Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering ECE5320 Mechatronics Assignment#01: Literature Survey on Sensors and Actuators Topic: Piezoelectric Sensors Prepared by: Luke Peacock Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Utah State University Email:lukebpeacock@gmail.com ; Tel: (435)820-0462; 03/11/2010

Outline References Basic Information Basic Working Principle illustrated Major applications Major specifications Pros and Cons Selection Criteria

References 1. "Piezoelectric sensors". Piezocryst website. http://www.piezocryst.com/piezoelectric_sensors.php. Retrieved 03/10/10.  Alfredo Vázquez Carazo (January 2000). Novel Piezoelectric Transducers for High Voltage Measurements. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. pp. 242.  Karki, James (September 2000). "Signal Conditioning Piezoelectric Sensors" (PDF). Texas Instruments. http://focus.ti.com/lit/an/sloa033a/sloa033a.pdf. Retrieved 3/10/10.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_sensor http://www.media.mit.edu/resenv/classes/MAS836/Readings/MSI-techman.pdf http://www.davidson.com.au/products/pressure/pcb/theory/piezo-theory.asp

Other Places for Information http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/SchemaPiezo.gif http://www.pcb.com/techsupport/tech_gen.php http://www.open-engineering.com/index.php/eng/Products/Oofelie-Multiphysics-Specifications/PiezoElectric/Actuators-and-sensors

Basic Information “The word piezo comes from the Greek word piezein, meaning to press or squeeze. Piezoelectricity refers to the generation of electricity or of electric polarity in dielectric crystals when subjected to mechanical stress and conversely, the generation of stress in such crystals in response to an applied voltage. In 1880, the Curie brothers found that quartz changed its dimensions when subjected to an electrical field and generated electrical charge when pressure was applied. Since that time, researchers have found piezoelectric properties in hundreds of ceramic and plastic materials.“ [2-Carazo]

Basic Information Continued: Although it was discovered in late 1800’s by the Curie brothers, it was nearly the 1950s before the piezoelectric effect was used for industrial sensing applications. It is a versatile tool for the measurement of various processes Useful in the determination of pressure, acceleration, strain or force in quality assurance, process control and development across many different industries.

Electrets Electrets are solids which have a permanent electrical polarization. The electrical analog of magnets (Figure 1). In general, the alignment of the internal electric dipoles would result in a charge which would be observable on the surface of the solid. In practice, this small charge is quickly dissipated by free charges from the surrounding atmosphere which are attracted by the surface charges. Figure 1: Internal structure of an electret http://ccrma.stanford.edu/CCRMA/Courses/252/sensors/node7.html

Principle of Operation Depending on the way a piezoelectric material is cut, three main types of operations can be distinguished 1. transversal 2. longitudinal 3. shear. Figure 2: Piezoelectric modes of operation http://www.piezocryst.com/piezoelectric_sensors.php

Transverse Effect “A force is applied along a neutral axis (y) and the charges are generated along the (x) direction, perpendicular to the line of force. The amount of charge depends on the geometrical dimensions of the respective piezoelectric element. When dimensions a, b, c apply, Cx = dxyFyb / a, where a is the dimension in line with the neutral axis, b is in line with the charge generating axis and d is the corresponding piezoelectric coefficient.” http://www.piezocryst.com/piezoelectric_sensors.php

Longitudinal Effect “The amount of charge produced is strictly proportional to the applied force and is independent of size and shape of the piezoelectric element. Using several elements that are mechanically in series and electrically in parallel is the only way to increase the charge output. The resulting charge is Cx = dxxFxn, where dxx is the piezoelectric coefficient for a charge in x-direction released by forces applied along x-direction (in pC/N). Fx is the applied Force in x-direction [N] and n corresponds to the number of stacked elements.” http://www.piezocryst.com/piezoelectric_sensors.php

Shear Effect “Again, the charges produced are strictly proportional to the applied forces and are independent of the element’s size and shape. For n elements mechanically in series and electrically in parallel the charge is Cx = 2dxxFxn.” http://www.piezocryst.com/piezoelectric_sensors.php

Sensor Circuit Models Figure 3: Piezoelectric Sensor Circuit Models

Major Applications Medical Hearing aids Ultrasound Aerospace Modal testing Wind tunnel instrumentation Shock tube instrumentation Power Generation Nuclear instrumentation Shock/Vibration monitoring

Major Applications Automotive Internal Combustion Engines Traffic Sensing Bearing wear sensors Quality Assurance Process Control Machine monitoring

Major Applications Mobile electronics Touch-pads Accelerometers Military Sonar Night vision Ballistics AND MANY MORE!!!!!

Major Specifications Electro-Mechanical Conversion (1 direction) 23 x 10-12m/V, 700 x 10-6N/V (3 direction) -33 x 10-12m/V Mechano-Electrical Conversion (1 direction) 12 x 10-3V per microstrain, 400 x 10-3V/ (3 direction) 13 x 10-3V/N Pyro-Electrical Conversion 8V/ o K (@ 25 o C) Capacitance 1.36 x 10-9F; Dissipation Factor of 0.018 @ 10 KHz; Maximum Operating Voltage DC: 280 V (yields 7 µm displacement in 1 direction) AC: 840 V (yields 21 µm displacement in 1 direction) Maximum Applied Force (at break, 1 direction) 6-9 kgF (yields voltage output of 830 to 1275 V) http://www.media.mit.edu/resenv/classes/MAS836/Readings/MSI-techman.pdf

Principle Comparisons Strain Sensitivity [V/µ*] Threshold [µ*] Span to threshold ratio Piezoelectric 5 0.00001 100,000,000 Piezoresistive 0.0001 2,500,000 Inductive 0.001 0.0005 2,000,000 Capacitive 0.005 750,000 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_sensor

Pros Cons High sensitivity Wide input frequency range High input amplitude range Low power consumption Unique applications Low bandwidth Limited displacement High cost Requires high impedance amplification No Static measurements.

Selection Criteria Nonlinearities Frequency Response Sensitivity Impedance Repeatability System Response Error Linearity and Accuracy

Selection Criteria Eccentricity First-Order System Response Under-damped Second-Order System Response Saturation Backlash Resolution Range Static and Coulomb Friction