Piezoelectric actuators have attractive operating properties because they do not generate electromagnetic fields and are not affected by them, and their power output characteristics scale linearly with decreasing size. These actuators have not seen widespread industrial use, however, because they have shown a limited power output. This work presents the initial efforts to increase the available power output of the Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Motor (PUSM). Commercially available PUSMs are limited by the small friction forces generated at the rotor/stator interface. Small friction is generated because current PUMs use rubber or polyimides on the rotor to create as the contact with the stator. Traditionally, PUSM contact material has consisted of rubber or reinforced polyimides. The authors intend to replace the traditional contact layer with a compliant super-elastic Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) thin film shape memory alloy (SMA) layer to increase the available power output by increasing the friction forces at the rotor/stator interface, without significantly increasing the size or weight of the actuator. The unmodified motors were baselined tested, modified, tested and the results compared. Recommendations are made with regard to the results of the modified baseline testing and possible implementation of micromachined ‘teeth’ configurations.
Power Output Characteristics of Transparent a-Si BiPV Window Module
