Development and characterization of a novel piezoelectric-driven stick-slip actuator with anisotropic-friction surfaces

This paper reports a novel piezoelectric-driven stick-slip (PDSS) actuator with working surfaces of anisotropic friction. Compared to existing PDSS actuators, the new PDSS actuator has the higher efficiency and higher loading capability. The working surfaces of the new actuator were fabricated by employing hot filament chemical vapor deposition and ion beam etching. The surfaces were constructed such that they can provide with different levels of friction dependent on the direction of their relative motion, thereby providing a means to enhance the actuator performance. The performance of the novel actuator was characterized and compared to that of a PDSS actuator with the normal working surfaces, demonstrating its performance improvement.