The present paper summarizes recent results on the study and design of a cellular piezoelectric actuator. A simple analytical model for the static and dynamic behavior of honeycomb-based amplified actuators is presented. Validation of the model is performed with experimental measurements and finite element calculations on off-the-shelf actuators. A parametric study illustrates the effect of the geometric parameters on the optimal mechanical power and corresponding absorbed electrical power. The analytical model is then used to find optimal actuator configurations for a flapping wing entomopter for which we seek to minimize (1) the mass and (2) the absorbed electrical energy, and maximize (3) the generated mechanical power. A multi-objective approach helps select a posteriori the most appropriate configuration for the micro air vehicle as well as compare the proposed active cellular structure to the more commonly used piezoelectric unimorph actuator.

Date Published: 27 April 2011
PDF: 16 pages
Proc. SPIE 7977, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2011, 79771U (27 April 2011); doi: 10.1117/12.877073

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7977:
Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2011
Mehrdad N. Ghasemi-Nejhad, Editor(s)