Design, modeling, and performance of a bidirectional stick-slip piezoelectric actuator with coupled asymmetrical flexure hinge mechanisms

A stick-slip piezoelectric actuator with bidirectional motion is proposed and measured, which uses coupled asymmetrical flexure hinge mechanisms and symmetrical indenter to generate controllable tangential displacement. The operating principle of the proposed stick-slip actuator is illustrated, and the normal force variation between the stator and slider is analyzed. A dynamic model based on the method of dimensionality reduction is established to simulate the displacement and load capacity. In order to obtain improved actuator properties, the design rules of the coupled flexure hinge mechanisms are discussed, and the tangential and normal displacements of the indenter are investigated by the finite element method. A prototype is fabricated, and the experiment investigation of the actuator characteristics is presented. Testing results indicate that the actuator achieves the maximum output velocity of 10.14 mm/s and its maximum load reaches 1.5 N under a voltage of 100 V p–p and a frequency of 850 Hz in the positive x-direction. The maximum efficiency of the actuator is 0.57% with a load of 90 g, a locking force of 5 N, and the actuated velocity of 5.48 mm/s. In addition, experimental results confirm the feasibility of the presented model by comparing numerical simulation results.