Piezoelectric Actuator Thermal Control for Cryogenic Wind-Tunnel Sting Vibration

Effective control of cantilever sting vibration is essential for preventing shaft breakage and ensuring the safety of cryogenic wind tunnels. However, the performance of piezoelectric stack actuators, a common solution, is severely limited by ultralow temperatures, which reduces their vibration damping effectiveness. To address this, a tailored thermal control structure is proposed. Heat conduction models for both entire and localized heating schemes were developed and validated through numerical simulation. The structure was optimized to significantly improve the actuator’s axial temperature uniformity. A corresponding piezoelectric-based sting vibration damping system was developed and tested in both ambient and cryogenic liquid nitrogen environments. Results show that the optimized thermal control maintained consistent first-order frequency and damping ratio values, demonstrating that the actuation performance was unaffected by ultralow temperatures. Furthermore, comparative tests under cryogenic conditions demonstrated that the thermal control structure maintains actuator performance, while unprotected operation results in significant degradation with temperature decline. This work provides the first validated solution for reliable piezoelectric operation in extreme cryogenic conditions, proving the efficacy of the proposed thermal management approach. The methodology effectively extends piezoelectric applications to cryogenic wind tunnels and other ultralow temperature settings, enabling accurate and safe aeroelastic testing for future aircraft design.