Vibration and force properties of an actuator formed from a piezoelectric stack within a frame structure

This paper examines the vibration and force properties of an actuator formed from a piezoelectric stack within a frame structure. Such configuration avoids the use of the traditional “earth-connected” support and allows the convenient attachment of the actuator to structures, such as power transformer tanks. The steady-state sensitivity of the actuator is analyzed, which comprised a linear frequency response function of the actuator system and a steady-state line frequency spectra of the transducer force at the frequency of the input voltage and its odd harmonics. The sensitivity is first analyzed by examining the forces transmitted to a rigid base structure through the stack and two legs of the frame when the actuator is excited by a single-frequency voltage input. The magnitude of the steady-state sensitivity at the frequency of the input voltage is approximately 15 dB higher than that at the other frequencies. The force transmitted through the piezoelectric stack is approximately twice as large as that through the two frame legs and with opposite phase. Next, the properties of transmitted forces when the rigid base structure is replaced by a beam and a plate of infinite size are also investigated. The interaction between the actuator and the elastic base structure has little effect on the magnitudes of the transmitted forces except at the resonace frequency of the actuator structure. However, the induced structural response is greatly affected and should be considered when describing the excitation capacity of the actuator. This capacity could be illustrated by the power flow between the actuator and the base structure and by the spatial distribution of the structural vibration induced by the actuator.