Power Consumption of Piezo-Composite Actuator at Resonance Frequency

Abstract

This paper addresses the power consumption of the LIPCA (LIghtweight Piezo-Composite Actuator) device system when electric input was applied at its resonance frequency. The LIPCA device system is composed of a piezoelectric ceramic layer and fiber reinforced lightweight composite layers. Typically, a PZT ceramic layer is sandwiched by a top fiber layer with low CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) and base layers with high CTE. The advantages of the LIPCA design are weight reduction by using the lightweight fiber reinforced plastic layers without compromising the generation of high force and large displacement, and design flexibility by selecting the fiber direction and the size of prepreg layers. An experimental set-up was specially designed to measure the power consumption of the LIPCA. By measuring the capacitance of the PZT ceramic wafer during the test, the electric power that consumed can be determined. Experimental results revealed a significant increase in capacitance of the PZT ceramic wafer with an increase in the frequency of applied voltage around the natural frequency of the actuator.