A multilayered-cylindrical piezoelectric shear actuator operating in shear (<italic>d15</italic>) mode.

In this work, a multilayered-cylindrical piezoelectric shear actuator (MCPSA) operating in the <italic>d₁₅</italic> shear mode was presented for precision actuation under a large mechanical load. The actuator was made of Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT-51) piezoelectric ceramic rings, which were concentrically assembled together in electrically parallel connection with alternately positive and negative polarizations along the axial direction. Experimental results show that the acquired displacement amplitude at the center of the actuator along the axial direction is around 6.5 <italic>μ</italic>m under the 1 Hz applied voltage of 400 V_pp/mm, and it stayed stably under a mechanical load up to 18 N, which is 7 times larger than that of the previously reported <italic>d₁₅</italic> shear actuator. The proposed actuator also shows good displacement linearity with a high resolution of 0.1 <italic>μ</italic>m in responding to a step voltage, indicating its great potential for precision actuation under a large mechanical load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]