A Novel Bionic Piezoelectric Actuator Based on the Walrus Motion

A novel bionic piezoelectric actuator based on the walrus motion to achieve high performance on large working stroke for micro/nano positioning systems is first proposed in this study. The structure of the proposed walrus type piezoelectric actuator is described, and its motion principle is presented in details. An experimental system is set up to verify its feasibility and explore its working performances. Experimental results indicate that the proposed walrus type piezoelectric actuator could realize large working stroke with only one driving unit and one coupled clamping unit; the maximum stepping displacement is ΔLmax = 19.5 μm in the case that the frequency f = 1 Hz and the voltage U = 120 V; the maximum speed Vmax = 2275.2 μm · s−1 when the frequency f = 900 Hz and the voltage U = 120 V; the maximum vertical load mmax = 350 g while the voltage U = 120 V and the frequency f = 1 Hz. This study shows the feasibility of mimicking the bionic motion of the real walrus animal to the design of piezoelectric actuators, which is hopeful for the real application of micro/nano positioning systems to achieve large working stroke and high performance.