One-way brake mechanism using piezoelectric actuator

This paper deals with a one-way brake to generate a large braking force using a stacked piezoelectric actuator. In the proposed brake unit, a brake plate is pressed on a slider with a small inclination angle perpendicular to the slider. In the case of thrusting the slider, a large frictional force in proportion to the thrust force is generated between the slider and the brake plate. A prototype was designed based on the fundamental experiment of the inclination angle of the brake plate. The measured inclination angle for braking the slider coincided with the theoretical one by statics and the finite element analysis. The braking force control was demonstrated. After a dither was added to the control signal of the piezoelectric actuator, the braking force became stable.