Dual friction-drive SAW motor utilizing cylindrical shaft as external load driver

Abstract This work presents an ingenious mechanism using dual frictional-drive (DFD) for surface acoustic wave (SAW) linear motor resulting in significantly compact and lightweight design. The device uses two synchronous Rayleigh waves propagating on two 128° rotated y-cut x-propagated lithium niobate (LiNbO3) piezoelectric stators facing each other and driving a cylindrical slider held tightly between the stators in translational motion. By reversing the direction of propagation of both the SAWs, the direction of motion of the slider can be reversed. The experimental results of the proposed SAW motor demonstrate the novel mechanism to form the device where the slider is attaining a steady state velocity of 1.28 m/s for a continuous wave excitation of frequency 13.5 MHz.