Stick-slip in stepping piezoelectric Inertia Drive Motors – Mechanism impact on a rubbing contact

Tribology is not only science of contacts and friction. Tribologist must also take into account the mechanism dimension of rubbing contacts: vibrations propagations, damping and friction–vibration coupling. This is especially true for piezoelectric Inertia Drive Motors. IDM use the stick-slip phenomenon to make micrometric steps along a centimetric stroke. Actuation frequency – kHz – generates parasitic vibrations coupled with the overall system. This investigation aims to understand how these vibrations are created, propagate and interact. Through three experiments on a real IDM, two ways are studied: vibration damping and actuation signal modification. Better understanding of the mechanism impact leads to an energetic balance increase of 25.5%.