Study on electric–mechanical hysteretic model of Macro-Fiber Composite actuator

Abstract

Hysteresis is an important nonlinear effect exhibited by piezoelectric actuators. As a member of piezoelectric actuator family, Macro-Fiber Composite actuators can also be testified as having the same characteristics, as shown in the experimental research in this article. In order to interpret the characteristics accurately, various models were proposed previously, in which the Bouc–Wen model has gained more interest because of its capability to match a wide class of hysteretic systems. However, the model consists of a set of differential equations where multiparameters present a need to be estimated simultaneously, which is an arduous task. In view of this, the present study sets out to propose a more efficient genetic algorithm and a simplified Bouc–Wen model, on the one hand, and on the other, the genetic algorithm is applied to the model to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of the parameter estimation. Finally, a large number of experimental data are used to testify the proposed approach more efficiently and accurately than the other conventional methods. Also suggested are the implications of the present study on other hysteretic models or other complex mathematical models.