ACTUATORS

By K.VARUN
Roll no 123511

ACTUATORS
Type of motion Type of medium

Linear

Rotary

Hydraulic

pneumatic

electrical

HYDRAULIC ACTUATORS
Hydraulic Actuators are used in industrial process control, employ hydraulic

pressure to drive an output member. Principle : Pascals Law Pressure exerted anywhere in a confined incompressible fluid is transmitted equally in all directions throughout the fluid, acts upon every part of the confining vessel at right angles to its interior surfaces. F = PxA

WORKING OF HYDRAULIC ACTUATION SYSTEM

directional control valve controls the direction of oil flow in the system and, therefore, the direction of motion of the cylinder piston.
The valve has four ports, labeled , , , and . and stand for pressure and tank (or reservoir), and and are output ports. The valve can be operated in three different positions.

Case 1 Lever is moved away from valve body

case 2 Lever is moving towards valve body

The oil from the pump flows through path - of the valve to the upper end of the cylinder.
The oil pushes the piston downward, which lowers the attached load. At the same time, the oil at the lower end of the cylinder flows back to the reservoir through path - of the directional control valve.

case 3 : Lever is idle in position

When the directional control valve lever is released, the valve automatically returns to the center (neutral) position. In this position, all four ports are blocked and oil cannot escape from either side of the cylinder.

. This stops the movement of the piston and causes oil to flow from the pump back to the
reservoir through the pressure relief valve.

PNEUMATIC ACTUATOR
A pneumatic actuator converts energy (typically in the form

of compressed Air) into motion. The motion can be rotary or linear, depending on the type of actuator.

A Pneumatic actuator mainly consists of a piston, a cylinder, and

valves or ports.

Pneumatic systems are very common, and have much in common with

hydraulic systems with a few key differences

WORKING OF PNUEMATIC ACTUATORS

Pneumatic actuators are generally relatively simplistic and depend on their own

ability to convert potential energy into kinetic energy.

Electric Motors
Electric motors are the most common source of torque for mobility

and/or manipulation in machines.

The physical principle of all electric motors is that when an electric

current is passed through a conductor (usually a coil of wire) placed within a magnetic field, a force is exerted on the wire causing it to move

Components Of An Electric Motor

The principle components of an electric motor are:
North and south magnetic poles to provide a strong magnetic

field. Being made of bulky ferrous material they traditionally form the outer casing of the motor and collectively form the

stator
An armature, which is a cylindrical ferrous core rotating

within the stator and carries a large number of windings made from one or more conductors

Components Of An Electric Motor (cont)

A commutator, which rotates with the armature and consists

of copper contacts attached to the end of the windings

Brushes in fixed positions and in contact with the rotating

commutator contacts. They carry direct current to the coils, resulting in the required motion

Components Of An Electric Motor (cont)

Stator
(Rotating) Commutator

Armature

Brushes

How Do Electric Motors Work?

The classic DC motor has a rotating armature in the form of

an electromagnet A rotary switch called a commutator reverses the direction of the electric current twice every cycle, to flow through the armature so that the poles of the electromagnet push and pull against the permanent magnets on the outside of the motor As the poles of the armature electromagnet pass the poles of the permanent magnets, the commutator reverses the polarity of the armature electromagnet. During that instant of switching polarity, inertia keeps the motor going in the proper direction

Piezoelectric motor
A piezoelectric motor or piezo motor is a type of

electric motor based upon the change in shape of a piezoelectric material when an electric field is applied. Piezoelectric motors make use of the converse piezoelectric effect whereby the material produces acoustic or ultrasonic vibrations in order to produce a linear or rotary motion.

BIMORPH
A bi-laminar actuator is made from a piezoelectric

smart material that returns to its original shape after a force is to applied to it. A flexing or bending actuator is designed to produce a relatively large mechanical deflection in response to an electrical signal. Two thin strips of piezoelectric ceramic are bonded together, usually with the direction of polarization coinciding, and are electrically connected in parallel.

Basic Working Principle (cont.)

When electrical input is applied, one ceramic

layer expands and the other contracts, causing the actuator to flex. Vin>0V
+ Vin=0V + -

MEMS ACTUATORS
Thermal Actuators
V-Shaped Thermal Actuators These actuators are based on the constrained thermal expansion of the angled beams (a result of Joule heating when a current is passed through the legs of the actuator), resulting in motion of the center shuttle in the direction shown by the arrow in the figure.

Electrostatic Actuators

Torsional Ratcheting Actuator (TRA)

Contd

REFERENCES
W.Bolton; 1995, A Text book on Mechatronics

Electronic Control Systems in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Third edition; Pearson Education. Practical's in Hydraulic Systems written by Ravi Doddannavar and Andries Barnard, Elsevier Science & Technology Books Publications. The Mechatronics Handbook written by Robert H. Bishop, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas. Y. Bar-Cohen, Electroactive polymer (EAP) Actuators as artificial muscles. Reality, potential, and Challenges, SPIE Press, Washington, USA (2001). www.nptel.iitm.ac.in http://mechatronics.ece.usu.edu/ece5320/Schedule/h w01-2005/