PZT Ceramic Fiber Process for High Performance Actuators

Piezoelectric ceramics in sensors have achieved substantial market penetration. These parts are used widely for heat and climate control, hydrophones, flow sensors, medical and industrial sensing and accelerometers but they have been unsuccessful in gaining significant use in actuators. It generally is felt that material restrictions, precluding development of actuator-sized displacement strokes, present the greatest barriers to market penetration by traditional piezoelectric ceramics. Basic changes in electrorestrictive materials are difficult and expensive and increased market acceptance depends upon replacing material-limited piezoelectric components with form dependent ones. ACI postulates that fibrous lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric materials, molded under compression between two fiberglass layers, will generate length changes greater than the <20 microns (m)/inch typical of most piezoelectric ceramic materials. Advanced Cerametrics, Inc. (ACI) has developed a ceramic fiber production method to make continuous, fine, flexible multi-filament PZT filaments formable into complex shapes with conventional textile processes and has formed a team to exploit composite development. ACI currently is developing PZT fiber technology for sensors (hydrophones, transducers, etc.) under ONR STTR Contract N00014-95-C-0426. The proposed work is an extension of current efforts and will be conducted jointly by ACI with several university and corporate partners.