Design and analysis of a novel piezoelectric inertial actuator with large stepping displacement amplified by compliant mechanism

A novel piezoelectric inertial actuator is developed in this paper, to realize the requirements of large stroke and high output displacement accuracy. This proposed actuator which is different from those excellent researches before can not only earn large stepping displacement advantage by elaborately designing a compliant driving foot, but also possess a well load regulation capability through an exquisite adjustment device. The conceptual scheme and operating principle of the actuator are described. And the compliant driving foot is optimized towards for a desired amplification ratio and natural frequency. Subsequently, theoretical model is built and finite element analysis is conducted for verifying the optimization results. Finally, a series of experimental tests are carried out and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed actuator. In addition, the compliant driving foot and payload adjustment device show a favorable prospect in development of miniaturized and integrated smart material actuator.

Automated summary

A novel piezoelectric inertial actuator was developed in this paper to meet the requirements of large stroke and high output displacement accuracy. By optimizing the compliant driving foot and adjustment device, the effectiveness of the actuator was verified through theoretical modeling, finite element analysis, and experimental tests. The compliant driving foot and payload adjustment device show potential in the development of miniaturized and integrated smart material actuators.