A stepping piezoelectric actuator is proposed with large stroke and high speed. The piezoelectric actuator consists of two symmetrical stators and a mover. The actuator can operate with a “double-drive, four-clamp” mode. The proposed actuator solves the problems of short stroke, low speed, and small load inherent in the currently published stepping piezoelectric actuators. By combining Workbench software with APDL language, finite element simulation and statics and dynamics analysis are carried out to guide the design of the actuator. The new piezoelectric simulation method can solve the difficulties regarding parameter setting and loading voltage on multiple interfaces for a complex piezoelectric model. Therefore, the novel method is helpful to develop the simulation of multilayer thin piezoelectric devices. The prototype of the actuator is developed and tested. Experimental results show that the actuator can run stably in the range of 0 to 600 Hz. The driving stroke is greater than 85 mm, the resolution can reach 535 nm, the maximum driving speed is 6.11 mm/s, and the maximum load is 49 N.
A convex-like one-dimensional holey phononic crystal (PnC) strip with multiple wide band gaps but simple construction is investigated. By dint of the unique folding topology constituted by deformable L-shaped connectors and rigid lumps, the wide band gaps can exist with a compact spatial size. Moreover, the geometrical parameters are tunable in a large range. A maximum band gap of up to 63% is achievable. These salient merits outweigh the already published counterparts, enabling the proposed PnC strip to be a more promising candidate for engineering applications. Therefore, we are convinced that such a folding strategy of unit cells provides a practicable direction for the further structural design of PnC devices.
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