BIMORPH TYPE ACTUATORS USING LEAD ZINC NIOBATE-BASED CERAMICS

The authors examined the properties of actuators on several kinds of lead zinc niobate-based (PBZM) ceramics. Bimorph type actuators were manufactured from four kinds of PBZM family ceramics, and these ceramics were investigated regarding the properties relevant to actuators, i.e., hysteresis, creep, temperature coefficient, and so on. As a result, it has been found for the PBZM family ceramics that the relative dielectric constant influences the electrostrictive constant, but hardly influences hysteresis, creep, nor the temperature coefficient near room temperature. Therefore, an ideal actuator which has small hysteresis, small creep, and a large electrostrictive constant can be obtained. The actuator which had the best property as an actuator in this examination had about 2%-hysteresis and creep, with a minus 1%-temperature coefficient near room temperature.