Use of Near-Field Acoustic Levitation in Experimental Sliding Contact

The paper presents an investigation into producing the self-levitation effect using piezo-electric actuators (PZTs). Self-levitation has been demonstrated and results are presented and discussed. A relationship between the levitation distance and weight of the levitating sample has been found. In addition, the orientation and position of the PZTs has been found to affect the levitation distance. Modal shapes of the vibration plates used have been produced through modeling and found to accurately correlate with the experimental results found. Additional evidence suggests that the type of vibration plate material affects the separation distance, possibly due to the material’s properties of acoustic reflection.