Development of a piezoelectric actuator based on stick–slip principle inspired by the predation of snake

A new piezoelectric actuator based on the stick-slip working principle inspired by the predation of the snake is proposed and developed in this work. A lead zirconate titanate (PZT) stack is used and inserted into the stator with an asymmetric configuration. Then, the elongation of the PZT stack can be transmitted into the vertical and horizontal displacements on the driving foot. They are used to press and drive the slider, respectively. In this design, the motion of the actuator imitates the predation process of the snake. The principle of the proposed actuator is clarified in detail. The statics characteristics are conducted by using the FEM method. The dynamics model of the actuator was established to show the motion behavior of the slider in theory. Finally, the output characteristics of the developed piezoelectric actuator are tested. The results stated that this actuator obtained the maximum output speed of 11.44 mm/s under a voltage of 100 V and a frequency of 600 Hz. The output force of the developed actuator was 2.8N under the preload force of 3N. In conclusion, the feasibility of the proposed piezoelectric stick-slip type actuator inspired by the predation of the snake is verified.