Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/39711

Title

Design, modelling and fabrication of piezoelectric actuators

Author(s)

Fu, Yao;  Harvey, Erol C.;  Ghantasala, Muralidhar K.;  Spinks, Geoff M.

Abstract

The advent of microelectromechanical systems in the last decade has produced rapid progress in the efforts of miniaturising sensors and actuators. However, the availability of the materials with required characteristics has been one of the major limitations in accelerating these efforts. Piezoelectric polymers are a class of materials with great potential and promise for these applications. Because of their ideally suitable characteristics such as lightweight, flexibility and reasonably good force/displacement, they make good candidates for actuators. In this paper, the design and fabrication of a Unimorph cantilever actuator using piezoelectric polymer with an electroplated layer of a nickel alloy has been described. The simulation and modelling of the cantilever is used to optimise the design parameters and materials. Further, the test results have also been presented with a brief analysis.

Publication type

Conference paper

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Industrial Research Institute Swinburne

Source

Profiles in Industrial Research: Knowledge and Innovation 2002, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, 15-19 July 2002, pp. 211-217

Publication year

2002

Keyword(s)

Cantilever beams;  Piezoelectric polymers;  Polyvinylidene fluoride;  PVDF

Publisher

Industrial Research Institute Swinburne, Swinburne University of Technology

Publisher URL

http://www.swinburne.edu.au/feis/iris/publications.html

Additional information

The authors wish to express their gratitude to CRC MicroTechnology, who provided funding for this research, and thank all their colleagues in the microtechnology research group at IRIS for their great help and cooperation.