A longitudinal & longitudinal-torsional vibration actuator for rotary-percussive ultrasonic planetary drills

Abstract

Ultrasonic drills, which can sample rocks using a lower weight on bit and lower power, are more suitable for sampling on a minor planet than conventional drills. To remove cutting chips and improve drilling efficiency, rotary-percussive ultrasonic drills (RPUD) drive drill tools for rotary-percussive motion. This paper proposes a novel longitudinal & longitudinal-torsional (L-LT) actuator, which is composed of a stepped horn, a piezoelectric stack, and a longitudinal-torsional (LT) coupler, for the RPUD. The horn magnifies the longitudinal vibration on the front surface of the piezoelectric stack, which is clamped between the horn and the LT coupler, and impacts the drill tool. The LT coupler transforms the longitudinal vibration on the back surface into longitudinal-torsional vibration, which generates elliptical movements that drive the rotor to rotate. Then, the rotor drives the drill tool to rotate. A method of adjusting the displacement amplitudes of the horn and the driving tips is discussed. The prototype achieved a maximum speed and torque of 193 r/min and 0.065 N·m, respectively. The maximum drilling speed through sandstone under a weight on bit of 5 N was 13 mm/min.