A Review of Novel Architectures of Servovalves Driven by Piezoelectric Actuators

Paolo Tamburrano, Francesco Sciatti, Andrew R. Plummer, Elia Distaso, Pietro De Palma and Riccardo Amirante
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Paolo Tamburrano: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management (DMMM), Polytechnic University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Francesco Sciatti: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management (DMMM), Polytechnic University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Andrew R. Plummer: Centre for Power Transmission and Motion Control (PTMC), University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
Elia Distaso: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management (DMMM), Polytechnic University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Pietro De Palma: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management (DMMM), Polytechnic University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Riccardo Amirante: Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management (DMMM), Polytechnic University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-23

Abstract: This paper is a thorough review of innovative architectures of electro-hydraulic servovalves that exploit actuation systems based on piezo-electric materials. The use of commercially available piezo-electric actuators, namely, piezo stacks, amplified piezo stacks, rectangular benders, and ring benders, is very promising for the actuation of the main stages and of the pilot stages of servovalves given the fast response and low weight of piezoelectric materials. The use of these actuators can also allow novel designs to be developed, thus helping manufacturers to overcome the typical drawbacks of commercial servovalves, such as the high complexity and the high internal leakage of the pilot stages of two-stage servovalves as well as the large size and weight of direct-drive servovalves. First, the piezoelectric actuators that can be used for driving servovalves are presented in the paper, and their characteristics are thoroughly discussed. The main novel architectures present in the literature are then explained and compared with the commercial ones, and their performance parameters are discussed to draw conclusions on the prospect that some of these architectures can be used by manufacturers as future designs.

Keywords: servovalves; piezoelectric actuators; piezo stacks; amplified piezo stacks; rectangular benders; ring benders (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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