Investigation of oscillations of piezoelectric actuators with multi-directional polarization

Oscillations of two beam type piezoelectric actuators with non-homogeneous polarization are investigated. 3DOF oscillations of the contact point are excited applying harmonic signal on the electrodes of the actuators. Elliptical motion of the contact point is generated in the three perpendicular planes independently. Investigated actuators can move or rotate slider in three different directions. Superposition of flexural resonant oscillations in two perpendicular directions and longitudinal resonant oscillation of the beam is employed to obtain elliptical motion of the contact point. Performed investigation demonstrates that the piezoelectric actuators with non-homogeneous polarization provide an effective solution for generation a multi-DOF motion of the contact point. Both proposed actuators have specific topology of the electrodes that allows to control contact point trajectory by means of particular excitation regimes. The paper presents results of numerical modeling as well as experimental study obtained in the course of testing of the fabricated prototypes of the actuators.