Development of a Polymeric Piezoelectric C-Block Actuator Using Hybrid Optimization Technique

A new class of polymeric piezoelectric bimorph actuators, called C-blocks because of their curved shape, has been developed to overcome limitations of conventional bimorph and stack piezoelectric configurations. Design tradeoffs are investigated in the current research using various performance criteria such as maximum deflection, force, and strain energy. The set of design variables to optimize the C-block actuators, which can be used alone or can be combined in series and/or parallel, includes both continuous and discrete parameters. Therefore, a hybrid optimization technique is developed to address the nonlinear mixed continuous/discrete optimization problem. The results of the optimization procedure indicate useful trends toward microscale actuator development for the most efficient implementation of these actuators.