A new inertial piezoelectric rotary actuator based on changing the normal pressure

A new inertial rotary actuator using two piezoelectric stacks as the power converter is proposed. The actuator rotates by regulating the friction force, which is controlled by the normal pressure, and driven by a square-wave or triangular-wave signal. Dynamic and simulation models of the actuator are established to evaluate the performance of the actuator in terms of distance, speed, radial run-out and positioning repeatability. A 40 mm wide and 32 mm high prototype was compared with the simulated model. The results show that the angular speed is proportional to the amplitude and frequency of the driving signal. A 10 mu rad angular displacement resolution is obtained by applying a of 15 Vp-p square wave with a frequency of 10 Hz.