Modeling and Validation of S-Drive: A Nestable Piezoelectric Actuator

Aarti Chigullapalli, Purdue University

Abstract

This dissertation introduces a novel, nestable piezoelectric actuator, called the s-drive. In the s-drive actuator, the piezoelectric material is sandwiched between two conductors, and the electrodes are configured such that an application of a voltage causes an extension on two beams and compression on the other two beams to produce a large lateral deflection in the form of an 's' shape. The s-drive gets its name from the characteristic 's' shape that appears upon actuation. The designs of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) arrays of axial-mode and shear-mode s-drives, for magnifying displacement and shear, are also presented in this work. Experimental results from the fabricated s-drive and its 1D nested arrays are presented for validation of the finite element analysis simulations and the developed analytical model of the s-drive and its nested arrays. Additionally, the design of a new type of channel flow piezo pen, designed as a variation of s-drive, that is able to produce large deflections, with multiple degrees of freedom, and might handle multiple inks with the capability of writing on any surface in either wet or dry, clean or dirty environments is presented. The s-drive, unlike electrostatic actuators, can work in relatively unclean environments, require lower power than electrothermal actuators, require lower driving voltages than electroactive polymers, and are geometrically configured to magnify small piezoelectric strains into larger deflections. These microactuators are expected to have applications in scanning probe microscopy, microassembly, nanolithography, and micro- and macro-scale robotics.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Peroulis, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Engineering|Mechanical engineering

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