Development of a Novel Piezoelectric Actuator Based on Stick–Slip Principle by Using Asymmetric Constraint

In this work, a novel piezoelectric actuator based on the stick–slip principle is proposed. The actuator is constrained by an asymmetric constraint approach; the driving foot produces lateral and longitudinal coupling displacements when the piezo stack is extended. The lateral displacement is used to drive the slider and the longitudinal displacement is used to compress the slider. The stator part of the proposed actuator is illustrated and designed by simulation. The operating principle of the proposed actuator is described in detail. The feasibility of the proposed actuator is verified by theoretical analysis and finite element simulation. A prototype is fabricated and some experiments are carried out to study the proposed actuator’s performance. The experimental results show that the maximum output speed of the actuator is 3680 μm/s when the locking force is 1 N under the voltage of 100 V and frequency of 780 Hz. The maximum output force is 3.1 N when the locking force is 3 N. The displacement resolution of the prototype is measured as 60 nm under the voltage of 15.8 V, frequency of 780 Hz and locking force of 1 N.