NEW PRECISION PIEZOELECTRIC STEP ACTUATOR

A new precision piezoelectric actuator is proposed to improve its drive capabilities. The actuator is based on the piezoelectric technology. It adopts the principle of bionics and works with a new method of stator initiative anchoring/loosen and a distortion structure of double-side thin flexible hinge. It solves the problem of anchoring/loosen, frequency, journey, resolution and velocity. The experiment shows that the new linear piezoelectric actuator works with high frequency （100 Hz）, high speed （502 μm/s）, large travel （〉10 mm）, high resolution （0.05 μm） and high load （100 N）. This kind of new piezoelectric actuator will be applied for large travel and high resolution driving device, optics engineering precision positioning and some micromanipulation field.

Review on piezoelectric actuators:materials,classifications,applications,and recent trends

Piezoelectric actuators are a class of actuators that precisely transfer input electric energy into displacement,force,or movement outputs efficiently via inverse piezoelectric effect-based electromechanical coupling.Various types of piezoelectric actuators have sprung up and gained widespread use in various applications in terms of compelling attributes,such as high precision,flexibility of stoke,immunity to electromagnetic interference,and structural scalability.This paper systematically reviews the piezoelectric materials,operating principles,representative schemes,characteristics,and potential applications of each mainstream type of piezoelectric actuator.Herein,we intend to provide a more scientific and nuanced perspective to classify piezoelectric actuators into direct and indirect categories with several subcategories.In addition,this review outlines the pros and cons and the future development trends for all kinds of piezoelectric actuators by exploring the relations and mechanisms behind them.The rich content and detailed comparison can help build an in-depth and holistic understanding of piezoelectric actuators and pave the way for future research and the selection of practical applications.

Numerical study on flow fields and aerodynamics of tilt rotor aircraft in conversion mode based on embedded grid and actuator model

A method combining rotor actuator disk model and embedded grid technique is presented in this paper, aimed at predicting the flow fields and aerodynamic characteristics of tilt rotor aircraft in conversion mode more efficiently and effectively. In this method, rotor＇s influence is considered in terms of the momentum it impacts to the fluid around it; transformation matrixes among different coordinate systems are deduced to extend actuator method＇s utility to conversion mode flow fields＇ calculation. Meanwhile, an embedded grid system is designed, in which grids generated around fuselage and actuator disk are regarded as background grid and minor grid respectively, and a new method is presented for ‘donor searching＇ and ‘hole cutting＇ during grid assembling. Based on the above methods, flow fields of tilt rotor aircraft in conversion mode are simulated, with threedimensional Navier–Stokes equations discretized by a second-order upwind finite-volume scheme and an implicit lower–upper symmetric Gauss–Seidel（LU-SGS） time-stepping scheme. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed CFD method is very effective in simulating the conversion mode flow fields of tilt rotor aircraft.

Re-engineering artificial muscle with microhydraulics

We introduce a new type of actuator,the microhydraulic stepping actuator(MSA),which borrows design and operational concepts from biological muscle and stepper motors.MSAs offer a unique combination of power,efficiency,and scalability not easily achievable on the microscale.The actuator works by integrating surface tension forces produced by electrowetting acting on scaled droplets along the length of a thin ribbon.Like muscle,MSAs have liquid and solid functional components and can displace a large fraction of their length.The 100μm pitch MSA presented here already has an output power density of over 200 W kg^(−1),rivaling the most powerful biological muscles,due to the scaling of surface tension forces,MSA’s power density grows quadratically as its dimensions are reduced.