Unimorph design consisting of a piezoceramic bonded to an elastic surface is the most common structure used to induce deformations. The analytic models developed by Park and Agrawal are extensively used to determine the induced strain on piezo-actuated surfaces. These models are based on different strain distribution hypothesis that, however, do not consider the relative thickness size between ...

Piezo ion channels have been found to be essential for mechanical responses in cells. These channels were first shown to exist in Neuro2A cells, and the gene was identified by siRNAs that diminished the mechanical response. Piezo channels are approximately 2500 amino acids long, have between 24-32 transmembrane regions, and appear to assemble into tetramers and require no other proteins for act...

In order to satisfy the rising energy demands of global consumption, a new cleaner and renewable power source needs to be explored, conceptualized and developed. This paper intends to introduce an alternative source of energy by using piezoelectric material -a class of smart material. A piezoelectric road that will produce electricity from the stress experienced by the roads due to the movement...

Background/Aims Currently, there exists no biomarker for visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Piezo proteins have been proven to play an important role in the mechanical stimulation to induce visceral pain in other tissues and may also be a biomarker candidate. The aim of this study was to test the expressions of Piezo1 and Piezo2 proteins in the intestinal epithelial ce...

An approach of Green’s function is adopted to solve the inhomogeneous linear differential equations representing wave equations in piezo-composite materials. In particular, transference of horizontally polarised shear (SH) waves is considered in bedded structure comprising of porous-piezo electric layer lying over a heterogeneous half-space. Propagation of SH-waves is considered to be influence...

Availability is one of the most frequently specified quality attributes for computerized systems and the computation of availability requires knowledge about the reliability of the system. Although much research has been devoted to software system reliability, much work remains to be done in identifying ways to predict reliability of assemblies of components. We are designing an experiment for ...

This article presents a simplified model for studying the main parameters for magnetically plucking piezoelectric beams in energy harvesting devices. The advantage of magnetic plucking is that there is no impact on the brittle piezo material. However, achieving a good release of the piezo beam is more difficult than with fingers or plectra. The influence of different magnet arrangements, the ga...

Typical holding force of piezo motors is defined by friction force, required to make motor move. However, increase of friction force is not inconsequent for motor performances in terms of speed, max motion force and lifetime (tribology). In this paper, a new motor, offering high resolution positioning and holding position when unpowered, is presented. Based on a Stepping Piezo Actuator [1] at i...

The effect of the polymeric reticulation on the thermal stability of the piezoelectricity of a micro-structured PDMS piezo-electret was investigated. This new family of flexible piezoelectric materials with very low Young’s modulus is used for wearable sensors and energy harvester devices. The best thermal stability was obtained for the piezo-electret material made from the ratio 1:10 between t...

We introduce a method for optical trap calibration that is suitable for viscoelastic material. The method is designed for use on experimental setups with two optical tweezers and is based on pulling a trapped particle with one trap while holding it with the other. No piezo stage is needed, and only one optical trap must be movable with galvo mirrors, piezo mirrors, or acousto-optical deflectors...