A new twisting and bending coupled piezoelectric actuator using shaped electrodes

In this research, a new twisting and bending coupled piezoelectric actuator based on the spatial aperture shading technique is introduced. The shaped electrode twisting actuator consists of two layers of PZT-5H (lead zirconate titanate) and one middle layer of steel shim. The directionally shaped electrode technique is applied to achieve the both twisting and bending motions of the actuator. The comparison of an analytical model, a numerical analysis, and actual experimental results for the actuator are given. The generalized functions are used to determine the discontinuous forcing function of the actuator in the analytical model. For the numerical analysis, the actuator is modeled utilizing a multi-layered integrated finite element model. The models show good agreement with experimental research.