Self-propelled two-dimensional rotary piezoelectric plate actuator

The aim of this study is to develop a self-propelled, two-dimensional rotary piezoelectric plate actuator driven by a superposition of bending modes. It is achieved by generating two opposite-direction traveling waves on a thin rectangular plate. The structure design of this rotational actuator was simple and a cost-effective. The structure was composed of a 50mm*41mm*0.5mm stainless steel plate and two 50mm*20mm*0.2mm piezoelectric PZTs sheets attached to its surface. The boundary conditions were simply supported in the x-direction and free ends in the y-direction. To generate traveling waves in opposite directions in the x and y directions, mode 12, mode 21, and mode 22 bending modes were chosen using a multi-integer frequency, two-mode driving method (MIF-TM). An analytical solution was derived to optimize the driving efficiency. The Hilbert transform is also applied to identify the optimal driving parameters. It is demonstrated that traveling waves in opposite directions can be generated. Mathematical modeling and experimental studies are both detailed in this paper.