A novel piezoelectric 6-component heavy force/moment sensor for huge heavy-load manipulator's gripper

This paper presents the development of a piezoelectric 6-component heavy force/moment sensor which may be used to detect forces F_x, F_y and F_z, and moments M_x, M_y and M_z on huge heavy-load manipulator's gripper, simultaneously. The structure of the sensor is newly modeled. Piezoelectric quartz is chosen as force sensing element to realize real-time measurement. In order to investigate the validity of the proposed method, a prototype of piezoelectric 6-component heavy force/moment sensor is developed, and a characteristic test of the piezoelectric 6-component heavy force/moment sensor is performed. The experiments show that the linearity of the sensor is no more than 1%, and the interference errors are less than 3%. The carrying capability of force sensor is improved greatly by using load distribution.     

Design and performance evaluation of a d33-mode piezocomposite electricity generating element

Energy harvesting using smart materials and, in particular, piezoelectric material has been a very hot subject for several decades. The brittleness and low performance of PZT, which is widely used for energy harvesting applications, were considered a weakness. The concept of piezocomposite electricity generating elements (PCGEs) has been proposed for improving the electricity generation performance and alleviating brittleness of piezoceramic wafers. The residual stress in the PZT layer after curing is one of the main reasons for the PCGE’s enhanced performance and the outer epoxy-based composites protect the brittle PZT layer. We propose a d ₃₃-mode PCGE that can be used for energy harvesting in roads and bridges. The effective piezoelectric coefficient d ₃₃ ^eff of the electricity generating element was used as a measure of the electricity generating performance. We fabricated several PCGEs and conducted simple dropping tests to verify the concept of the d ₃₃-mode coefficient of the electricity generating element. Moreover, to ensure even distribution of the impact force on the PCGE, we designed and tested an effective load transfer mechanism with a steel block and a rubber pad.     

An infrared interferometer for investigating subthermonuclear plasma in the GOL-3 multimirror trap

A simple Michelson CO₂ interferometer for measuring the high-temperature plasma density within one interference fringe (n _e l = 10¹⁶ cm^?2) at two points (0.8 and 9.0 m) of the long (L = 12 m) GOL-3 corrugated trap was used. A piezoelectric element that provides displacements of the mirror in the reference arm of the interferometer is used to calibrate the interferometer and perform remote control of the initial measurement phase. The interferometer is manufactured from dielectric materials, thus excluding a mechanical action of stray magnetic fields on its elements. The time resolution of the interferometer is determined by a HgCdTe diode and equals ??1 ns. The sensitivity of the interferometer is ??5 × 10^?4 of a fringe (n _e l = 2 × 10¹³ cm^?2).     

Nonlocal electro-thermal transverse vibration of embedded fluid-conveying DWBNNTs

Electro-thermal transverse vibration of fluid-conveying double-walled boron nitride nanotubes (DWBNNTs) embedded in an elastic medium such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) which is a piezoelectric polymer is investigated. The elastic medium is simulated as a spring and van der Waals (vdW) forces between inner and outer nanotubes are also taken into account. Zigzag structure of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) is described based on the nonlocal continuum piezoelasticity cylindrical shell theory, and Hamilton??s principle is employed to derive the corresponding higher-order equations of motion. In this model, DWBNNTs are placed in uniform temperature and electric field, the latter being applied through attached electrodes at both ends. Having considered the small scale effect, aspect ratio (L/R), densities of fluid and elastic medium, four different cases of loading are assumed in this study, including: a) direct voltage and heating (DVH), b) direct voltage and cooling (DVC), c) reverse voltage and heating (RVH), and d) reverse voltage and cooling (RVC). Numerical results indicate that increasing nonlocal parameter (e ₀ a), for the four above mentioned cases, decreases the critical flow velocity of fluid. The results could be used in design of nano-electro-mechanical devices for measuring density of a fluid such as blood flowing through such nanotubes with great applications in medical fields.     

Frequency dependences of higher-order constants of piezoelectric ceramics

The properties of TBC-3 and PZT-23 piezoelectric ceramics have been studied by the method of loaded three-element complex oscillator. Changes in the higher-order (up to fifth) parameters are considered for large mechanical (0–120 MPa) and electric (0–600 kV/m) loads. Results of studying the longitudinal flexibility s ₁₁ ^E , piezoelectric modulus d ₃₁, and dielectric permittivity ε ₃₃ ^σ are presented within a frequency range of 20–200 kHz, where the frequency dispersion of dielectric as well as piezoelectric and elastic parameters is observed.     

Simulation analysis and experimental verification of spiral-tube-type valveless piezoelectric pump with gyroscopic effect

The current research of the valveless piezoelectric pump focuses on increasing the flow rate and pressure differential. Compared with the valve piezoelectric pump, the valveless one has excellent performances in simple structure, low cost, and easy miniaturization. So, their important development trend is the mitigation of their weakness, and the multi-function integration. The flow in a spiral tube element is sensitive to the element attitude caused by the Coriolis force, and that a valveless piezoelectric pump is designed by applying this phenomenon. The pump has gyroscopic effect, and has both the actuator function of fluid transfer and the sensor function, which can obtain the angular velocity when its attitude changes. First, the present paper analyzes the flow characteristics in the tube, obtains the calculation formula for the pump flow, and identifies the relationship between pump attitude and flow, which clarifies the impact of flow and driving voltage, frequency, spiral line type and element attitude, and verifies the gyroscopic effect of the pump. Then, the finite element simulation is used to verify the theory. Finally, a pump is fabricated for experimental testing of the relationship between pump attitude and pressure differential. Experimental results show that when Archimedes spiral θ=4π is selected for the tube design, and the rotation speed of the plate is 70 r/min, the pressure differential is 88.2 Pa, which is 1.5 times that of 0 r/min rotation speed. The spiral-tube-type valveless piezoelectric pump proposed can turn the element attitude into a form of pressure output, which is important for the multi-function integration of the valveless piezoelectric pump and for the development of civil gyroscope in the future.     

Optimum cut orientation of piezoelectric substrate and propagation direction of SAW for rotation rate sensor

The effect of Coriolis and centrifugal forces on the propagation characteristics of surface acoustic waves (SAW) on a rotating piezoelectric substrate can be utilized for sensing rotation rate. In this paper, the relationship between SAW phase velocity and the rotation rate of the substrate is analyzed theoretically and numerically based on the coupling wave equations on anisotropic piezoelectric substrate with rotation effect. Partial wave theory and surface effective permittivity method are employed. Using LiNbO₃ as an example, some quantitative results of SAW rotation rate sensor, including free and metalized interfaces between substrate and free space in X-cuts, Y-cuts, and Z-cuts, are obtained. Furthermore, by considering comprehensively SAW rotation rate sensitivity with SAW excitation efficiency and beam steering, the optimum cut orientation of piezoelectric substrate and propagation direction of SAW for rotation rate sensor are presented. The research findings can provide theoretical guidance and simulation basis for the experimental research on SAW rotation rate sensor.     

A gas-discharge plasma focuser

A device is proposed for the formation of a gas-discharge plasma stream with a sinusoidal distribution of the charged-particle density over the stream cross section, which is achieved by using wavy shapes of the anode and cathode surfaces that are placed coaxially relative to each other at the distance λ _e < h < 3λ _e , where λ _e is the mean free path of an electron in the gas-discharge plasma stream. The anode is a stainless steel grid with mesh dimensions of 1 × 1 mm. The aluminum cathode is 120 mm in diameter and 50-mm thick. The device provides a discharge current of up to 0.6 А at a controlled voltage at the electrodes in the range of 0.21–0.7 kV. In this case, plasma streams propagate to a distance of up to 50λ _e beyond the limits of the electrodes.     

Exact solution of a compositionally graded piezoelectric layer under uniform stretch, bending and twisting

Electromechanical responses of compositionally graded piezoelectric layers are analysed. The layers consist of polycrystalline piezoelectric ceramics poled along the thickness direction, and thus exhibit material symmetry of a hexagonal crystal in class 6mm. Two cases for layers (i) covered by surface electrodes and (ii) without surface electrodes are considered. Analytical solutions are exact in Saint Venant's sense for both cases. However, solutions are obtained for layers subjected to uniform mechanical loads, including stretch, bending and twisting. Numerical results to show the effects of different compositional gradients are presented.     

Thermal buckling behavior of laminated composite plates: a finite-element study

In this paper, the thermal buckling behavior of composite laminated plates under a uniform temperature distribution is studied. A finite element of four nodes and 32 degrees of freedom (DOF), previously developed for the bending and mechanical buckling of laminated composite plates, is extended to investigate the thermal buckling behavior of laminated composite plates. Based upon the classical plate theory, the present finite element is a combination of a linear isoparametric membrane element and a high precision rectangular Hermitian element. The numerical implementation of the present finite element allowed the comparison of the numerical obtained results with results obtained from the literature: 1) with element of the same order, 2) the first order shear deformation theory, 3) the high order shear deformation theory and 4) the three-dimensional solution. It was found that the obtained results were very close to the reference results and the proposed element offers a good convergence speed. Furthermore, a parametrical study was also conducted to investigate the effect of the anisotropy of composite materials on the critical buckling temperature of laminated plates. The study showed that: 1) the critical buckling temperature generally decreases with the increasing of the modulus ratio E _L/E _T and thermal expansion ratio α _T/α _L, and 2) the boundary conditions and the orientation angles significantly affect the critical buckling temperature of laminated plates.     

毫米级微型机器人操作手的研制和操作特性

采用单晶片型压电悬臂梁制作了一种双悬臂梁结构的微型夹持器,用作毫米级微型机器人的微操作手.该微夹持器整体尺寸为15mm×2mm×2mm,重量为100mg.在分析该悬臂梁操作原理的基础上,选用PbNi_1/3Nb_2/3-PbZrO₃-PbTiO₃三元系压电陶瓷准同型相界的配方作为悬臂梁压电驱动材料,这种压电陶瓷具有高压电常数 (d₃₁) 和机电耦合系数 (K_p).进一步研究了压电微夹持器的操作特性.结果表明:50V电场下,其最大张口距离可以达到40μm,最大夹持力为25.7×10^-3N.     

A study of die helical thread cavity surface finish made by Cu-W electrodes with planetary EDM

An experimental research study intended for the application of a planetary electrical discharge machining (EDM) process with copper-tungsten (Cu-W) electrodes in the surface micro-finishing of die helical thread cavities made with AISI H13 tool steel full-hardened at 53 HRC is presented. To establish the EDM parameters’ effect on various surface finishing aspects and metallurgical transformations, three tool electrode Cu-W compositions are selected, and operating parameters such as the open-circuit voltage (U ₀), the discharge voltage (u _e), the peak discharge current (î _e), the pulse-on duration (t _i), the duty factor (τ) and the dielectric flushing pressure (p _in), are correlated. The researched machining characteristics are the material removal rate (MRR—V _w), the relative tool wear ratio (TWR—?), the workpiece surface roughness (SR—Ra), the average white layer thickness (WLT—e _wl) and the heat-affected zone (HAZ—Z _ha). An empirical relation between the surface roughness (SR—Ra) and the energy per discharge (W _e) has been determined. It is analysed that copper-tungsten electrodes with negative polarity are appropriate for planetary EDM die steel surface micro-finishing, allowing the attaining of good geometry accuracy and sharp details. For die steel precision EDM, the relative wear ratio optimum condition and minor surface roughness takes place at a gap voltage of 280 V, discharge current of 0.5–1.0 A, pulse-on duration of 0.8 μs, duty factor of 50%, dielectric flushing pressure of 40 kPa and copper tungsten (Cu20W80) as the tool electrode material with negative polarity. The copper-tungsten electrode’s low material removal rate and low tool-wear ratio allows the machining of EDM cavity surfaces with an accurate geometry and a “mirror-like” surface micro-finishing. A planetary EDM application to manufacture helical thread cavities in steel dies for polymer injection is presented. Conclusions are appointed for the planetary EDM of helical thread cavities with Cu-W electrodes validating the accomplishment as a novel technique for manufacturing processes.     

Finite element analysis of stress concentrations and failure criteria in composite plates with circular holes

In this study, the stress concentration factors (SCF) in cross-and-angle-ply laminated composite plates as well as in isotropic plates with single circular holes subjected to uniaxial loading is studied. A quadrilateral finite element of four-node with 32 degrees of freedom at each node, previously developed for the bending and mechanical buckling of laminated composite plates, is used to evaluate the stress distribution in laminated composite plates with central circular holes. Based up on the classical plate theory, the present finite element is a combination of a linear isoparametric membrane element and a high precision rectangular Hermitian element. The numerical results obtained by the present element compare favorably with those obtained by the analytic approaches published in literature. It is observed that the obtained results are very close to the reference results, which demonstrates the accuracy of the present element. Additionally, to determine the first ply failure (FPF) of laminated plate, several failure criterions are employed. Finally, to show the effect of E ₁/E ₂ ratio on the failure of plates, a number of figures are given for different fiber orientation angles.     

Basic regularities of the behavior of DGS diagrams in the near-field and transition zones of a transceiver

Studies are considered in which calculations of DGS diagrams of an ultrasonic transceiver are proposed. It is shown that the assumptions adopted in these calculations may lead to an unpredictably large error in the near-field and transition zones of the transceiver. New parameters that characterize the behavior of DGS diagrams in the near-field and transition zones (r < 4r _b) are proposed. The dependences of these parameters on the size of a flat-bottom reflector and on the distance between it and the transceiver’s piezoelectric plate are constructed.     

PMN-PZT多层厚膜微致动器的制作与分析

研制了一种用于计算机磁头精确定位的"U"形压电微致动器。该致动器由流延法在不锈钢(SUS304)基体上制备镁铌酸铅一锆钛酸铅(PMN-PZT)多层膜,并由丝网印刷工艺制作Ag／Pd内电极。在此基础上,在多普勒干涉仪(LDV)上对封装了压电元件的"U"形微致动器进行了测试。结果表明,该致动器具有优异的位移／电压灵敏度、谐振频率等特点。此外,有限元仿真进一步验证了多层结构的压电元件可以有效地提高压电微致动器的驱动能力。     

Optimization of micro-EDM drilling of inconel 718 superalloy

In this study, the gray relational analysis method was used to optimize the micro-electrical discharge machining (EDM) drilling process of Inconel 718 nickel-based superalloy with multiperformance characteristics. In order to determine the best factor level conditions, a full factorial experimentation was performed based on the micro-EDM parameters of discharge current and pulse duration. The hole taper ratio (H _t) and hole dilation (H _d) were the measured performances. By analyzing the used optimization results, it was observed that the pulse current was more efficient on performance characteristics than pulse duration. The characteristics of drilled surfaces and tool electrodes were also investigated by using optical and scanning electron microscopy. A linear regression model was developed to estimate the performances. The measured and model results were in a good agreement with correlation coefficients of R ²?=?0.897 and R ²?=?0.929 for H _t and H _d, respectively. It is concluded that the EDMed hole quality can be improved effectively through this approach.     

Investigation of the overall friction coefficient in single-pass scratch test

Single-pass scratch test on bilinear elastic–plastic materials with a conical indenter was simulated using a three-dimensional finite element model. The influence of the interfacial friction coefficient μ_s and the apical angle α of the indenter on the induced maximum tangential force F_T, normal force F_N, and the overall friction coefficient μ=F_T/F_N, were systematically studied. It was found that the induced tangential force is greater than the normal force when the apex is small and vice versa when the apex is large. The tangential force increases with μ_s, but the normal force decreases with μ_s. The overall friction coefficient μ was found to increase linearly with μ_s and tangent of the attack angle of the indenter. The relationship between the adhesion frictional component (μ_a), the plowing frictional component (μ_p), and the interfacial friction coefficient μ_s was analyzed. An analytical model for the overall friction coefficient μ was also developed based on the interaction between the indenter and the specimen and compared to the numerical results. The model was found to yield a good agreement with the finite element simulation results.     

Improving the accuracy of Laplacian estimation with novel multipolar concentric ring electrodes

Conventional electroencephalography with disc electrodes has major drawbacks including poor spatial resolution, selectivity and low signal-to-noise ratio that are critically limiting its use. Concentric ring electrodes, consisting of several elements including the central disc and a number of concentric rings, are a promising alternative with potential to improve all of the aforementioned aspects significantly. In our previous work, the tripolar concentric ring electrode was successfully used in a wide range of applications demonstrating its superiority to conventional disc electrode, in particular, in accuracy of Laplacian estimation. This paper takes the next step toward further improving the Laplacian estimation with novel multipolar concentric ring electrodes by completing and validating a general approach to estimation of the Laplacian for an (n + 1)-polar electrode with n rings using the (4n + 1)-point method for n ⩾ 2 that allows cancellation of all the truncation terms up to the order of 2n. An explicit formula based on inversion of a square Vandermonde matrix is derived to make computation of multipolar Laplacian more efficient. To confirm the analytic result of the accuracy of Laplacian estimate increasing with the increase of n and to assess the significance of this gain in accuracy for practical applications finite element method model analysis has been performed. Multipolar concentric ring electrode configurations with n ranging from 1 ring (bipolar electrode configuration) to 6 rings (septapolar electrode configuration) were directly compared and obtained results suggest the significance of the increase in Laplacian accuracy caused by increase of n.     

An experimental work on using conductive powder-filled polymer composite cast material as tool electrode in EDM

This paper introduces the composite tool electrodes made of electrical conductive powder-filled polyester resin matrix material, providing promise for the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process. The dendrite-shaped copper powder, graphite powder, and their mixture were used as conductive fillers. Six different types of composite electrodes, namely, plain copper-polyester, pressed copper-polyester, furnaced copper-polyester, plain copper-graphite-polyester, pressed copper-graphite-polyester, and furnaced copper-graphite-polyester were prepared. It is found experimentally that increasing v _f improved workpiece material removal rate, tool wear rate, relative wear, and electrical conductivity of electrodes. The pressed copper-polyester electrodes were found to be promising in the ED finishing of workpieces at low machining current settings. The practical applicability of the proposed composite electrodes in the industry was also illustrated.     

Thermally induced vibration control of cylindrical shell using piezoelectric sensor and actuator

Shell type components and structures are very common in many mechanical and structural systems. Modeling and analysis of adaptive piezothermoelastic shell laminates represent a high level of sophistication and complexity. In this paper a finite element model is developed for the active control of thermally induced vibration of laminated composite shells with piezoelectric sensors and actuators. The present model takes into account the mass, stiffness and thermal expansion of the piezoelectric patches. A C_o continuous nine-node degenerated shell element is implemented to model the structure. The piezoelectric sensing layer senses the structural vibration and a suitable voltage applied in the piezoelectric actuator layer suppresses the oscillation. Actuator and sensor are coupled together with a control algorithm so as to actively control the dynamic response of the structure in a close loop. Numerical results are generated for a cylindrical shell and it is observed that thermally induced vibration of a laminated cylindrical shell can be suppressed through the application of piezoelectric sensor and actuator. Effects of variation in control gain and piezoelectric layer area coverage (PAC) have been studied. Higher control gain is more effective in damping out the vibration. Although the damping is enhanced by increase in PAC, increase beyond a certain level may not be useful in view of smaller efficacy and increased weight.