A preloaded ferroelectric ceramic stack that converts a high-voltage DC field into precise, high-force, sub-millisecond displacement — with real nonlinear hysteresis and a displacement/force trade-off you can explore below.
Live simulation — motion exaggerated for visibilityNot to scale
Voltage – displacement hysteresis loop (live trace)0 cycles
Rising voltage (lags — needs more field for same strain) Falling voltage (retains more strain — classic butterfly loop)
HYSTERETICPRELOADED STACK
Drive & Load Controls
Free Stroke
0.00 µm
Actual Stroke
0.00 µm
Output Force
0 N
Drag Load to 100% and watch stroke collapse to ~0 while force climbs to the blocking value — a piezo stack can deliver full displacement or full force, never both at once.
Active vibration cancellation, micro-dispensing valves
How It Operates
A DC drive voltage is applied across alternating internal electrodes bonded between thin (50–150µm) PZT ceramic disks, enabling low-voltage operation of a mechanically long stack.
The converse piezoelectric effect (d33 mode) shifts ferroelectric domains, elongating the stack roughly 0.1–0.2% of its length along the stacking axis — sub-millisecond response.
A preload spring holds the ceramic in constant compression: PZT is strong under compression but fractures under tension, so the stack must never be pulled.
Displacement vs. voltage is nonlinear and path-dependent (hysteresis) — rising and falling voltage trace different curves, which is why precision systems close the loop with a strain gauge or capacitive sensor instead of trusting voltage alone.
Output stroke and output force trade off against each other depending on the stiffness of whatever the actuator is pushing against.
After a voltage step, a small additional "creep" drift (a few percent, roughly logarithmic in time) continues for seconds to minutes — another reason nanometer-stable systems use closed-loop feedback.