Symmetric Actuator Research Articles

Research on Classification Maintenance Strategy for More Electric Aircraft Actuation Systems Based on Importance Measure

In this paper, a practical maintenance algorithm is proposed to improve the reliability of actuation systems and their components, specifically addressing the consistency degradation caused by faults in the symmetric actuation system components of more electric aircraft (MEA). By integrating important measures with traditional genetic algorithms, the accuracy of the algorithm is improved. Prior to maintenance, a reasonable classification of components is built to mitigate the adverse effects of extreme fault conditions on the algorithm. This approach improves both the effectiveness and efficiency of the algorithm, rendering the overall maintenance strategy better suited for real-world needs. Finally, comparative simulations confirm the algorithm’s superior performance in reliability improvement, demonstrating its substantial contribution to the field of MEA maintenance and reliability.

A scaling law approach to rate fabrication tolerances of double-sided electrostatic actuators

Abstract Symmetric double-sided electrostatic actuators in push-pull configuration are particularly suitable for linear actuation with low harmonic distortion. However, their motion still is largely determined by pull-in instabilities that are sensitive to geometry variations. A considerable simulation effort is therefore required when assessing manufacturing tolerances during the design process or determining the optimal operating point. Recently, an accurate method was demonstrated, allowing for the numerically inexpensive and experimentally non-destructive extraction of the full quasi-static performance of a clamped-free beam-like electrostatic micro-mechanical actuator with complex 3D design. The key step was to determine the voltage scaling related to the pull-in voltage based on data collected far away from pull-in conditions. This relates a dimensionless ansatz to the physical input voltages as well as the output like e.g. the actuator’s tip deflection. For the chosen approach, however, the relationship between the model and the geometry parameters is unknown. In this paper we propose a method to enable quantifying the impact of geometry parameter variations. In particular, we adapt the model equation for the case of symmetry-breaking tolerances on the basis of few FEM-simulations. The quasi-static pull-in instability, as well as the nonlinear deflection, are consistently reproduced over the full range of relevant combinations of signal and bias voltages. Our analysis was developed in the context of a specific electro-acoustic transducer. However, we find indications that the underlying method is in fact applicable to a much broader range of micro-mechanical actuators.

A virtual wind tunnel for deforming airborne wind energy kites

This paper presents a quasi-steady simulation framework for soft-wing kites with suspended control unit employed for airborne wind energy. The kites are subject to actuation-induced and aero-elastic deformation and are described by a coupled aero-structural model in a virtual wind tunnel setup. Key contributions of the present work are a kinetic dynamic relaxation algorithm and a procedure to define a physically consistent initial state. For symmetric actuation, the kite is pitch-statically stable and the simulations converge to a static equilibrium state. Most soft-wing kites are not roll-statically stable and do not find a static equilibrium without a symmetry assumption, as this introduces non-zero roll- and yaw moments. Another important contribution is the introduction of a steady circular flight state that enables convergence without a symmetry assumption. By neglecting gravity, the kite can fly in a perfectly circular turning motion around the wind vector with a constant radius and constant rotational velocity without requiring active control input. In an idealized wind-aligned tether case, the difference in aerodynamic- and centrifugal force application centers makes it impossible to achieve both a force- and moment equilibrium. This was resolved by including an elevation angle that introduces a radial tether force component, which introduces a centrifugal and aerodynamic force difference. Therefore, an operating point with roll equilibrium can be found where the kite finds a static equilibrium, enabling the first quasi-steady simulations of turning flights. Simulated quantifications of soft-wing kite turning behavior, i.e., turning laws, contribute to better kite- and control design.

Single mask and low voltage electrothermal micromotor

This paper introduces a single-mask-and-low-voltage electrothermal micromotor driven by four symmetrical V-shaped actuators and ratchet mechanism. The 2.5 mm-diameter micromotor has been fabricated successfully by using silicon on insulator (SOI) wafers and SOI-MEMS technology. The play of micromotor is tested under microscope and indicated that it operates quite smoothly. The actual rotation speeds (rpm) of the micromotor are examined with the driving frequencies range from 1 Hz to 15 Hz at a driving voltage of 12.5 V and compared with the calculation. Experimental results show that the theoretical and measured angular speeds are quite close while the applied frequencies are lower or equal to 10 Hz.

Migration of confined micro-swimmers subject to anisotropic diffusion

Shear-induced migration of elongated micro-swimmers exhibiting anisotropic Brownian diffusion at a population scale is investigated analytically in this work. We analyse the steady motion of confined ellipsoidal micro-swimmers subject to coupled diffusion in a general setting within a continuum homogenisation framework, as an extension of existing studies on macro-transport processes, by allowing for the direct coupling of convection and diffusion in local and global spaces. The analytical solutions are validated successfully by comparison with numerical results from Monte Carlo simulations. Subsequently, we demonstrate from the probability perspective that symmetric actuation does not yield net vertical polarisation in a horizontal flow, unless non-spherical shapes, external fields or direct coupling effects are harnessed to generate steady locomotion. Coupled diffusivities modify remarkably the drift velocity and vertical migration of motile micro-swimmers exposed to fluid shear. The interplay between stochastic swimming and preferential alignment could explain the diverse concentration and orientation distributions, including rheological formations of depletion layers, centreline focusing and surface accumulation. Results of the analytical study shed light on unravelling peculiar self-propulsion strategies and dispersion dynamics in active-matter systems, with implications for various transport problems arising from the fluctuating shape, size and other external or inter-particle interactions of swimmers in confined environments.

Modelling Aero-Structural Deformation of Flexible Membrane Kites

Airborne wind energy systems using flexible membrane wings have the advantages of a low weight, small packing volume, high mobility and rapid deployability. This paper investigates the aero-structural deformation of a leading edge inflatable kite for airborne wind energy harvesting. In the first step, a triangular two-plate representation of the wing is introduced, leading to an analytical description of the wing geometry depending on the symmetric actuation state. In the second step, this geometric constraint-based model is refined to a multi-segment wing representation using a particle system approach. Each wing segment consists of four point masses kept at a constant distance along the tubular frame by linear spring-damper elements. An empirical correlation is used to model the billowing of the wing’s trailing edge. The linear spring-damper elements also the model line segments of the bridle line system, with each connecting two point masses. Three line segments can also be connected by a pulley model. The aerodynamic force acting on each wing segment is determined individually using the lift equation with a constant lift coefficient. The particle system model can predict the symmetric deformation of the wing in response to a symmetric actuation of the bridle lines used for depowering the kite (i.e., changing the pitch angle). The model also reproduces the typical twist deformation of the wing in response to an asymmetric line actuation used for steering the kite. The simulated wing geometries are compared with photogrammetric information taken by the onboard video camera of the kite control unit, focusing on the wing during flight. The results demonstrate that a particle system model can accurately predict the geometry of a soft wing at a low computational cost, making it an ideal structural building block for the next generation of soft wing kite models.

Functionally graded structure design for magnetic field applications

This study presents topology optimization methodology of anisotropic magnetic composites, which consist of two ferromagnetic materials with low and high reluctivity values, considering the nonlinear magnetic saturation effect. Instead of employing the asymptotic homogenization theory, the representative volume element method combined with the machine learning is used to build the continuous function model and it is applied to obtain the material property according to the design variable change. Finally, the micro-scale functionally graded structure composed of two ferromagnetic materials with the macro-scale topological morphology is simultaneously designed to improve the magnetic performance of actuators. Numerical examples for symmetric and asymmetric magnetic actuator models are provided to validate the effectiveness of proposed design process. In the numerical results, optimized configurations and objective values obtained with the nonlinear magnetic composite material, which depend on the intensity of the magnetic flux density, are compared with those of the linear magnetic composite material.

Evolution of a single sessile droplet under the influence of the dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator

Ice accretion on airplane surfaces has been widely recognized as a significant safety threat, and corresponding investigations of anti-/de-icing technologies have experienced tremendous growth during the last two decades. Dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators involve different characteristics, such as thermal, acoustic, and flow characteristics, which are well suited for reducing and preventing ice accretion on wing surfaces effectively and safely. However, the correlation between the droplet, as the core of ice formation, and the plasma actuator is still not very clear. In order to understand the anti-/de-icing mechanism of the plasma actuator further, the evolution of a single sessile droplet under the influence of a symmetrical plasma actuator is studied. Interestingly, the oscillation of the droplet is first observed on the initiation of the plasma actuator, which is quite different from the droplet variation under traditional heating or cooling. Then, the flow field inside the droplet under the effect of the induced flow field of the plasma actuator is first uncovered by using the particle image velocimetry system. Subsequently, the evolution process of droplet deformation, deformed droplet moving downstream, deformed droplet moving downstream and evaporating, and water film moving downstream and evaporating is revealed. In addition, the underlying mechanism of the evolution process of the droplet is discussed based on the different characteristics of the plasma actuator. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the correlation between the droplet and the plasma actuation and lay a foundation for proposing the optimized strategy of anti-/de-icing using plasma actuators.

Design, Modeling, and Evaluation of a Class-A Triaxial Force-Balance Accelerometer of Linear Based Geometry

Abstract A new class-A force-balance accelerometer (FBA) is designed, simulated, and evaluated. The focus of this work was to design a low-cost but high-performance instrument. The FBA has output voltage proportional to ground acceleration, flat response from direct current to 200 Hz, output range ± 10 V differential (40Vpp, peak-to-peak) and sensitivity 2.5 V/g, which provides a ± 4g range. Unlike other well-established designs with rotational pendulum systems and single-coil actuators that present partially nonlinear performance, the proposed design is based on a linear motion spring-mass mechanism with two parallel leaf springs and a double symmetrical magnet-coil force actuator. This architecture ensures that the displacement transducer’s response is linear and that an acting force on the seismic mass is not disturbed by any cross-axial motion. This force depends on displacement only, as imposed by the electronic control circuit, which is implemented on a small high-density printed circuit board (PCB) mounted on top of the mechanical construction. The plates of the variable capacitance displacement transducer consist of ordinary PCBs for cost efficiency. The coils of the force actuator are placed on each side of the moving plate of the capacitive transducer and the magnets are placed on the aluminum rigid frame of the device. The central moving plate of the variable capacitor and the attached force actuator coils, along with some extra aluminum mass, consist the accelerometer’s seismic mass. The performance of the accelerometer is evaluated in terms of earthquake data records and in comparison of its response with that of a commercial FBA with corresponding specifications. The instrument’s self-noise was also measured over a long period of operation and proved to comply with typical FBA application requirements and commercial product standards.

Series Solution-Based Approach for the Interlaminar Stress Analysis of Smart Composites under Thermo-Electro-Mechanical Loading

This paper introduces a new loading condition considering the combined thermo-electro-mechanical coupling effect in a series solution-based approach to analyze the free-edge interlaminar stresses in smart composite laminates. The governing equations are developed using the principle of complementary virtual work. The assumed stress fields satisfy the traction-free and free-edge boundary conditions. The accurate stress states of the composite structures are acquired through the procedure of generalized eigenvalue problems. The uniform temperature is employed throughout the laminate, and the electric field loading is applied to the symmetric piezo-bonded actuators to examine the combined effect of thermal and electrical stresses on the overall deformation of smart composite laminates. It was observed that the magnitude of the peeling stresses generated by mechanical loading was reduced by the combined thermal and electric excitation loading (up to 25.3%), which in turn resulted in expanding the service life of the smart composite structures. The proposed approach is implemented on three different layup configurations. The efficiency of the current methodology is confirmed by comparing the results with the 3D finite element (FEM) solution computed by ABAQUS.

Optimization of the Motion Algorithm and Reduction of the External Dynamic Load of the Machinery Actuator in Translational and Rotational Modes

This article deals with the theoretical preconditions for creating a high-performance, universal earthmoving vehicle with continuous motion that can create long grooves of different depths and widths in the soil using a single actuator. For this purpose, a new symmetrical rotor actuator was developed, which operates in translational and rotational modes due to the two-level actuator with a double-swivel mounting on the base chassis, instead of the traditional single-swivel mounting. Its use eliminates the possibility of leveling the thickness of the shavings when digging the soil. The rotor-actuator-movement algorithm at the front part was developed from a combination of vehicle movement and cyclic-lateral-actuator movement. In real practice, this means digging up the soil with even shavings. The implementation of the developed algorithm in the physical model of the symmetrical actuator confirmed the possibility of balancing the thickness of the shavings, which are cut by the rotor buckets with up to 10% accuracy. The difference between the results in determining the thickness of the shavings analytically and experimentally is 12% with a confidence interval of 0.95.

Experimental study of position tracking control and pressure variation analysis on electrohydraulic system in open loop

This paper studies on the variable displacement electro-hydrostatic actuation system to control the position of hydraulic actuator with the used of bidirectional swashing variable displacement axial piston pump. The pump control system is more efficient than valve control system. The paper is focused on the experiment of position tracking of a symmetric linear hydraulic actuator in an open loop control, the demand of actuator is sinusoidal with frequencies of 0.10 to 0.25 Hz, amplitude of 0.1 m and offset of demand 0.1 m. The effective pressure force of the actuator depends on the chamber pressure variation of the actuator, the nature of pressure variation measured which played decisive role to control the position of the actuator. In industrial application, the role of the electrohydraulic system with accurate control is quite evident, the present experimental work emphasis to control the hydraulic actuator position.

Stiffness Compensation Through Matching Buckling Loads in a Compliant Four-Bar Mechanism

Abstract In this paper, a novel alternative method of stiffness compensation in buckled mechanisms is investigated. This method involves the use of critical load matching, i.e., matching the first two buckling loads of a mechanism. An analytical simply supported five-bar linkage model consisting of three rigid links, a prismatic slider joint, and four torsion springs in the revolute joints is proposed for the analysis of this method. It is found that the first two buckling loads are exactly equal when the two grounded springs are three times stiffer than the two ungrounded springs. The force–deflection characteristic of this linkage architecture showed statically balanced behavior in both symmetric and asymmetric actuation. Using modal analysis, it was shown that the sum of the decomposed strain energy per buckling mode is constant throughout the motion range for this architecture. An equivalent lumped-compliant mechanism is designed; finite element and experimental analysis showed near-zero actuation forces, verifying that critical load matching may be used to achieve significant stiffness compensation in buckled mechanisms.

Input-output framework for actuated boundary layers

This work extends the input-output approach to the study of wall-bounded shear flows manipulated using actuators common in experimental flow control studies. In particular, we adapt this powerful analytical framework to investigate the flow response to specified geometric actuation patterns (e.g., different plasma actuators) that can be applied over a range of different temporal input signals. For example, the commonly studied steady-state (time-averaged) flow response corresponds to a superposition of step responses in our modeling framework. The approach takes advantage of the linearity of the transfer function representation to construct the actuated flow field as a weighted superposition of the flow responses to point sources of varying intensity comprising the actuation model. We first validate the proposed method through comparisons with numerical and experimental studies of the time-averaged behavior of a transitional boundary layer actuated using a dielectric-barrier discharge plasma actuator operating in constricted discharge mode. The method is shown to reproduce the streamwise velocity field and the vortical structures observed downstream from the tested plasma actuator configurations. We then demonstrate that the method provides even better agreement with the steady-state response of the boundary layer subject to actuation from arrays of symmetric plasma actuators arranged in both spanwise and serpentine geometries. These results indicate the utility of this extension to the widely used input-output framework in analyzing the effects of certain actuation modalities that have shown promise in flow manipulation strategies for drag reduction. An important benefit of this analytical method is the low computational cost associated with its use in extensive parametric studies that would be cost-prohibitive using experiments or high-fidelity simulations.

Investigation of the influence of low-frequency forcing on the 3-D turbulent wake of a cantilevered triangular prism

Abstract

Finite-Time Consensus Tracking Neural Network FTC of Multi-Agent Systems.

The finite-time consensus fault-tolerant control (FTC) tracking problem is studied for the nonlinear multi-agent systems (MASs) in the nonstrict feedback form. The MASs are subject to unknown symmetric output dead zones, actuator bias and gain faults, and unknown control coefficients. According to the properties of the neural network (NN), the unstructured uncertainties problem is solved. The Nussbaum function is used to address the output dead zones and unknown control directions problems. By introducing an arbitrarily small positive number, the "singularity" problem caused by combining the finite-time control and backstepping design is solved. According to the backstepping design and Lyapunov stability theory, a finite-time adaptive NN FTC controller is obtained, which guarantees that the tracking error converges to a small neighborhood of zero in a finite time, and all signals in the closed-loop system are bounded. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated via a physical example.

Resonance Properties of a Low-Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge

The electrical characteristics of a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) symmetrical actuator at low pressures gave been investigated. A power source–actuator–DBD system has been analyzed. The plot of the feed voltage frequency at which a voltage resonance is observed at the outer electrodes of an actuator with a given configuration against air pressure has been constructed. The DBD density, as well as the capacitance and Q factor of the system, as a function of pressure in a pressure chamber, has been determined. It has been found that, as the pressure drops, the fraction of the DBD energy spent on generating a synthetic jet grows.

High frequency combustion instability control by discharge plasma in a model rocket engine combustor

To suppress the high frequency combustion instability of rocket engines, quasi-direct current (quasi-DC) discharge plasma is considered in combination with special arrangements in a rocket engine combustor. After establishing an internal reacting flow field model of a rocket combustor and a phenomenological plasma model, the influence of quasi-DC discharge plasma on high frequency combustion instability is numerically investigated. The results show that the characteristics of the high frequency combustion instability in the combustor are captured very well through the simulation. Based on the DES turbulence model, a positive feedback process is clearly observed for the self-excited combustion instability. The mean temperature and pressure of the combustor are not sensitive to the occurrence of quasi-DC discharge plasma. The pressure histories of the combustor and their characteristic oscillating frequencies are not affected by the plasma when only one actuator is in operation. However, the oscillating amplitudes of the pressure are reduced within a certain time when several actuators are in operation. The heat release becomes more diffusive and more eddies form around the injector faceplate with an increasing number of plasma filaments. Mainly through the reduction of local heat release, the plasma is capable of affecting the high frequency combustion instability in the combustor. To better control high frequency combustion instability, the optimal arrangement is a double-plasma filaments with symmetrical actuators.

Interfacial instability of thin films in soft microfluidic configurations actuated by electro-osmotic flow

Electro-osmotic flow is a commonly-used method to manipulate fluids in microdevices, often fabricated from soft materials like PDMS. We show that electro-osmotic flow systems may exhibit viscous-elastic interfacial instability. To provide insight on the underlying instability mechanism, we theoretically model an electro-osmotic flow interacting with an elastic substrate, and find that instability can result in asymmetric deformation, even for symmetric actuation. In addition to instability, the system nonlinearity, arising from the inverse dependence of the electro-osmotic actuation on the film thickness, results in hysteresis.

Резонансные свойства диэлектрического барьерного разряда при пониженном давлении

Исследованы электрические характеристики диэлектрического барьерного разряда (ДБР) симметричного актуатора при пониженных давлениях. Проведен анализ системы "источник питания-актуатор-ДБР". Построены зависимости частоты питающего напряжения, при которых наблюдается резонанс напряжения на внешних электродах актуатора заданной геометрии, от давления воздуха. Определены мощность ДБР, емкость и добротность системы в зависимости от давления в барокамере. Обнаружено, что при уменьшении давления доля энергии ДБР, расходуемая на создание синтетической струи, существенно увеличивается. Ключевые слова: диэлектрический барьерный разряд, симметричный актуатор, синтетическая струя.