International Journal of Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 33, No.
1, 2013
INTEGRATED AND OBJECT-ORIENTED
MECHATRONIC MODELLING OF
PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS USING
LINEAR GRAPHS
Morteza Ganji, Saeed Behbahani, and Clarence W. de Silva
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Abstract
Piezoelectric transducers represent a key component in many mecha-
tronic applications, and are used in both sensing and actuation
modes. Modelling of these components is important in the analysis,
design, and control of the associated systems. Specically, a mecha-
tronic approach to modelling, which is an integrated multi-domain
approach, is desirable. This paper develops a novel and comprehen-
sive object-oriented framework for mechatronic modelling of piezo-
electric transducers using linear graphs. Unlike earlier work where
piezoelectric transducers are modelled by an ideal transformer, the
developed linear graph structures accurately and completely con-
sider linear constitutive equations of the piezoelectric material. De-
veloped models can be easily combined with the linear graph models
of other system components, to form a complete and integrated
mechatronic model of the overall system. Using the developed
models and from the viewpoint of object-oriented modelling, novel
and integrated mechatronic models are presented for several widely
used applications of piezoelectric transducers, including piezoelec-
tric accelerometer, piezoelectric stack actuator, hybrid piezoelectric
actuator, and piezoelectric transducer for active vibration control
using its self-sensing characteristic.
Key Words
Linear graphs, mechatronic modelling, sensors, actuators, piezoelec-
tric transducers
1. Introduction
A mechatronic system contains dierent interacting sub-
systems belonging to dierent domains such as mechanical,
electrical, hydraulic, thermal, and control. Multi-domain
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Isfahan Univer-
sity of Technology, Isfahan, Iran, 84156-83111; e-mail:
m.ganji@me.iut.ac.ir, behbahani@cc.iut.ac.ir
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, V6T 1Z4; e-mail:
desilva@mech.ubc.ca
Recommended by Prof. I.N. Tansel
(DOI: 10.2316/Journal.205.2013.1.205-5728)
15
and integrated approaches are required for the modelling,
design, and analysis of a mechatronic system, because of
dynamic interactions between its subsystems.
Piezoelectric sensors and actuators are used in many
mechatronic systems, particularly due to their appropriate
electrical and mechanical capabilities for integrating with
signal generating and conditioning devices. Therefore, the
availability of reliable and integrated mechatronic models
is rather important for a proper analysis and control of
the system, as well as the design of piezoelectric trans-
ducers and the associated system. This paper presents a
novel and comprehensive framework for modelling piezo-
electric transducers, based on their constitutive equations
and physical behaviour, using the linear graph approach.
Linear graphs represent a graphical modelling technique,
which provides a unied language and environment to
model dierent parts of a system in dierent domains to
form a unied and integrated model [1][3].
Piezoelectric materials have a unique electromechani-
cal behaviour in that when they are subjected to mechani-
cal stress or strain, they will generate an electrical charge
and an associated potential dierence (the sensing eect),
and vice versa (the actuation eect). Due to this special
property, these materials have the capability of utilization
as both an actuator and a sensor in a variety of instruments
and equipment including pressure measuring devices [4],
touch screens of computer monitors [5], accelerometers [6],
force sensors [7], uid valves [8], ultrasonic actuators [9],
ink-jet printers [10], miniature stepper motors [11], hard-
disk drives (HDD) [12], micro-electromechanical systems
(MEMS) [13], and so on.
The existing models of these materials are various,
depending on the purpose and the performance of the
equipment. From the viewpoint of analytical representa-
tion, the available models can be divided in two groups
as linear models and nonlinear models. Linear models are
often models with macroscopic parameters that are created
based on the constitutive equations of the piezoelectric ma-
terial [14], [15]. In nonlinear models, nonlinear factors are
also considered to account for such eects as hysteresis and