Semipassive and semiactive vibration control using new amplified piezoelectric actuators

In space and automotive applications, the use of piezoelectric actuators is limited because of the high voltages the actuators usually require (over one thousand volts) and the low displacement levels they can achieve (about ten micrometers). We designed a series of Amplified Piezoelectric Actuators (APAs) that overcome these two drawbacks. These APAs operate with an input voltage less than 200 V because they employ a multilayer technology, and they offer displacement levels ten times greater than Direct Piezoelectric Actuators (DPAs), their direct-actuation counterparts.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.