Characteristics Of Actuator Research Articles

Internal Model‐Based Anti‐Disturbances Low‐Level Control for Drones Considering Actuator Dynamics

ABSTRACTLow‐level control plays a critical role in the overall flight performance of drones. Despite some progress, existing methods do not adequately consider the complex electromechanical characteristics of actuators and aerodynamic disturbances of propellers, which deteriorates low‐level control performance. To tackle these issues, we propose a new nonlinear low‐level controller for higher precision control. First, a high‐precision low‐level model that integrates the actuator dynamics and angular velocity dynamics is presented. Based on this model, a dynamic compensator is designed using the internal model method to handle aerodynamic disturbances. Next, a high‐gain observer is designed to estimate the actuator states without adding new sensors, and an observer‐based low‐level controller is proposed through a recursive design process. Finally, the local asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop system is analyzed. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method are validated through simulations and physical experiments.

Modeling and Validation of the Sealing Performance of High-Pressure Vane Rotary Actuator

The EHRA (Electro-Hydraulic Rotary Actuator), using a vane rotary actuator, has the advantages of a high torque density and integration and is expected to become a joint actuator for robots. This research focuses on the sealing characteristics of various parts of a vane rotary actuator. The average Reynolds equation was used to analyze the leakage characteristics at the gap. A detailed theoretical analysis was conducted on the internal leakage mechanism of a vane rotary actuator using an X-ring as the dynamic seal for the rotor vane. According to the path of internal leakage, different sealing forms are considered as a series or parallel, and the Newton iteration method is used to obtain the total internal leakage characteristics of a vane rotary actuator. It was also considered that the deformation of the vane rotary actuator caused a thicker gap, leading to an increase in internal leakage. The calculation results are consistent with the experimental data. The analysis results indicate that when estimating the internal leakage of a vane rotary actuator, it is necessary to take the pressure of the high-pressure chamber and output shaft position as inputs. This research provides a reference for an analysis of the method of internal leakage for vane rotary actuators. It provides theoretical support for designing a vane rotary actuator with more minor internal leakage and a higher volumetric efficiency.

A modified dubinin-radushkevich model describing the cryogenic adsorption of 4He on carbon materials

The 4He and 3He adsorption characteristics of porous materials serve as important references for designing and optimizing cryogenic components or systems, including adsorption pumps, helium adsorption refrigerators, and gas-gap heat switches. In this study, various types of activated carbon and carbon nanotubes were measured for their 4He adsorption characteristics in the range of 3–20 K and 1–18000 Pa. Parameters such as micropore volume and adsorption potential energy of porous materials were analyzed through Dubinin-Radushkevich (DR) model. A modified DR model describing the monolayer adsorption of 4He on different carbon-based adsorbents was developed in this study, greatly facilitating the design of adsorption systems. Further, the 4He adsorption model was applied to gas-gap heat switches, and a numerical model of the 4He gas-gap heat switch was established, which accurately predicts the actuation characteristics of several heat switches.

Optimized design and performance testing of hydraulic electrostatic actuator

ABSTRACT Hydraulic electrostatic actuators have become a research hotspot for their inherent flexibility and safety of human-machine interaction. This paper aims to combine the characteristics of dielectric elastomers and fluid actuators, enhancing the dielectric constant and breakdown field strength by modifying Al2O3 on the surface of nanostructured BaTiO3 and in order to develop a hydraulic electrostatic actuator with silicone rubber as the matrix material. Single-factor experiments were firstly conducted to confirm the range of three factors affecting the actuation strain of the actuator: BaTiO3@Al2O3 content, thickness of the silicone rubber elastomer film, and pre-stretching ratio coefficient. The response surface methodology was used to study the interactive influence of the above three influencing factors on the actuation strain. It was obtained that A has an insignificant influence on the actuation strain, AB has a significant influence on the actuation strain, and B, C, AC, and BC have a highly influence on the actuation strain. Maximizing actuation strain as the optimization objective yielded the combination results of each factor: BaTiO3@Al2O3 content of 2.57%, thickness of 0.60 mm, and pre-stretching ratio coefficient of 2.50. Actuation strain tests were conducted with optimized parameters under no-load. The experimental results of the actuation strain test show that the relative error between the test value and the model prediction value of 16.47% is less than 5%, and the optimization model results are reliable. The optimized hydraulic electrostatic actuator was tested for actuation strain and electrical performance under different loads. The experiment showed that the maximum actuation strain of the hydraulic electrostatic actuator was 17.20% under a load of 100 g. The critical breakdown current of the actuator ranged from 115 μA to 130 μA, and the maximum electromechanical conversion efficiency of the actuator under different loads was 67.93%. Finally, a joint actuating device was developed based on the structure of the actuator, amplifying the output displacement of the actuator to 30 mm, and the linear displacement of the soft electro-fluid actuator can be converted into a 20° rotation angle through the gear steering mechanism, thus validating the effectiveness of the hydraulic electrostatic actuator.

Experimental Validation of One-Dimensional Model of an Ideal Bimorph Actuator Provided on Bidomain Lithium Niobate

The study demonstrates that the dynamic characteristics of piezoelectric bimorph actuators based on bidomain lithium niobate (BLN) single crystals are accurately described by an analytical one-dimensional (1D) model of an ideal bimorph. Our observations show that displacements and an electric impedance of the BLN-based bimorphs can be predicted without use of any sophisticated lumped circuit models, equations with handpicked “effective” values of material’s constants or finite element method. The experimental data were measured by means of laser interferometry and impedance spectroscopy and then fitted with the equations predicted by the 1D model. Solving the inverse problem for the experimental points we calculated the transverse piezoelectric coefficient, longitudinal mechanical compliance, dielectric permittivity, and piezoelectric coupling coefficient of the material. The obtained values of the material constants of the lithium niobate y + 128°-cut crystal are d23 = 25 pC/N, s33E = 7.58 TPa−1, ε22T = 52.7 ε0, and k232 = 0.18, which are in excellent agreement with the literature data.

Comparative Analysis of Armature Structure on Constant Force Characteristics in Long-Stroke Moving-Iron Proportional Solenoid Actuator

The influence of key design parameters on the constant force characteristics of long-stroke moving-iron proportional solenoid actuators (MPSAs) has been explored by a method combining finite element modelling and correlation analysis. First, the finite element model (FEM) of long-stroke MPSA was developed and validated. Subsequently, the two evaluation indexes, the average-output solenoid force and maximum-output solenoid force variability, were introduced to disclose the influence law of pole shoe parameters on the constant force characteristics of a long-stroke MPSA. After that, correlation analysis was employed to quantify the influence of several parameters and parameter interaction factors on the constant force characteristics. The results indicate a strong contradiction between the average-output solenoid force and maximum-output solenoid force variability; however, increasing the inner diameter of the cone helps enhance the average-output solenoid force without causing maximum-output solenoid force variability to increase. Among all the parameters examined, the cone angle is the most significant parameter affecting the constant force characteristics. Additionally, interactions between the cone angle and the cone length, the cone angle and the inner cone diameter, the cone angle and the outer cone diameter, the cone length and the outer cone diameter, as well as the inner cone diameter and the outer cone diameter also have an important influence on the constant force characteristics. This study deepens our understanding of how the key parameters affect the constant force characteristics and assists designers in optimizing these parameters for developing new structures.

Water vapor responsiveness of chitosan: An experimental and simulation analysis.

Stimuli-responsive polymers have gained significant research interest in recent years owing to their potential applications in diverse areas. Here, we present a study on the actuation characteristics of chitosan-based free-standing films that exhibit full reversibility and repeatability in response to water vapor exposure. The effect of pH of the water and the degree of cross-linking of the chitosan films on the actuation performance is studied. In the case of free-standing polymer film-based actuators, the primary driving force behind actuation is understood to be the differential strain induced by the gradient in volume changes across the thickness of the film. To understand it further, we conducted full atomistic molecular dynamics simulation studies to explore water absorption and adsorption into the chitosan matrix. Our simulations revealed an accumulation of water molecules in the surface layer that rapidly desorb when shielded from water vapor. Furthermore, estimates of the energy gain resulting from the adsorption of water on the surface suggest that it is adequate to drive the shape change of the actuator when subjected to asymmetric exposure to water vapor. This finding supports the fact that the adsorbed layer of water on the surface of the chitosan film plays a role in actuation.

Programmable Hydrogel-Based Soft Robotics via Encoded Building Block Design

Hydrogels have revolutionized the field of soft robotics with their ability to provide dynamic and programmable responses to different stimuli, enabling the fabrication of highly adaptable and flexible robots. This continual development holds significant promise for applications in biomedical devices, active implants, and sensors due to the biocompatibility of hydrogels. Actuation in hydrogel-based soft robotics relies on variations in material properties, structural design, or a combination of both to generate desired movements and behaviors. While such traditional approaches enable hydrogel actuation, they often rely on complex material design, bringing challenges to hydrogel fabrication and hindering practical use. Therefore, this work seeks to present a simplified and versatile approach for fabricating programmable single-component hydrogel-based soft robotics using an encoded building block design concept and 3D printing. A series of structural building blocks have been designed to achieve various actuation characteristics, including the direction, degree, and kinetics of actuation. By assembling these building blocks into various configurations, a broader range of actuation responses can be encoded, allowing for the fabrication of versatile, programmable soft robotics using a single uniform material through vat photopolymerization 3D printing. This approach enables adaptation to a wide range of applications, providing highly customizable encoding designs.

Design and analysis of large displacement bidirectional device based on multi-electrothermal co-actuation

Abstract As an important part of the MEMS safety system of fuze, the micro-actuator is responsible for the important functions of energy conversion, motion, force transmission and response to system information, etc. However, due to the size limitation of MEMS and the characteristics of electrothermal actuator itself, it is difficult for a single electrothermal actuator to drive the flameproof slider to achieve the target displacement. This paper aims to study and analyze the performance of the large displacement bidirection device based on multi-electrothermal co-actuation. After finite element analysis, the results show that the large displacement bidirection device can drives the flameproof slider to achieve the displacement up to 162.6μm within one cycle time, which is about 1.4 times displacement of the single V-shaped actuator outputs at 1.5V voltage. The error of response time between the theoretical calculation and the simulation analysis is less than 5.88%. The correctness of simulation and the feasibility of the large displacement bidirection device based on multi-electrothermal co-actuation is verified.

Modeling and Analysis of Resistance-Sensing Characteristics for Two-Way Shape Memory Alloy-Based Deep-Sea Actuators

Deep-sea actuators based on shape memory alloys (SMAs) are an emerging frontier field of multidisciplinary crossover, and the resistive sensing characteristics are the basis for the drive control of SMA deep-sea actuators. The resistance and resistivity of SMAs are complex and highly dependent on temperature and stress, and there is no complete description of SMAs for extreme environments of high pressure, low temperature, and high salinity in the deep sea. In this study, the logistic function is introduced to improve the kinetic equation of phase transition, and the macromechanical model, the law of resistance, and the resistivity mixing rule are integrated to model and analyze the resistive self-awareness characteristics of two-way shape memory alloy deep-sea actuators. The complex coupling relationships among resistance, strain, stress, resistivity, and temperature under constant load conditions are investigated, and the validity of the resistance-sensing model is verified by the water bath cycling test. The results show that the predicted values of the model agree well with the measured values. The self-perceived relationship between the resistance and deformation of the two-way shape memory alloy can be effectively expressed, which provides theoretical model support for the design of memory alloy deep sea actuators and sensorless drive control.

Plant Robots: Harnessing Growth Actuation of Plants for Locomotion and Object Manipulation.

Plants display physical displacements during their growth due to photosynthesis, which converts light into chemical energy. This can be interpreted as plants acting as actuators with a built-in power source. This paper presents a method to create plant robots that move and perform tasks by harnessing the actuation output of plants: displacement and force generated from the growing process. As the target plant, radish sprouts are employed, and their displacement and force are characterized, followed by the calculation of power and energy densities. Based on the characterization, two different plant robots are designed and fabricated: a rotational robot and a gripper. The former demonstrates ground locomotion, achieving a travel distance of 14.6mm with an average speed of 0.8mmh-1. The latter demonstrates the picking and placing of an object with a 0.1-g mass by the light-controlled open-close motion of plant fingers. A good agreement between the experimental and model values is observed in the specific data of the mobile robot, suggesting that obtaining the actuation characteristics of plants can enable the design and prediction of behavior in plant robots. These results pave the way for the realization of novel types of environmentally friendly and sustainable robots.

Conjugated Matrix Nanocomposites with Nanodiamond Nanoadditives—Fundamentals and Forefronts

Nanodiamonds have been researched as sphere-shaped carbon nano-entities having countless surface/structural properties, facile fabrication and mammoth technological value. An important utilization of nanodiamonds has been observed as nano-reinforcing agents for nanocompositing purposes. Semiconducting polymers (conjugated polymers) having π electron delocalization have been documented for worthy electrochemical/optical/thermal/mechanical features, in addition to the electron transfer through their backbone. Doping of carbonaceous nanoparticles, like nanodiamonds, with conjugated polymers have been found to further improve the valuable physical characteristics in their final nanocomposite form. Correspondingly, this overview describes the impact of nanodiamond nano-reinforcement on the specialized aspects of polyaniline/nanodiamond, polypyrrole/nanodiamond and polythiophene/nanodiamond nanocomposites. According to literature reports, these groupings of conjugated polymer/nanodiamond hybrids revealed noteworthy microstructural, conductive, optical, electrochemical, microwave absorption, specific capacitance, photovoltaic and actuation characteristics. Subsequently, several significant applications of polymer/nanodiamond nanomaterials have been explored including the solar cells, supercapacitors and actuators.

Modeling and compensation of a hollow XY stage based on hybrid reluctance actuators

In the field of beam pointing and optoelectronic imaging, there is a growing demand for control mechanisms that offer large stroke, and high bandwidth. These are precisely the characteristics of hybrid reluctance actuator, which therefore is increasingly being used in XY stage to replace piezo-actuator and voice coil motor. This study presents a hollow XY stage utilizing hybrid resistance actuators, aiming to adapt to optical applications with inherent nonlinearity and biaxial coupling, which are further modeled and compensated to mitigate their impacts. Firstly, the basic composition and working principle of the hollow XY stage are described, and the impact of its nonlinearity and biaxial coupling characteristics is elucidated. Secondly, the sources of nonlinearity and biaxial coupling are analyzed, and an analytical model of hybrid reluctance actuators is established. The magnetic leakage coefficient of the model is determined, and the accuracy of the model is verified by Finite Element Method (FEM) and experiment, demonstrating consistency with the analytical model's results. Furthermore, based on the nonlinear and biaxial coupling model, a compensator based on feedback linearization method is established, and verified through experiment. The results show that this method has a significant suppression effect on nonlinear and biaxial coupling, and the tracking error and cross-talk is obviously reduced, which proves the effectiveness of this compensation method.

Spring toy-inspired soft robots with electrohydraulic actuators

Toys are useful resources for structural inspiration in science and engineering. Their fascinating structures provide new strategies for robotics, particularly in overcoming challenging obstacles and increasing adaptability to unstructured environments. Recent advances in actuators made of soft materials have enabled robots to exhibit safer and more adaptive behaviors during locomotion. However, it is still difficult to descend quickly without falling off at the drop point. In the same context, we recall playing with spring toys descending on stairs. In this paper, we introduce an electrohydraulic-based soft robot inspired by the structure of spring toys. The robot demonstrated a novel and previously unreported ability to descend a series of stairs. Specifically, the soft robot consisted of a helical structure and multiple electrohydraulic actuators. A helical structure was used to accommodate the expansion of the electrohydraulic actuators and to operate a wider range of bending motions. This design prevents unpredictable falls and achieves operation while maintaining a sufficient level of flexibility. We also experimentally investigated the actuation characteristics of the soft robot in terms of motion and force. Additionally, we demonstrated a soft gripper using the spring toy-inspired robot as another potential application.

Periodic Vortices Created by Plasma Actuator with Low Frequency

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators, capable of creating a quasi-steady wall jet, are well suited for flow control over the microair vehicles at low Reynolds number. The plasma actuator is usually excited by a sinusoidal high-voltage power with a frequency of a few to tens of kilohertz. However, the investigations on the flowfield produced by a plasma actuator with a frequency below 200 Hz remain limited. Motivated by this demand, the formation and characterization of the vortices generated by a plasma actuator with a high-voltage frequency of 125 Hz are studied in detail. In addition to the starting vortex, it is of great importance that a train of vortices that shed periodically from the junction between the two electrodes and are quite different from the starting vortex are first observed. The shedding frequency of the periodic vortices is the same as the high-voltage frequency of 125 Hz. Combining the acoustic with the flow characteristics of the plasma actuator, the formation mechanism of these periodic vortices is discussed. Finally, a criterion for generating the periodic vortices is proposed based on the relationship between the scale of vortices and the separation distance between the two neighboring periodic vortices.

Emergence of chaos in an electroactive artificial muscle PVC gel under state-varying electromechanical parameters

The deformation mechanism of artificial muscle materials based on the natural method has always been one of the frontier topics in the field of biophysics. Electroactive PVC gel is a composite material that mimics the response of natural muscles, making it highly advantageous for various bionic mechanical applications. The existing literature primarily focuses on enhancing the performance and exploring applications of PVC gel, with particular emphasis on optimizing its ability to simulate muscle deformation. However, the existing literature lacks research on the theoretical mechanism and modeling of large deformation, particularly regarding the investigation of nonlinear dynamic behavior under state-varying electromechanical parameters. The present research establishes a novel theoretical model for PVC gel and investigates its dynamic response to voltage, mechanical force, and inertia force. Firstly, the electromechanical constitutive model of PVC gel actuator was elucidated, and the nonlinear dynamics control equation of PVC gel actuator was established based on the Gent model. Secondly, we investigate the vibration characteristics of PVC gel material by analyzing four key parameters: size, tensile strength, applied voltage amplitude, and excitation frequency. Through this analysis, we determine the relevant parameters and operational range of the PVC gel actuator when subjected to voltage excitation. Meanwhile, the phase trajectories and Poincaré maps were generated based on the control equation calculation results to investigate the vibration stability and chaotic characteristics of the PVC gel actuator under electromechanical coupling conditions. The deformation of PVC gel is influenced by various nonlinear factors, wherein the alteration in frequency induces harmonic, subharmonic, and super-harmonic resonance phenomena within the frequency response. By revising the size, voltage, and frequency of these three factors, with particular emphasis on regulating the frequency, chaotic behavior in the PVC gel will be facilitated. Finally, the bifurcation analysis of the electromechanical vibration behavior of the PVC gel actuator was carried out, and the stability of the PVC gel vibration was further quantitatively determined by the Lyapunov exponent.

Adaptive Fuzzy Fault-Tolerant Attitude Control for a Hypersonic Gliding Vehicle: A Policy-Iteration Approach

In this paper, adaptive fuzzy fault-tolerant control (AFFTC) for the attitude control system of a hypersonic gliding vehicle (HGV) experiencing an actuator fault is proposed. Actuator faults of the HGV are considered with respect to its actual structure and actuator characteristics. The HGV’s attitude system is firstly represented by a T–S fuzzy model, and then a normal T–S fuzzy controller is designed. A reinforcement learning (RL)-based policy iterative solution algorithm is proposed for the solving of the T-S fuzzy controller. Then, based on the normal T–S controller, a fuzzy FTC controller is proposed in which the control matrices can improve themselves according to the special fault. An integral reinforcement learning (IRL)-based solving algorithm is proposed to reduce the dependence of the design methods on the HGV model. Simulations on three different kinds of actuator faults show that the designed IRL-based FTC can ensure a reliable flight by the HGV.

Effect of temperature and pre-stretch on the dynamic performance of dielectric elastomer minimum energy structure

Dielectric Elastomer Minimum Energy Structures (DEMES) have the ability of actively adjusting their shape to accommodate complex scenarios, understanding the actuation mechanism of DEMES is essential for their effective design and control, which has rendered them a focus of research in the field of soft robotics. The actuation ability of DEMES is usually influenced by external conditions, among which the electromechanical properties of DE materials are highly sensitive to temperature changes, and the pre-stretch ratio of DE materials has a significant impact on the dynamic performance of DEMES. Therefore, it is necessary to study the effects of temperature and pre-stretch ratio on the nonlinear dynamic behavior of DEMES. In this paper, in response to the lack of research on the influence of DE pre-stretch ratio on the actuation characteristics of DEMES, this paper proposes a systematic modeling and analysis framework that comprehensively considers pre-stretch factors, temperature factors, and viscoelastic factors, and establishes the motion control equation of DEMES affected by the coupling effect of DE pre-stretch ratio and temperature. The proposed analytical framework is used to analyze the evolution of the electromechanical response of DEMES under voltage excitation under the coupling of DE pre-stretch ratio and temperature. The results indicate that the bending angle, inelastic deformation, resonant frequency, and dynamic stability of DEMES can be jointly adjusted by the DE pre-stretch ratio and ambient temperature. A low pre-stretch ratio of DE can lead to dynamic instability of DEMES, while appropriate temperature conditions and higher pre-stretch ratios can significantly improve the actuation ability of DEMES. This can provide theoretical guidance for the design and deformation control of DEMES.

An explainable neural network integrating Jiles-Atherton and nonlinear auto-regressive exogenous models for modeling universal hysteresis

The inherent nonlinear and memory-dependent input-output characteristics of piezoelectric actuators pose challenges to the precision of piezoelectric positioning systems. In order to solve this problem, this paper firstly transforms the Jiles-Atherton (JA) model into a neural network structure, designs the Jiles-Atherton neural network (JANN), and combines JANN with nonlinear autoregressive exogenous input (NARX) neural network. A hybrid JA-NARX neural network model is proposed for the first time. This model has the advantages of simple structure, high modeling accuracy, and good interpretability. The effectiveness of the proposed JA-NARX neural network model is validated through a series of experiments, specifically assessing its capacity to accurately capture rate-dependent and asymmetric hysteresis characteristics. The results show that although the proposed neural network model has fewer layers and relatively simple structure, it can realize the high-precision modeling of piezoelectric hysteresis dynamics at a lower computational cost. The experimental data shows that, under the excitation of 60 Hz input signal, the model's PV error only accounts for 0.82% of the full scale range, and the modeling performance is far superior to other models.

Three-dimensional Flow Field Characteristics of a Normal Slot Plasma Synthetic Jet Actuator

Three-dimensional Flow Field Characteristics of a Normal Slot Plasma Synthetic Jet Actuator