Creep characteristics of piezoelectric actuators

A major limitation of piezoelectric translator (PZT) actuators is their lac k of accuracy originated from the hysteresis and creep. Nevertheless the cr eep phenomenon is an important factor in many applications of PZT actuators , but it has been investigated less frequently in comparison with the displ acement hysteresis. In this article, we present a basic creep model with so me parameters that have hysteresis properties which make it possible to pre dict an open loop response of PZT actuators based on these properties. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(00)02804-5].