Analysis of the Dynamic Characteristics of a Micro-Piezoelectric Bimorph Beam Based on an Admittance Test

Abstract

A piezoelectric bimorph beam, as an upgraded cantilever beam structure, can be used to detect gas content and build a micro-actuator, among other functions. Thus, this beam is widely applied to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), transformers, and precision machinery. For example, when photoacoustic spectroscopy is performed to detect oil-soluble gas in transformers, a micro-cantilever beam can be used to detect gas content. The dynamic characteristics of piezoelectric bimorph beams, such as resonant frequency, are important indexes in the applications of these beams. The equivalent circuit model for a piezoelectric bimorph beam is examined in this study and an admittance test is performed on the beam to accurately, quickly, and economically measure and analyze its dynamic characteristics. Then, the least squares method is applied to obtain the characteristic curves of the admittance circle, amplitude frequency, and phase frequency; identify the dynamic characteristics of the piezoelectric bimorph beam (e.g., resonant frequency); and determine the parameters of the equivalent circuit. The resonant frequency of the piezoelectric bimorph beam is 207.67 Hz based on the result of the admittance circle test, which is basically consistent with the results of microscope image method (i.e., 207.85 Hz) and the theoretical calculation (i.e., 222.03 Hz). This finding proves the validity of the proposed test method. This method cannot only improve the detection speed of piezoelectric bimorph beams, but can also provide a fast detection strategy for testing the characteristics of such beams during photoacoustic spectroscopy.