Determination of the true operational range of a piezoelectric actuator

Piezoelectric multilayer actuators are technologically important devices used in numerous positioning and force generation applications. During operation, the actuator displacement and force are nonlinearly coupled to the applied electric field, which is often ignored during material characterization. In this study, a novel experimental arrangement is presented that acts like a virtual linear spring, allowing for characterization of the full operational range as a function of applied electric field as well as the true blocking force and impedance matching system stiffness. The macroscopic measurements are contrasted to previous experimental techniques, providing insight into the effect of path dependence on the blocking force.