FEM analysis of a bimodal linear piezo-friction motor

Piezomotors as driving components have been designed more or less successfully for more than 50 years. They are coming to the stage of commercial precision drive systems at last. At the Institute for Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW) in Hannover, Germany, the finite element method was used to simulate their vibration friction mechanism which is generating linear (or rotational) motion. The mechanical principle and numerical results are outlined in this paper. Since it is difficult to measure in the micrometer and microsecond range at the same time, the finite element model and its transient analysis is a support for further development and optimization in the field of ultrasonic motors. The model's mechanical and piezoelectric dynamic vibration behavior can now be observed and analyzed in detail. An animated motion analysis is available giving further insights into the drive system behavior.