Novel active twist rotor blades require low profile piezocomposite actuators which are integrated into the blade skin. Operating as solid state actuators they generate a twist deformation of the rotor blade without any friction and wear. To provide sufficient strain it is necessary, that the actuator operates in the piezoelectric d33-mode. State-of-the-art piezocomposites that exploit the d33-effect requires an operation voltage of up to 1500V. This high voltage is not acceptable for the rotor blade application.

The project MulticompAct develops a novel concept of d33 piezocomposite actuators based on multilayer stack technology. The electrodes of this actuator type are incorporated in the piezoelectric material during the sintering process. This allows a significant reduction of the electrode distance and therefore a reduction of the driving voltage up to 120V. The project MulticompAct covered the complete process chain for the development of the novel piezocomposite actuator. This includes the definition of requirements, the design, the manufacturing as well as the characterisation and testing of this actuator type.