A Piezoelectric Actuator-Based Direct-Drive Valve for Fast Motion Control at High Operating Temperatures

This paper experimentally investigates the control performances of a piezostack actuator direct-drive valve (PADDV) operating at high temperatures. In this study, the PADDV system is designed based on special specifications featuring a high operating temperature (150 ◦C) and wide control bandwidth (200 Hz). After manufacturing the PADDV with design limitations such as size and maximum input voltage to the piezostack actuator, the displacement of a spool located inside the valve system, which is directly related to the flow rate, is controlled at several different temperatures and motion frequencies. In order to undertake this, the PADDV system is installed inside a heat chamber equipped with air vessels and pneumatic–hydraulic cylinders. The piezoelectric actuator is partially insulated using an aerogel to prevent permanent damage due to high temperatures above 120 ◦C, which is higher than the Curie temperature. To control the valve system, a PID (proportional–integral–derivative) controller is realized in which control gains are properly tuned using fuzzy logic according to the change of temperature and frequency. It is shown from the experimental results that the proposed PADDV with thermal insulation can provide the target dynamic motion of 200 Hz at 150 ◦C by implementing the fuzzy-based PID controller.