Laser machining of electroactive ceramics
First Claim
1. An electromechanical device, comprisinga substantially planar ceramic electroactive member having grooves defined on a planar surface of the member and defining ridges therebetween, whereby the grooves are adapted and constructed to reduce transverse strains generated by bending such that the member is capable of bending to conform to a curved surface while maintaining electrical connections between adjacent ridges.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Laser beam machining is applied to form arbitrarily shaped electroactive ceramics for transducers (e.g., electromechanical sensors and actuators). One particularly preferred embodiment of the invention comprises machining parallel grooves in a ceramic plate to improve flexibility. The grooves provide strain relief in bending by relieving Poisson strains transverse to the direction of bending. This embodiment offers the further benefit that planar anisotropy or directionality is introduced in the transducer. The machining process of the invention further enables the production of more complex geometries than those currently known in the art. Because of the flexibility of the machining process, virtually any desired transducer shape may be produced.
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Citations
5 Claims
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1. An electromechanical device, comprising
a substantially planar ceramic electroactive member having grooves defined on a planar surface of the member and defining ridges therebetween, whereby the grooves are adapted and constructed to reduce transverse strains generated by bending such that the member is capable of bending to conform to a curved surface while maintaining electrical connections between adjacent ridges.
Specification