Concepção e análise de desempenho de um transportador vibratório linear com acionamento Piezoelétrico

Abstract

Vibratory feeders have been extensively used in industry for the transport and orientation of different types of separate parts and bulk material. Traditionally, motion is generated by slider-crank mechanisms, rotating unbalanced masses, hydraulic or pneumatic systems or by applying electromagnetic forces. In this work it is proposed a novel configuration of small and médium size vibratory feeders based on the use of piezoelectric materiais as actuators for motion generation. The assessment of the operation features and performance of the suggested configuration is first made by performing numerical simulations. With this aim, finite element models are developed, taking into account the electromechanical coupling exhibited by piezoelectric materiais. Those finite element models are combined with an analytical model based on the equation of motion for a particle, to predict the characteristics of motion of the transported material, including its mean velocity. Based on these finite element/analytical models, a study about the optimization of the piezoelectric feeder is carried out. Also, the assessment of the dynamic characteristics and transport performance is made from experiments carried out in laboratory using a prototype. The results obtained from both numerical simulations and experiments indicate the practical feasibility of the piezoelectric driving system, which, upon improvements, can provide important advantages with respect to traditional driving systems.