Design and modelling of a ring-shape Recurve piezoelectric actuator

Abstract

Piezoelectric materials show interesting properties for developing actuators but most of the times they must be integrated in a stroke amplification structure. This paper presents a ring-shape Recurve structure that allows better integration in a mechatronics system as well as a good stroke. Two models based on Euler-Bernoulli beams theory are provided. Both consider only a bending load and the piezoelectric effect but one is a straight beam and the other is a curved beam. A finite-element model is used to show the limits of the hypothesis.