A high-power traveling wave ultrasonic motor

In the present work, a traveling wave ultrasonic motor (TWUSM) is proposed. It is composed of an annular-shaped stator and two cone-shaped rotors that are pressed in contact to the borders of the inner surface of the stator. A rotating traveling wave has been generated in the stator by using as vibration generators two bolted Langevin transducers (BLT) opportunely shifted in space and in time. The vibrational behavior of the stator as well as the traveling wave generation has been simulated with the finite-element method (FEM) software. A prototype of the motor has been manufactured and experimentally characterized. It exhibits a static torque of about 0.8 N x m and a maximum angular speed of about 300 rpm. Possible variations of the present design aimed to increase output torque or minimize encumbrance are described and discussed.