Piezoelectric Actuator Designs

Abstract

Piezoelectric actuators are getting immiscible parts of many important electromechanical and smart systems. Smart systems consist mainly of sensors, actuators, and signal processing units. Actuators are the responding units of many smart systems including those for active vibration and noise control, valve, shutter, focal lens, and many others. Increased demand for actuators with high displacement, high generative force, and quick response time has led to a search for new actuator materials and new designs. In this chapter, first, piezoelectric actuators were compared with magnetically active and thermally active actuators. Second, piezoelectric actuators and their design, especially traditional piezoelectric transducers with newly designed flextensional transducers were compared. Finally, application-related issues have been reviewed. © 2008 Springer-Verlag US.