High-authority FSMA/piezoelectric hybrid actuators Navy STTR FY2005 Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2005 Topic No.: N05-T023 Topic Title: High-authority FSMA/piezoelectric hybrid actuators Proposal No.: N054-023-0277 Firm: Ferro Solutions, Inc. 215 First Street, Suite 203 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 Contact: Bob O'Handley Phone: (617) 253-6913 Web Site: www.ferrosi.com Abstract: In this STTR program, we propose to design and build an optimized hybrid actuator that combines the large output strain of FSMAs with the greater bandwidth and force of piezoelectric ceramics. A further benefit of combining these two complementary active materials (one is essentially an inductor, the other a capacitor) is that their net performance is greater than the sum of that of their individual components. The hybrid actuator will show significant reductions of size and power requirements and an increase in the overall bandwidth of the actuator�_s performance Benefits: The development of the hybrid FSMA-PZT transducers have advantages of 1) enhancing transducer output power at low frequency, 2) reducing copper coil and iron core burden on magnetic transducers, 3) developing a single sonar transducer that eliminates the need for separate low-frequency and high-frequency devices, and 4) enhancing the authority of FSMA transducers at higher frequency by acoustic assist from a series piezo transducer. Return