ABSTRACT
There are three general methods for actuator drive/control that are most commonly employed: DC drive, pulse drive, and AC drive. The dynamical drive of a piezoelectric device is a primary focus in this chapter, relating with the finite element method calculation in terms of the modal analysis and frequency dependence of a piezo component. The drive/control techniques presented in this chapter are discussed in terms of this classification scheme. It is important to note that the electromechanical coupling factor can also be expressed in the general form: which better reflects how the value of k will depend on the mode of vibration and the anisotropic dielectric and elastic properties of the material. In addition to electro- and magnetorheological fluids, piezoelectric materials can also be used in mechanical damping devices. Making use of a suitable series resistance to transform the electrical energy into heat, transforming efficiency as high as 50% can be achieved with the piezoelectric damper.
