The development of a piezoelectric hydraulic pump with innovative active valves is presented in this study. The pump structure basically consists of a diaphragm type piezoelectric stack actuator and two specially designed unimorph disc valves acting as inlet and delivery valves. Static and dynamic piezoelectric finite element analyses were used to maximize the delivered fluid volume per stroke and to predict the resonance characteristics of the pump, respectively. A structural optimization technique was performed to optimize the efficiency of the pump versus its geometrical dimensions. A transient CFD model was used to predict flow rates. Dynamic experiments were also conducted and results are in good agreement with those obtained from the simulation.

Date Published: 15 July 2002
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 4701, Smart Structures and Materials 2002: Smart Structures and Integrated Systems, (15 July 2002); doi: 10.1117/12.474689

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4701:
Smart Structures and Materials 2002: Smart Structures and Integrated Systems
L. Porter Davis, Editor(s)