Development of PZT materials, fabrication

and characterization of multi layered

actuators for aerospace applications
Cite as: AIP Conference Proceedings 1461, 144 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4736880
Published Online: 23 July 2012

P. K. Panda

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AIP Conference Proceedings 1461, 144 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4736880 1461, 144

© 2012 American Institute of Physics.

Development of PZT Materials, Fabrication and
Characterization of Multi Layered Actuators for
Aerospace Applications

P.K.Panda

Materials Science Division, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Kodihalli, P.B.No.1779,

Bangalore-560017
E-mail: pkpanda@nal.res.in

Abstract. Piezo Electric Materials capable of performing both “sensing” and “actuation” are known as
smart materials. These materials produce electric charges on application of mechanical stress (as
sensor) or undergo dimensional change when subjected to an electric field (as actuator). PZTs are
preferred because of their (i) fast response time, (ii) high frequency response, (iii) precession control
etc. Piezo sensors and actuators are used for various applications e.g. for vibration control of aerospace
structures, development of smart aeroplane wings / morphing structures, precision flow control of
propellants in space vehicles, fuel flow control in automobile engines, energy harvesting etc. At NAL,
efforts are being made to prepare PZT materials, multi-layered actuators are currently fabricated and
characterized for aerospace applications.

Keywords: Lead Zirconate Titanate, Multilayered stack, Amplified actuator

PACS:

INTRODUCTION

Piezoelectricity (pressure electricity) was discovered by Nobel laureates Pierre and

Jacques Curie in 1880 [1] while studying the effects of pressure on the generation of
electrical charges by some natural crystals such as Quartz, Tourmaline, Rochelle salt
etc. The discovery of Barium Titanate (BaTiO3) and Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) as
synthetic piezo materials with high piezo properties considered as a major
breakthrough in the 1950s, during Second World War [2-3]. Lead Zirconate Titanate
(PZT) is a well-known piezo material that produces electric charges on application of
mechanical stress (as sensor) or undergoes dimensional change when subjected to an
electric field (as actuator)[4-5]. Multi-layered PZT actuators find applications in
vibration control of aero-structures, fluid flow control, as sonar transducers, as fuel
injector system etc.

In this paper, preparation of PZT powders, fabrication of PZT actuators and their
characterization have been briefly presented.

Functional Materials
AIP Conf. Proc. 1461, 144-150 (2012); doi: 10.1063/1.4736880
© 2012 American Institute of Physics 978-0-7354-1065-7/$30.00

144
 EXPERIMENTAL

Development of Piezo Materials

PZT materials are generally prepared “mixed oxide” route [6-7]. However, to improve
the homogeneity, wet-chemical route was followed [8]. The process consists of
preparation of various constituents of PZT as nitrate solutions, mixing the
stoichiometric quantity of the solutions and precipitating in hydroxide form at higher
pH (8-9) using ammonia solution. The hydroxide precipitates were calcined at
850°C/4h to develop PZT phase. A process flow sheet for the preparation of PZT
powders and the particle size distribution of powders were presented in Fig.1 and
Fig.2 respectively. Initially, PZT powders are prepared in lab scale (~100g/batch) and
then up-scaled to (10kg/batch). The piezo properties of the developed powders are
presented in Table 1.

Lead Precursor Zirconium precursor Titanium precursor Dopant Solution

Solution Solution dispersion

Co-precipitation (pH=8-9)

Processing & Calcination

(750-900°C/4h)

Deagglomeration

Powder characterization

Sintering (1050-1250°C/ 2hrs)

Poling & Evaluation

of piezoproperties

FIGURE 1. Process flow sheet for the preparation of PZT powders

145
 100 100

80 80

Mass Finer (%)

60 60
(d50= 0.7 micron)
40 40

20 20

0 0
0.1 1 10
Particle diameter (micrometer)
FIGURE 2. Typical particle size distribution of in house prepared PZT powder

TABLE 1. Piezo-properties of in-house prepared PZT samples.

PROPERTIES NAL-5H
Density (gm/cc) 7.6-7.7
Piezoelectric charge constant,d33 (pC/N) 590-610
Relative dielectric constant (K) 1700-1790
Dissipation Factor (tanδ) 0.025-0.035
Particle size (median diameter, d50) ȝm 0.6-1.2

Fabrication of Multilayered Stacked Actuators

Multi-layered PZT actuators were fabricated using an integrated fabrication

facility consisting of tape casting unit, screen printer, laminator etc. Multilayered
stacks, actuators / sensors of about 150 layers each of 80-100 μm thick are currently
fabricated [9]. The process flow sheet for fabrication of ML stack by tape casting
technique is presented in Fig.3. The simple actuators meet the requirements of the
displacement (10-12 μm) and block force up to 1600 N for various aerospace
applications. Different types of amplified actuators are also fabricated to enhance the
displacement using various amplification mechanisms. A diamond shaped Amplified
Piezo Actuator (APA) fabricated using six multilayered piezo stacks produces
maximum displacement of 173μm at 175V and the amplification factor of 4.3.
Photographs of fabricated ML stacks and amplified actuators are presented in Fig.4a-
4b.

146
 FIGURE 3. Pictorial representation of fabrication procedure of ML stack

(a) (b)

FIGURE 4. (a) Fabricated ML Stacks, (b) Fabricated Amplified Actuator (APA), (c) Displacement
measurement set-up, (d) Displacement characteristics of APA

147
 CHARACTERIZATION OF ACTUATORS

Measurement of Displacement
The displacement of fabricated simple ML stack and the amplified actuator was
measured. The actuator is placed on a plane rigid support on top of which the tip of the
strain gauge is placed with an initial reading set to zero. A test set up measurement for
displacement of the PZT stack actuators is presented in Fig.5a. The terminals of the
actuator are connected to appropriate terminals of a dc source and the voltage is
gradually increased. It is observed that the displacement increases with increase in
voltage and a maximum displacement of 10μm and 173μm is measured for simple ML
stack and amplified actuator respectively. The typical plot of the displacement vs.
voltage of amplified actuator is presented in Fig. 5b.

180

160

Displacement (micrometer)
140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180
Applied Voltage (V)

(a) (b)

FIGURE 5. (a) Displacement measurement set-up, (b) Displacement characteristics of APA

Measurement of Block Force

The simple ML stack is characterized for block force using a block force
measuring unit. The actuator is placed on top of a force sensor (load cell) inside the
sample holder and its positive and negative terminals are properly connected to the
respective terminals of the voltage source. For measurement of block force, a constant
pre-stress is applied from top of the actuator through 3-4 springs of different stiffness.
The values of displacement and force generated by the actuator for all the springs are
plotted by block force measurement software. It is observed that a maximum block
force of 1427 N obtained at 175 V. A typical block force vs. free displacement graph
is shown in Fig.6.

148
 FIGURE 6. Block force vs. free displacement graph of ML stack

Dynamic Characterization
The dynamic characterization of the actuator was carried out at Structures Division
of NAL at different frequencies (100Hz-1kHz) and at different AC voltages (20V-
40V). The frequency response of the APA is presented in Fig.7. The actuator response
over this frequency range was found neat, without attenuation of the signal [10].

FIGURE 7. Frequency response of APA at 1 KHz at 20 V and at 30 V

149
 CONCLUSIONS
Piezoelectric (PZT) ML actuators and APAs have been successfully fabricated
from in-house prepared PZT powders. The APA produces displacement of 173 μm
with displacement amplification of 4.3 times. The actuator response over various
frequency range was found neat, without attenuation of the signal.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I gratefully acknowledge Dr.B.Sahoo, Mr.Chandraiah M., Dr.S.Raja, Mr. Shankar
and other team members who have contributed to this study / program. I would like to
thank NPSM, NPMass and CSIR FYP for financial support. Also, I would like to
acknowledge Head, Materials Science Division and Director, NAL for their constant
encouragement and support.

REFERENCES

1. J. Curie, P.Curie, Bulletin de la Societe Mineralogique de France.3, 90-102 (1880).

2. B.Jaffe, H. Jaffe, W.R.Cook, Piezoelectric ceramics. Academic Press, London, 1st Edition,
1971.
3. W. G. Cady, Piezoelectricity, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1st edition, 1946.
4. R.E. Newnham and G.R. Ruschau, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 74, 463-480
(1991).
5. K. Uchino, Materials Letters, 22, 1-4 (1995).
6. D.L. Hankey and J.V.Biggers, Communication of American Ceramic Society, 64, C-172-C-C-
173 (1981).
7. S. Venkataramani and J.V.Biggers, American Ceramic Society Bulletin, 59, 462-466 (1980).
8. B.Sahoo, V.A.Jaleel and P.K.Panda, Materials Science and Engineering B, 126, 80-85 (2006).
9. B.Sahoo and P.K.Panda, Smart Materials Research, 2012, 821847, (2012)
10. P.K.Panda, B.Sahoo, S.Raja, Vijaya Kumar M.P. and V.Shankar, Smart Materials Research,
2012, 203625 (2012).

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