Advances In Actuators

Advances in Actuators provides an overview of actuator technology. Each section has been written by an expert in the field, and examples from research and commercial application are included. It includes case studies for the automotive, electronics, and process industries.

In the last two decades, a great effort has been directed towards the development of new smart materials actuators and their corresponding application devices and systems. Currently, some smart materials actuators are commercially applied for several technologies including automotive technology, but some of the smart materials actuators are still far from meeting strict practical requirements such as reliability, cost-effectiveness and robustness against unexpected environment conditions. Therefore, it is timely and appropriate to present recent research on smart materials actuators in terms of material characterization and advanced application systems in a single book. This book describes smart materials actuator technology from materials characterizations to device or system applications. The smart materials introduced in this book include magnetorehological fluid (MRF), magnetorheological elastomer (MRE), electrorheological fluid (ERF), piezoelectric material (PM), shape memory ally (SMA), dielectric elastomer (DE) and ionic polymer (IP). Both physical and chemical characterizations of each smart material are described in details in terms of actuating aspect. In addition, several application devices utilizing each smart material are introduced to provide practical controllability as a potential candidate for new actuators. The application devices introduced in this book include MRF damper for automotive suspension, PM unimorph pump for micro-hydraulic system, MRE flexible structure for vibration control, IP biomimetic micro-robot and SMA civil structure and damper system for vibration attenuation.

The objective of the present book, which tries to summarize in an edited format and in a fairly comprehensive manner, many of the recent technical research accomplishments in the area of Smart Actuators and Smart Sensors, is to combine researchers and scientists from different fields into a single virtual room. The book hence reflects the multicultural nature of the field and will allow the reader to taste and appreciate different points of view, different engineering methods and different tools that must be jointly considered when designing and realizing smart actuation and sensing systems.

Actuators are devices that convert electrical energy into mechanical work, traditionally used in electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic systems. As the demand for actuator technologies grows in biomedical, prosthetic and orthotic applications, there is an increasing need for complex and sophisticated products that perform efficiently also when scaled to micro and nano domains. Providing a comprehensive overview of actuators for novel applications, this excellent book: * Presents a mechatronic approach to the design, control and integration of a range of technologies covering piezoelectric actuators, shape memory actuators, electro-active polymers, magnetostrictive actuators and electro- and magnetorheological actuators. * Examines the characteristics and performance of emerging actuators upon scaling to micro and nano domains. * Assesses the relative merits of each actuator technology and outlines prospective application fields. Offering a detailed analysis on current advances in the field, this publication will appeal to practising electrical and electronics engineers developing novel actuator systems. Mechanical and automation engineers, computer scientists and researchers will also find this a useful resource.

This book is the second edition of Soft Actuators, originally published in 2014, with 12 chapters added to the first edition. The subject of this new edition is current comprehensive research and development of soft actuators, covering interdisciplinary study of materials science, mechanics, electronics, robotics, and bioscience. The book includes contemporary research of actuators based on biomaterials for their potential in future artificial muscle technology. Readers will find detailed and useful information about materials, methods of synthesis, fabrication, and measurements to study soft actuators. Additionally, the topics of materials, modeling, and applications not only promote the further research and development of soft actuators, but bring benefits for utilization and industrialization. This volume makes generous use of color figures, diagrams, and photographs that provide easy-to-understand descriptions of the mechanisms, apparatus, and motions of soft actuators. Also, in this second edition the chapters on modeling, materials design, and device design have been given a wider scope and made easier to comprehend, which will be helpful in practical applications of soft actuators. Readers of this work can acquire the newest technology and information about basic science and practical applications of flexible, lightweight, and noiseless soft actuators, which differ from conventional mechanical engines and electric motors. This new edition of Soft Actuators will inspire readers with fresh ideas and encourage their research and development, thus opening up a new field of applications for the utilization and industrialization of soft actuators.

Modeling and Control of Precision Actuators explores new technologies that can ultimately be applied in a myriad of industries. It covers dynamical analysis of precise actuators and strategies of design for various control applications. The book addresses four main schemes: modeling and control of precise actuators; nonlinear control of precise actuators, including sliding mode control and neural network feedback control; fault detection and fault-tolerant control; and advanced air bearing control. It covers application issues in the modeling and control of precise actuators, providing several interesting case studies for more application-oriented readers. Introduces the driving forces behind precise actuators Describes nonlinear dynamics of precise actuators and their mathematical forms, including hysteresis, creep, friction, and force ripples Presents the control strategies for precise actuators based on Preisach model as well as creep dynamics Develops relay feedback techniques for identifying nonlinearities such as friction and force ripples Discusses a MPC approach based on piecewise affine models which emulate the frictional effects in the precise actuator Covers the concepts of air bearing stages with the corresponding control method Provides a set of schemes suitable for fault detection and accommodation control of mechanical systems Emphasizing design theory and control strategies, the book includes simulation and practical examples for each chapter; covers precise actuators such as piezo motors, coil motors, air bearing motors, and linear motors; discusses integration among different technologies; and includes three case studies in real projects. The book concludes by linking design methods and their applications, emphasizing the key issues involved and how to implement the precision motion control tasks in a practical system. It provides a concise and comprehensive source of the state-of-the-art developments and results for modeling and control of precise actuators.

The flow of two-phase mixtures through restrictions. is a complex phenomenon that to date has not been fully described analytically. It is an area that received a geat deal of attention because of its application to nuclear reactor technology. The majority of the work done in this area considered ideal geometries such as nozzles, orifices and straight pipes. In the area of control valves very little work has been done. Brockett & King [1] studied subcooled water. Stiles [2] looked at subcooled freon. Martinec [4] compared subcooled freon in valves with ideal geometries. Sheldon & Schuder [3) looked experimentally at airjwater mixtures through valves that resulted in a sizing procedure. Fagerlund [10] presented an analytical model that required use of the Sheldon & Schuder data to establish the behavior of valves as opposed to more ideal geometries. However, the data used was limited to a single valve travel. Fagerlund & Storer [11] have expanded this to include several valve travels that further generalizes the technique. It is the intent of this paper to summarize a practical approach to s1z1ng valves for two-phase service that may be reduced to either a graphical or calculator procedure. Discussion of Analysis A fundamental assumption in this method is that the quality remains constant between the inlet and the vena contracta. For gas-liquid flows it is obvious providing vaporization does not occur.

This book presents recent results on fault diagnosis and condition monitoring of airborne electromechanical actuators, illustrating both algorithmic and hardware design solutions to enhance the reliability of onboard more electric aircraft. The book begins with an introduction to the current trends in the development of electrically powered actuation systems for aerospace applications. Practical examples are proposed to help present approaches to reliability, availability, maintainability and safety analysis of airborne equipment. The terminology and main strategies for fault diagnosis and condition monitoring are then reviewed. The core of the book focuses on the presentation of relevant case studies of fault diagnosis and monitoring design for airborne electromechanical actuators, using different techniques. The last part of the book is devoted to a summary of lessons learned and practical suggestions for the design of fault diagnosis solutions of complex airborne systems. The book is written with the idea of providing practical guidelines on the development of fault diagnosis and monitoring algorithms for airborne electromechanical actuators. It will be of interest to practitioners in aerospace, mechanical, electronic, reliability and systems engineering, as well as researchers and postgraduates interested in dynamical systems, automatic control and safety-critical systems. Advances in Industrial Control reports and encourages the transfer of technology in control engineering. The rapid development of control technology has an impact on all areas of the control discipline. The series offers an opportunity for researchers to present an extended exposition of new work in all aspects of industrial control.