Experimental Validation of Two Types of Force Actuators: A Performance Comparison

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Actuator Technology

Background:

• Piezoelectric actuators are crucial components in various engineering applications.
• Understanding their performance characteristics is essential for effective design and implementation.
• Existing actuator models require experimental validation and parameter identification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally compare the performance of inertial-type and frame-type piezoelectric force actuators.
• To validate recently developed piezoelectric actuator models using experimental data.
• To identify the underlying mechanisms responsible for performance differences between actuator types.

Main Methods:

• Construction of both inertial-type and frame-type actuators using an identical encapsulated piezoelectric stack.
• Experimental measurement of transmitted forces and input power flow for both actuator types under identical electrical input.
• Experimental identification of mechanical and piezoelectrical parameters for actuator model validation.

Main Results:

• Successful validation of actuator models, showing strong agreement between measured and predicted performances.
• Demonstration that the frame-type actuator significantly outperforms the inertial-type actuator in transmitted force and input power flow.
• Identification of the specific mechanisms contributing to the performance disparity between the two actuator designs.

Conclusions:

• The frame-type piezoelectric actuator exhibits superior performance characteristics compared to the inertial-type actuator.
• The validated models provide a reliable tool for predicting and analyzing piezoelectric actuator behavior.
• This research offers valuable insights for the design and optimization of high-performance piezoelectric actuators.