A Broadband, High-Power Resonant Piezoelectric Active-Valve Pump Driven By Sandwich Bending Transducers

A resonant piezoelectric active-valve pump driven by the serial connected there-chambers is proposed based on three sandwich bending transducers. The pump possesses the superiorities of high bandwidth and high output power. The configuration and driving principle of the pump are designed and studied. The wet modal and frequency response analyses are performed to determine the resonant frequency and output displacement, and their consistencies are also evaluated. The multiphysical field coupling model of the pump is established by bidirectional fluid structure interaction. The influences of frequency and outlet pressure of the pump on flowrate characteristics at different voltages are revealed. A physical prototype of the pump is manufactured and the tested setup is constructed to measure the output performances. This article shows that the maximum flowrate of the pump is 345 mL/min at 1.95 kHz; the maximum pressure can reach up to 242 kPa at 2.05 kHz. Besides, the self-filling pressure is 78 kPa; and the maximum driving power is 432 mW with an outlet pressure of 125 kPa. The results show that the developed pump is expected to be used in the hydraulic drive system of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) variable swept wing.

Automated summary

In this article, a resonant piezoelectric active-valve pump driven by the serial connected three-chambers is proposed, which possesses high bandwidth and high output power. The configuration and driving principle of the pump are designed and studied, and the wet modal and frequency response analyses are performed. The multiphysical field coupling model of the pump is established, and the influences of frequency and outlet pressure on flowrate characteristics at different voltages are revealed. A physical prototype of the pump is manufactured and tested, showing promising results for its potential use in the hydraulic drive system of unmanned aerial vehicles with variable swept wings.