Theoretical analyses of non-contact linear motors driven by surface acoustic waves

In this article, theoretical analyses on the non-contact linear motors driven by surface acoustic waves (SAW) are presented, in which the sliders are driven by SAW stators through liquid layers. The theoretical results show that the velocity of the slider motion at the liquid layer surface is proportional to the vibration amplitude of the SAW and decreases exponentially with the thickness of liquid layer increasing. The experimental results show that the slider velocity is proportional to the driving voltage of the SAW and decreases approximately exponentially with the thickness of the liquid layer increasing. Since the amplitude of the SAW is proportional to the driving voltage, it is demonstrated that the theoretical calculations are verified by the experimental results.