Self-Sensing Piezoelectric Actuator

A self-sensing piezoelectric actuator is proposed. The device has the potential to be extremely useful, versatile, and widely-applicable. The research involves developing a self-tuning, self-sensing actuator which automatically adapts to changing electrical characteristics (capacitance) of the piezoelectric element and provides a high-quality measurement of either strain, stress, or a combination of both as selected by the user. Several approaches will be considered, with the intent of developing a low-cost analog implementation. The main objective of this Phase I is to demonstrate the feasibility of an adaptive self-sensing piezoelectric actuator under a wide range of possible inputs and for a realistic, nonlinear and lossy piezoelectric material. Phase I will focus on the analysis and simulation required to obtain a design suitable for further development and testing, but will also include some preliminary hardware experimentation. During Phase II a full-scale prototype will be designed, fabricated, and tested. Phase I will establish the feasibility of a Self-Sensing Piezoelectirc Actuator. An inexpensive and effective self-sensing circuit represents significant value added to almost any piezoelectric device. Any actuator becomes its own collocated sensor, with a number of beneficial implications for applications such as structural vibration control and micro-positioning.