Abstract. The paper presents a procedure and the integrated tools for the aeroelastic analysis of an Active Twist helicopter Rotor (ATR). The active twisting of rotor blades is carried out by induced-strain actuators distributed into the structure of the blade. Active bre composites (AFC), made of piezoelectric bres actuated by interdigitated electrodes (IDE), are used to obtain anisotropic ind...

The paper presents a procedure and the integrated tools for the aeroelastic analysis of an Active Twist helicopter Rotor (ATR). The active twisting of rotor blades is carried out by induced-strain actuators distributed into the structure of the blade. Active bre composites (AFC), made of piezoelectric bres actuated by interdigitated electrodes (IDE), are used to obtain anisotropic induced-strai...

The mechanisms for micromechanical actuation that are most practical, and have been the most applied, are electrostatic attraction and piezoelectric effect. Both scale well into mirro-dimensions, are relatively compatible with microfabrication processes, and are also suitable for displacement sensing. Of the two, piezoelectric devices are much better able to provide strong forces, and while ele...

The scientific equipment being used on-board satellites sometimes requires a high degree of pointing accuracy and a minimum level of disturbances i.e. vibrations. To this end, actively controlled structures are employed and one of the best methods of achieving this degree of control with the minimum of impact on the structure itself is to employ piezoelectric patches as sensors/actuators. In th...

Flapping-wing robotic insects are small, highly maneuverable flying robots inspired by biologicalinsects and useful for a wide range of tasks, including exploration, environmental monitoring, searchand rescue, and surveillance. Recently, robotic insects driven by piezoelectric actuators have achievedthe important goal of taking off with external power; however, fully autonomous operation requir...

Shape memory alloy (SMA) thin films formed by sputter deposition have attracted considerable attention in the last decade. Current intensive research demonstrated that thin films' unique fine microstructure is responsible for superior shape memory characteristics in films, compared to that of bulk materials. Simultaneously, much effort has been taken in the development and fabrication of microd...

This paper deals with the vibration analysis of an asymmetric composite beam composed of glass a piezoelectric material. The Bernoulli’s beam theory is adopted for mechanical deformations, and the electric potential field of the piezoelectric material is assumed such that the divergence-free requirement of the electrical displacements is satisfied. The accuracy of the analytic model is assessed...

Since the beginning of the 1990s hysteresis operators have been employed on a larger scale for the linearisation of hysteretic transducers. One reason for this is the increasing number of mechatronic applications which use solid-state actuators based on magnetostrictive or piezoelectric material or shape memory alloys. All of these actuator types show strong hysteretic effects. In addition to h...

The control system of an optical cavity is described. Usage of the piezoelectric actuators and position sensitive photodetectors in this system allows us to reach a resolution at a submicroradian level and to suppress mirror vibrations below 50 Hz.

A novel model is described for predicting the static behavior of a piezoelectric cantilever actuator with an arbitrary configuration of elastic and piezoelectric layers. The model is compared to deflection measurements obtained from 500m-long ZnO cantilever actuators fabricated by surface micromachining. Modeled and experimental results demonstrate the utility of the model for optimizing device...