Research on Dual-Variable Integrated Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator

The integrated electro-hydrostatic actuator （EHA） with variable displacement and variable rotation speed is researched. In the system, the output of the actuator is changed by controlling the rotationspeed of the brushless DC servomotor and the displacement of the servopump. The mathematical model described in state-space model is created. The system characteristics are studied based on the point of multiplicative dual-variable. And the basic method of control of the system is presented.

Modeling and analysis of oil frictional loss in wet-type permanent magnet synchronous motor for aerospace electro-hydrostatic actuator

To improve the power density and simplify the seal structure,the Wet-Type Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor(WTPMSM)technique has been applied to aerospace Electro-Hydrostatic Actuators(EHA).In a WTPMSM,the stator and the rotor are both immersed in the aviation hydraulic oil.Although the heat dissipation performance of the WTPMSM can be enhanced,the aviation hydraulic oil will cost an extra oil frictional loss in the narrow airgap of the WTPMSM.This paper proposes an accurate oil frictional loss model for the WTPMSM,in which the wide speed range(0–20 kr/min)and the narrowness of the airgap(0.5–1.5 mm)are its features.Firstly,the mechanism of the oil frictional loss in the airgap of the WTPMSM is revealed.Then an accurate oil frictional loss model is proposed considering the nonlinear influence caused by the Taylor vortex.Furthermore,the influence of motor dimensions on oil frictional loss is analyzed.Finally,the proposed oil frictional loss model is verified by experiments,which provides a guideline for engineers to follow in the WTPMSM design.

Design and Simulation of Electro-hydrostatic Actuator with a Built-in Power Regulator

The electro-hydrostatic actuator （EHA） is a kind of power-by-wire （PBW） actuator that converts the electrical power into localized hydraulic power for flight control. By removing the central hydraulic power supply together with hydraulic pipes, an EHA＇s reliability and efficiency are greatly improved but its frequency width and stiffness decreased. To overcome the drawback, this article proposes a novel structure of EHA associated with a power regulator. Composed of a high-pressure accumulator and a proportional valve, it can store and harness the hydraulic power flexibly according to the changing control requirements. The concept of transferred volume is put forward to estimate the capability of the power regulator. The actuator output position can be kept fixed with a hydraulic lock. The compounded control is specially developed to ensure the actuator system to operate in a correct manner. The simulation results indicate that the new-brand actuator results in efficient expanding of the system frequency width with an optimal power supply.

Modeling and control of a novel electro-hydrostatic actuator with adaptive pump displacement

The variable pump displacement and variable motor speed electro-hydrostatic actuator(EHA),one of the three types of EHAs,has advantages such as short response time,flexible speed regulation,and high efficiency.However,the nonlinearity of its double-input single-output system poses a great challenge for system control.This study proposes a novel EHA with adaptive pump displacement and variable motor speed(EHA-APVM).A closed-loop position is realized using a servomotor.Moreover,the displacement varies with the system pressure;thus,the EHA-APVM is a single-input and single-output system.Firstly,the working principles of the EHA-APVM and the pump used in the system are introduced.Secondly,a nonlinear mathematical model of the proposed EHA-APVM control system is established,and a feedback back-stepping(FBBS)control algorithm is introduced to transform the complex nonlinear system into a linear system on the basis of the back-stepping control theory.Finally,simulation results prove that the EHA-APVM has a quick response and high robustness to variations of the load and the pump displacement.In this work,the size and weight of the motor are significantly reduced because the maximum power requirement is reduced,which is very beneficial for using the actuator in airborne equipment.

Experimental study of an insert and its influence on churning losses in a high-speed electro-hydrostatic actuator pump of an aircraft

The speed of an Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator(EHA) pump can recently reach 20000 r/min, and its churning losses increase obviously with an increasing speed, which results in low efficiency and thus increasing heat in aircraft EHA systems. In order to reduce churning losses at high speeds, more attention should be given to the design of an insert. In this paper, the effect of an insert with different design parameters on churning losses is investigated through Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) simulation and experiments by calculating the difference between churning losses torques of the test pump with and without the insert based on a high-speed churning losses test rig.Analytical results show that the gap between the insert and the cylinder is critical for churning losses reduction. It is found that the churning losses of the test pump can be reduced with a decreasing gap between the cylinder block and the insert at high speeds. This is because the insert can decrease the turbulence occurrence at high speeds. The results can be used for flow field analysis and optimization of the high-speed EHA pump and provide a new method for improving efficiency of high-speed EHA pumps.

Variable load failure mechanism for high-speed load sensing electro-hydrostatic actuator pump of aircraft

This paper presents a novel transient lubrication model for the analysis of the variable load failure mechanism of high-speed pump used in Load Sensing Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator（LS-EHA）. Focusing on the slipper/swashplate pair partial abrasion, which is considered as the dominant failure mode in the high-speed condition, slipper dynamic models are established. A forth sliding motion of the slipper on the swashplate surface is presented under the fact that the slipper center of mass will rotate around the center of piston ball when the swashplate angle is dynamically adjusted. Besides, extra inertial tilting moments will be produced for the slipper based on the theorem on translation of force, which will increase rapidly when LS-EHA pump operates under highspeed condition. Then, a dynamic lubricating model coupling with fluid film thickness field, temperature field and pressure field is proposed. The deformation effects caused by thermal deflection and hydrostatic pressure are considered. A numerical simulation model is established to validate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed model. Finally, based on the load spectrum of aircraft flight profile, the variable load conditions and the oil film characteristics are analyzed, and series of variable load rules of oil film thickness with variable speed/variable pressure/variable displacement are concluded.

Dynamic thermal coupling modeling and analysis of wet electro-hydrostatic actuator

The electro-hydrostatic actuator(EHA)used in more electric aircraft(MEA)has been extensively studied due to its advantages of high reliability and high integration.However,this high integration results in a small heat dissipation area,leading to high-temperature problems.Generally,to reduce the temperature,a wet cooling method of using the pump leakage oil to cool the motor is adopted,which can also increase the difficulty of accurately predicting the system temperature in the early design stage.To solve this problem,a dynamic coupling thermal model of a wet EHA is proposed in this paper.In particular,the leakage oil of the pump is used as a coupling item between the electrical system and the hydraulic system.Then,an improved T-equivalent block model is proposed to address the uneven distribution of axial oil temperature inside the motor,and the control node method is applied to hydraulic system thermal modeling.Meanwhile,a dynamic coupling thermal model is developed that enables a dynamic evaluation of the wet EHA temperature.Then,experimental prototypes of wet motor and wet EHA are developed,while the temperature response of the wet motor at different rotation speeds and different loads and the temperature response of the wet EHA at no-load condition were verified experimentally at room temperature,respectively.The maximum temperature difference between the experimental and theoretical results of the wet motor as well as the experimental and theoretical results of the wet EHA is less than 8℃.These test results indicate that the dynamic coupling thermal model is valid and demonstrate that the thermal coupling modeling method proposed in this paper can provide a basis for the detailed thermal design of EHA.

Erosion degradation characteristics of a linear electro-hydrostatic actuator under a high-frequency turbulent flow field

The paper proposes a performance degradation analysis model based on dynamic erosion wear for a novel Linear Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator（LEHA）. Rather than the traditional statistical methods based on degradation data, the method proposed in this paper firstly analyzes the dominant progressive failure mode of the LEHA based on the working principle and working conditions of the LEHA. The Computational Fluid Dynamics（CFD） method, combining the turbulent theory and the micro erosion principle, is used to establish an erosion model of the rectification mechanism. The erosion rates for different port openings, under a time-varying flow field, are obtained. The piecewise linearization method is applied to update the concentration of contaminated particles within the LEHA, in order to gain insight into the erosion degradation process at various stages of degradation. The main contribution of the proposed model is the application of the dynamic concentration of contamination particles in erosion analysis of Electro-Hydraulic Servo Valves（EHSVs）, throttle valves, spool valves, and needle valves. The effects of system parameters and working conditions on component wear are analyzed by simulations. The results of the proposed model match the expected degradation process.

An electro-hydrostatic actuator for hybrid active-passive vibration isolation

A novel electro-hydrostatic actuator （EHA） for active vibration isolation has been designed, modelled and tested. The EHA consists of a brushless DC motor running in oil and integrated with a bidirectional gear pump, driving a hydraulic cylinder. The actuator is designed to be integrated into a flexible strut connecting a helicopter rotor hub and fuselage, to provide isolation at the dominant rotor vibration frequency of around 20 Hz. The resonant frequency of the EHA is tuned to provide some passive vibration isolation. Active control increases the isolation performance by compensating for damping losses, and provides isolation over a broader range of frequencies. Tests on a prototype demonstrated a four-fold reduction of the root-mean-square transmitted force and a near elimination at the fundamental frequency. The advantages of the resonant EHA are a wider range of operating frequencies than a purely passive system, and lower power consumption than a purely active system.

Modelling and simulation of flight control electromechanical actuators with special focus on model architecting, multidisciplinary effects and power flows

In the aerospace field, electromechanical actuators are increasingly being implemented in place of conventional hydraulic actuators. For safety-critical embedded actuation applications like flight controls, the use of electromechanical actuators introduces specific issues related to thermal balance, reflected inertia, parasitic motion due to compliance and response to failure. Unfortunately, the physical effects governing the actuator behaviour are multidisciplinary, coupled and nonlinear. Although numerous multi-domain and system-level simulation packages are now available on the market, these effects are rarely addressed as a whole because of a lack of scientific approaches for model architecting, multi-purpose incremental modelling and judicious model implementation. In this publication, virtual prototyping of electromechanical actuators is addressed using the Bond-Graph formalism. New approaches are proposed to enable incremental modelling,thermal balance analysis, response to free-run or jamming faults, impact of compliance on parasitic motion, and influence of temperature. A special focus is placed on friction and compliance of the mechanical transmission with fault injection and temperature dependence. Aileron actuation is used to highlight the proposals for control design, energy consumption and thermal analysis, power network pollution analysis and fault response.

Effects of splined shaft bending rigidity on cylinder tilt behaviour for high-speed electrohydrostatic actuator pumps

High-speed axial piston pumps are hydraulic power supplies for electro-hydrostatic actuators(EHAs). The efficiency of a pump directly affects the operating performance of an EHA, and an understanding of the physical phenomena occurring in the cylinder/valve plate interface is essential to investigate energy dissipation. The effects of the splined shaft bending rigidity on the cylinder tilt behaviour in an EHA pump need to be considered, because the deflection and radial expansion of a steel shaft rotating at a high speed cannot be ignored. This paper proposes a new mathematical model to predict the cylinder tilt behaviour by establishing a quantitative relationship between the splined shaft deflection, the cylinder tilt angle, and the tilt azimuth angle. The moments exerted by the splined shaft are included in the equilibrium equation of the cylinder. The effects of solid and hollow splined shafts equipped in an EHA pump prototype are compared at variable speeds of 5000–10,000 r/min. With a weight saving of 29.7%, the hollow shaft is experimentally found to have almost no influence on the volumetric efficiency, but to reduce the mechanical efficiency by 0.6–2.4%. The results agree with the trivial differences of the simulated central gap heights of the interface between the two shafts and the enlargement of the simulated tilt angles by the hollow shaft. The findings could guide designs of the cylinder/valve plate interface and the splined shaft to improve both the efficiency and power density of an EHA pump.

Active fault tolerant control for vertical tail damaged aircraft with dissimilar redundant actuation system

This paper proposes an active fault-tolerant control strategy for an aircraft with dissimilar redundant actuation system （DRAS） that has suffered from vertical tail damage. A damage degree coefficient based on the effective vertical tail area is introduced to parameterize the damaged flight dynamic model. The nonlinear relationship between the damage degree coefficient and the corresponding stability derivatives is considered. Furthermore, the performance degradation of new input channel with electro-hydrostatic actuator （EHA） is also taken into account in the damaged flight dynamic model. Based on the accurate damaged flight dynamic model, a composite method of linear quadratic regulator （LQR） integrating model reference adaptive control （MRAC） is proposed to reconfigure the fault-tolerant control law. The numerical simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed fault-tolerant control strategy with accurate flight dynamic model. The results also indicate that aircraft with DRAS has better fault-tolerant control ability than the traditional ones when the vertical tail suffers from serious damage.

Motion synchronization in a dual redundant HA/EHA system by using a hybrid integrated intelligent control design

This paper presents an integrated fuzzy controller design approach to synchronize a dis- similar redundant actuation system of a hydraulic actuator （HA） and an electro-hydrostatic actu- ator （EHA） with system uncertainties and disturbances. The motion synchronous control system consists of a trajectory generator, an individual position controller for each actuator, and a fuzzy force tracking controller （FFTC） for both actuators. The trajectory generator provides the desired motion dynamics and designing parameters of the trajectory which are taken according to the dynamic characteristics of the EHA. The position controller consists of a feed-forward controller and a fuzzy position tracking controller （FPTC） and acts as a decoupled controller, improving posi- tion tracking performance with the help of the feed-forward controller and the FPTC. The FFTC acts as a coupled controller and takes into account the inherent coupling effect. The simulation results show that the proposed controller not only eliminates initial force fighting by synchronizing the two actuators, but also improves disturbance rejection performance.

Multi-objective optimization of surface texture for the slipper/swash plate interface in EHA pumps

Well-designed surface textures can improve the tribological properties and the efficiency of the electro-hydrostatic actuator(EHA)pump under high-speed and high-pressure conditions.This study proposes a multi-objective optimization model to obtain the arbitrarily surface textures design of the slipper/swash plate interface for improving the mechanical and volumetric efficiency of the EHA pump.The model is composed of the lubrication film model,the component dynamic model considering the spinning motion,and the multi-objective optimization model.In this way,the arbitrary-shaped surface texture with the best comprehensive effect in the EHA pump is achieved and its positive effects in the EHA pump prototype are verified.Experimental results show a reduction in wear and an improvement in mechanical and volumetric efficiency by 1.4%and 0.8%,respectively,with the textured swash plate compared with the untextured one.