A double B1-mode 4-layer laminated piezoelectric linear motor

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Miniature linear motors are crucial for micro-actuation in various applications.
• Traditional piezoelectric motors often require high driving voltages, limiting their use.
• Developing efficient, low-voltage piezoelectric motors is an ongoing research challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a miniature piezoelectric ultrasonic linear motor.
• To investigate the performance of a novel 4-layer lead zirconate titanate (PZT) laminate.
• To achieve low-voltage operation and high driving force in a compact piezoelectric motor.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 4-layer PZT piezoelectric ceramic laminate.
• Utilizing two orthogonal first-bending modes to generate elliptical oscillations.
• Driving a contacting slider for continuous linear motion at resonance frequency.
• Experimental characterization of driving force, linear speed, and efficiency.

Main Results:

• The miniature linear motor (4 × 4 × 12 mm, 1.7 g) demonstrated a large driving force of 0.48 N.
• Achieved a maximum linear motion speed of 160 mm/s at a low drive voltage (40 V(pp)/mm).
• The motor operated at a resonance frequency of 64.5 kHz with a maximum efficiency of 30%.

Conclusions:

• The developed 4-layer PZT piezoelectric motor offers a promising solution for low-voltage, high-performance micro-actuation.
• The design effectively converts piezoelectric bending modes into efficient linear motion.
• This miniature motor has potential applications in micro-robotics, precision positioning, and portable electronic devices.