Piezo-Ringactuators

Ringactuators are piezoceramic stacks with a center bore. This design allows additional features in mechanical, optical and electronic properties compared to bulk stacks.

Piezo-ringactuators are available in available in monolithic low voltage design and discretely manufactured high voltage versions. The actuators are offered with preloaded stainless steel casing ("VS"-label) as well as in "bare" versions without casing. Mechanically preloaded actuators are preferentially used when

• Tensile forces

• Shear forces (e.g. horizontally mounted actuator with additional masses on moving end)

• Acceleration forces during dynamic operation are applied to the actuator.

Electronic Supplies, Power Requirements
Piezoelectric stacks show a distinct electrical poling. The stated maximum voltage has only to be applied with the right electrical polarity. The "bare" stacks without casing are completely electrically insulated ("potential free") so both positive and negative supplies can be used by proper choosing the ground for one of the leads. For ringactuators with casing VS, the electrical polarity is fixed and is positive within the standard product range of actuators and power supplies/amplifiers. So a free combination of actuators and supplies is achieved to optimize the power requirements. Ringactuators with casing VS can be set to negative polarity on request (without additional charge).
N.B.: piezoelectric stacks expand, when the operating voltage of correct polarity is increased. A voltage with opposing polarity can be applied to some extent (approx. up to 10% of max. voltage rating). Stackactuators show then a contraction. This effect can be used to increase the total displacement range of the actuators or to generate an oscillation by a bipolar signal generator.

Electrical Capacitance: Piezoelectric actuators behave like an electrical capacitor for driving frequencies well below their resonant frequencies. The stated capacitances in the data sheet are valid for room temperature. Due to variations in materials composition, the individual capacitances may vary by +15%. The dielectric constant of the PZT materials varies with temperature and increases up to 50% for a temperature rise up to 80^oC.

Optimizing the Power Requirements

For the operation of piezoelectric actuators, electrical power (current) is only needed for a change of position or force. For highly dynamic applications, the power requirements can be rather high resulting in high efforts and costs for the supplies. Further on, the actuators warm up by dynamic operation due to dissipative processes, converting some percent of the energy input to heat. These aspects show clearly the need for power reduction/optimization techniques for dynamic operation of actuators.

Power Matching Within An Piezo-Actuated System

• Reduction of Strain - Usually, one tries to maximize strain by applying the maximum operating voltage to the actuator, to get maximum effect from an actuator with a distinct length. A short look shows, that this is preferentially a good strategy in quasistatic applications with no or low dynamics (low operating frequencies and/or stoke) and low power levels. For highly dynamic applications, the situation changes. A high strain means nothing else as a high energy content which has to be supplied by the electronics and is stored in most cases as reactive power. Then it might be reasonable to use a longer actuator with a voltage below the maximum voltage rating, leading to a reduced strain for the same stroke compared to a short stack.

A ringactuator CTC-HPSt500/15-8/15 (max. stroke 15 mm at 500 V) is used to produce a 5mm-oscillation together with a 150 V supply. This arrangement needs only 1/3 of the power compared to a CTC-HPSt500/15-8/5 actuator (stroke 5mm at 500 V) together with a 500 V supply for the same operating conditions.

Mechanical Properties
Notice: Piezoceramic material and stacks can be damaged by tensile forces.
The design of piezoactuated mechanical structures should avoid tensile stress for the actuators. Actuators should be preferentially operated under "preload conditions" (applying a permanent compressive load). Tensile forces are not only produced externally, but can be generated inside as acceleration forces due to dynamic operation (e.g. together with powerful supplies or electronic switches). Use preferentially preloaded actuators for highly dynamic applications.
Do not discharge a piezoelectric actuator by simple short-circuiting.

Thermal Properties of Piezo-Ringactuators
Operating temperature range: -40^oC thru +80^oC
Actuators for wider temperature range (e.g. cryogenic temperatures ) on request.

Mounting Instructions
Acuators without casing:
"Bare" ringactuators have to be mounted purely by the front faces and never by the circumference. Radial clamping damages the ceramic body resp. may cause improper function due to the not well defined mounting reference. Mounting of "bare" ringactuators by the front faces can be done by clamping, optionally available threaded endpieces HAg or by using adhesives like epoxies or cyanoacrylates.

Actuators with stainless steel casing
The ringactuators CTC-HPSt are offered additionally with mechanically preloaded stainless steel casings VS. Now clamping at the circumference is possible as well as by mounting by the threaded endpieces. Additional screw caps are provided for easy mounting of mechanical and optical components.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

When designing a piezoactuated system, please pay attention to the potential high voltages and currents within such an arrangement, which may cause danger to life and health, when handled improperly. Only authorized personnel should deal with high power setups. Piezoelectric actuators as well as eletrostrictive actuators are electrical capacitors, which can store electrical charge and energy for a long period. For bigger actuators, the amount of stored energy can be large. Prevent damaging peripheral electronics by erroneously connecting charged actuators.
Notice, that piezoelectric actuators can be electrically charged even by changing the mechanical load of an actuator or its temperature. Before starting any manipulation of an actuator, switch off all supplies and discharge the actuator by using a resistor.

| Piezo-Ringactuators | Low Voltage Ringactuators |
| High Voltage Ringactuators | General Options |