A study of the characteristics of a one-degree-of-freedom positioning device using spring-mounted piezoelectric actuators

Abstract

This article presents the actuating performance of a one-degree-of-freedom (DOF) positioning device using spring-mounted piezoelectric (PZT) actuators. To employ a spring with a preset compression, the operational range of a PZT actuator could be simply enlarged, and a sliding table actuated by PZT impact force might feature long stroke and high-precision positioning ability. An experimental set-up consisting of two spring-mounted PZT actuators was configured to examine the actuating characteristics. According to experimental results, a sliding table with a heavy mass of 172 g could be actuated to move with a step motion ranging from 15 nm to 81 μm by only one single actuation of the PZT actuator, and with a maximum travelling speed of 3.47 mm/s by continuous actuation. In addition to experimental examinations, a dynamic model was established and verified as effective in describing the actuating behaviours through numerical examinations.