A dynamics model for nonlinear electrostrictive actuators

This paper examines the nonlinear vibration of an electrostrictive ceramic rod actuator excited by a harmonic voltage source. A frequency-domain model was developed using the nonlinear constitutive law for electrostriction. The results predict harmonic distortion of the device's displacement due to the ceramic's nonlinear behavior. AC voltage signal and DC voltage bias were studied to determine the optimum power source parameters for minimizing distortion. The calculations show that the rod's resonance frequency and amplitude depend on the electromechanical coupling strength and differ greatly for large AC voltages from the equivalent linear piezoelectric results. The nonlinear analysis relates the device's electromechanical coupling coefficient to the computed resonance and antiresonance frequencies. This important result could provide the basis for future measurement of the electrostrictive coupling coefficient using resonance techniques.