Fatigue Resistant Miniature Piezoceramic Actuators

Published

May 17, 2006

Author(s)

Stephanie A. Hooker, Jens Mueller, Clayton Kostelecky, K. Womer

Abstract

Piezoelectric ceramics are desirable actuator materials for many biomedical applications due to their ability to generate precise, controlled motion with applied voltage. Herein, we report the fabrication of miniature piezoceramic actuators and their subsequent performance testing under high electric fields. Actuators were produced by tape casting sub-micrometer lead zirconate titanate (PZT) powder, followed by electroding, laminating, and dicing to form multilayer devices. The resulting devices were comprised of ten active (PZT) layers, each of which was approximately 50 ¿¿m thick. To evaluate the effect of microstructure on performance, the components were heated to temperatures ranging from 1175-1325 ¿XC and held at temperature for 24 minutes. Fatigue resistance was determined by monitoring changes in polarization during continuous cyclic operation. Actuators sintered at lower temperatures possessed smaller grains and exhibited improved fatigue resistance. In these specimens, polarization decreased by less than 15 % compared to more than 50 % for devices processed at higher temperatures. These results indicate that sintering control can be effectively used to minimize performance degradation, improve reliability, and promote long-term stability.

Citation

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing

Volume

18

Issue

2

Pub Type

Journals

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DOI Link

Keywords

actuator material, biomedical applications, piezoelectric ceramics

Citation

Hooker, S. , Mueller, J. , Kostelecky, C. and Womer, K. (2006), Fatigue Resistant Miniature Piezoceramic Actuators, Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, [online], https://doi.org/10.1177/1045389X06063460 (Accessed May 6, 2026)

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