Low-voltage driving linear piezoelectric motors having textured sliders of surface multi-connected vesicle-like microarray

Abstract

Friction behavior and serious wear of the stator/slider pair are critical to restrict the development and commercialization of standing-wave linear ultrasonic motors. Owing to the effective friction regulation of laser surface microtextures, a multi-connected vesicle-like microarray consisting of the micropits and microgrooves was prepared on the slider surface. Finite element analysis at the microscale showed the proposed micro-textures were prone to cause the stator tip to sink, resulting in an increase of horizontal impact effect of ultrasonic vibration and the alternately regulating of static-dynamic friction boundary, which enhances the tangential force and improves the driving effect. The experimental results approved that the composite microtextures combining the pits of 100 μm and the grooves of 50 μm are positive for friction drive and output performance enhancement. Specifically, the output power of the low-voltage driving linear piezoelectric motor with the complex texturing array is 66% higher than that of non-textured ones. This study provides a reliable approach to enhancing the friction-driving performance and operation stability of piezoelectric motors or actuators.