.A.; Tansley, T.L.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Any crystal which lacks a centre of symmetry is piezoelectric. This includes all of the ferroelectric crystals used in photonics and virtually all compound semiconductors. Such crystals, when grown in thin film form invariably exist in a strained state and thus possess internal piezoelectric fields which can affect their electronic properties. A knowledge of the piezoelectric properties of such crystals is thus important in understanding how they behave in practical devices. It also provides a tool for analysing the crystal structure of such materials. Using an atomic force microscope (AFM) as a probe of piezoelectric activity allows the study of variations in crystal structure on a nanoscale. The AFM piezoelectric technique has been used by several groups to study structures of ceramic materials with large piezoelectric coefficients, intended for applications in piezoelectric actuators. In the AFM method, a driving signal of a few volts at a frequency well below the AFM tip resonance, is applied to a sample of the material mounted in the AFM. This voltage causes the sample dimensions to change in ways determined by the piezoelectric properties of the sample. The AFM signal thus contains the normal surface profile information and an additional component generated by the piezoelectric vibrations of the sample. A lockin amplifier is used to separate the piezoelectric signal from the normal AFM surface profile signal. The result is the simultaneous acquisition of the surface profile and a piezoelectric map of the surface of the material under study. We will present results showing the results of such measurements in materials such as lithium niobate and gallium nitride. These materials have piezoelectric coefficients which are much lower than those of materials to which the technique has normally been applied

  14. Methods and apparatus for laser beam scanners with different actuating mechanisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Si-hai; Xiang, Si-hua; Wu, Xin; Dong, Shan; Xiao, Ding; Zheng, Xia-wei

    2009-07-01

    In this paper, 3 types of laser beam scanner are introduced. One is transmissive beam scanner, which is composed of convex and concave microlens arrays (MLAs). By moving the concave lens in the plane vertical to the optical axis, the incident beam can be deflected in two dimensions. Those two kinds of MLAs are fabricated by thermal reflow and replication process. A set of mechanical scanner frame is fabricated with the two MLAs assembling in it. The testing result shown that the beam deflection angles are 9.5° and 9.6°, in the 2 dimension(2D) with the scanning frequency of 2 HZ and 8 HZ, respectively. The second type of laser beam scanner is actuated by voice coil actuators (VCAs). Based on ANSOFT MAXWELL software, we have designed VCAs with small size and large force which have optimized properties. The model of VCAs is built using AutoCAD and is analyzed by Ansoft maxwell. According to the simulation results, high performance VCAs are fabricated and tested. The result is that the force of the VCAs is 6.39N/A, and the displacement is +/-2.5mm. A set up of beam scanner is fabricated and actuated by the designed VCAs. The testing result shown that the two dimensional scanning angle is 15° and 10° respectively at the frequency of 60HZ. The two dimensional scanning angle is 8.3° and 6° respectively at the frequency of 100HZ. The third type of scanner is actuated by amplified piezoelectric actuators (APAs). The scanning mirror is actuated by the piezoelectric (PZ) actuators with the scanning frequency of 700HZ, 250HZ and 87HZ respectively. The optical scanning angle is +/-0.5° at the three frequencies.

  15. Solid electroytes for CNT-based actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riemenschneider, Johannes; Geier, Sebastian; Mahrholz, Thorsten; Mosch, Jürgen; Monner, Hans Peter; Sinapius, Michael

    2009-03-01

    Actuators based on carbon nanotubes (CNT) have the potential to generate high forces at very low voltages. The density of the raw material is just 1330 kg/m3, which makes them well applicable for lightweight applications. Moreover, active strains of up to 1% can be achieved - due to the CNTs dimensional changes on charge injection. Therefore the nanotubes have to be arranged and electrically wired like electrodes of a capacitor. In previous works the system's response of the Nanotubes comprising a liquid electrolyte was studied in detail. The major challenge is to repeat such experiments with solid electrolytes, which is a prerequisite for structural integration. In this paper a method is proposed which makes sure the expansion is not based on thermal expansion. This is done by analysing the electrical system response. As thermal expansion is dominated by ohmic resistance the CNT based actuators show a strong capacitive behavior. This behavior is referable to the constitution of the electrochemical double layer around the nanotubes, which causes the tubes to expand. Also a novel test setup is described, which guarantees that the displacement which is measured will not be caused by bending of a bimorph but due to expansion of a single layer of nanotubes. This paper also presents experimental results demonstrating both, the method of electrical characterization of CNT based actuators with implemented solid electrolytes and the novel test setup which is used to measure the needed data. The actuators which were characterized are hybrids of CNT and the solid electrolyte NAFION which is supplying the ions needed to constitute the electrochemical double layer. The manufacturing, processing of these actuators and also some first experimental results are shown. Unfortunately, the results are not as clear as those for liquid electrolytes, which depend on the hybrid character of the analyzed devices. In the liquid electrolyte based case the CNTs are the only source of

  16. Analytical design model for a piezo-composite unimorph actuator and its verification using lightweight piezo-composite curved actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, K. J.; Park, K. H.; Lee, S. K.; Goo, N. S.; Park, H. C.

    2004-06-01

    This paper describes an analytical design model for a layered piezo-composite unimorph actuator and its numerical and experimental verification using a LIPCA (lightweight piezo-composite curved actuator) that is lighter than other conventional piezo-composite type actuators. The LIPCA is composed of top fiber composite layers with high modulus and low CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion), a middle PZT ceramic wafer, and base layers with low modulus and high CTE. The advantages of the LIPCA design are to replace the heavy metal layer of THUNDER by lightweight fiber-reinforced plastic layers without compromising the generation of high force and large displacement and to have design flexibility by selecting the fiber direction and the number of prepreg layers. In addition to the lightweight advantage and design flexibility, the proposed device can be manufactured without adhesive layers when we use a resin prepreg system. A piezo-actuation model for a laminate with piezo-electric material layers and fiber composite layers is proposed to predict the curvature and residual stress of the LIPCA. To predict the actuation displacement of the LIPCA with curvature, a finite element analysis method using the proposed piezo-actuation model is introduced. The predicted deformations are in good agreement with the experimental ones.

  17. Electromechanical modeling of a honeycomb core integrated vibration energy converter with increased specific power for energy harvesting applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandrasekharan, Nataraj

    Innovation in integrated circuit technology along with improved manufacturing processes has resulted in considerable reduction in power consumption of electromechanical devices. Majority of these devices are currently powered by batteries. However, the issues posed by batteries, including the need for frequent battery recharge/replacement has resulted in a compelling need for alternate energy to achieve self-sufficient device operation or to supplement battery power. Vibration based energy harvesting methods through piezoelectric transduction provides with a promising potential towards replacing or supplementing battery power source. However, current piezoelectric energy harvesters generate low specific power (power-to-weight ratio) when compared to batteries that the harvesters seek to replace or supplement. In this study, the potential of integrating lightweight cellular honeycomb structures with existing piezoelectric device configurations (bimorph) to achieve higher specific power is investigated. It is shown in this study that at low excitation frequency ranges, replacing the solid continuous substrate of a conventional piezoelectric bimorph with honeycomb structures of the same material results in a significant increase in power-to-weight ratio of the piezoelectric harvester. In order to maximize the electrical response of vibration based power harvesters, the natural frequency of these harvesters is designed to match the input driving frequency. The commonly used technique of adding a tip mass is employed to lower the natural frequency (to match driving frequency) of both, solid and honeycomb substrate bimorphs. At higher excitation frequency, the natural frequency of the traditional solid substrate bimorph can only be altered (to match driving frequency) through a change in global geometric design parameters, typically achieved by increasing the thickness of the harvester. As a result, the size of the harvester is increased and can be disadvantageous

  18. Piezoelectric microvalve for precise control of gas flow at high pressure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fazal, I.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

    2008-01-01

    We present a normally open piezoelectric actuated micro valve, based on the novel concept of micro and fine machining technology. This new design allows a wide controllable range for high flow at a high pressure difference between inlet and outlet. This promising combination of micro and fine

  19. Fabrication and characterization of diamond-like carbon/Ni bimorph normally closed microcages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, J. K.; He, J. H.; Fu, Y. Q.; Flewitt, A. J.; Spearing, S. M.; Fleck, N. A.; Milne, W. I.

    2005-08-01

    Normally closed microcages based on highly compressively stressed diamond-like carbon (DLC) and electroplated Ni bimorph structures have been simulated, fabricated and characterized. Finite-element and analytical models were used to simulate the device performance. It was found that the radius of curvature of the bimorph layer can be adjusted by varying the DLC film stress, the total layer thickness and the thickness ratio of the DLC to Ni layers. The angular deflection of the bimorph structures can also be adjusted by varying the finger length. The radius of curvature of the microcage was in the range of 18-50 µm, suitable for capturing and confining micro-objects with sizes of 20-100 µm. The operation of this type of device is very efficient due to the large difference in thermal expansion coefficients of the DLC and the Ni layers. Electrical tests have shown that these microcages can be opened by ~90° utilizing a power smaller than 20 mW. The operating temperatures of the devices under various pulsed currents were extracted through the change in electrical resistance of the devices. The results showed that an average temperature in the range of 400-450 °C is needed to open this type of microcage by ~90°, consistent with the results from analytical simulation and finite-element modelling.

  20. Development of a shear-force scanning near-field cathodoluminescence microscope for characterization of nanostructures' optical properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bercu, N B; Troyon, M; Molinari, M

    2016-09-01

    An original scanning near-field cathodoluminescence microscope for nanostructure characterization has been developed and successfully tested. By using a bimorph piezoelectric stack both as actuator and detector, the developed setup constitutes a real improvement compared to previously reported SEM-based solutions. The technique combines a scanning probe and a scanning electron microscope in order to simultaneously offer near-field cathodoluminescence and topographic images of the sample. Share-force topography and cathodoluminescence measurements on GaN, SiC and ZnO nanostructures using the developed setup are presented showing a nanometric resolution in both topography and cathodoluminescence images with increased sensitivity compared to classical luminescence techniques. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.