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Design and characteristic research of a novel electromechanical-hydraulic hybrid actuator with two transmission mechanisms

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Abstract

Servo-hydraulic actuators (SHAs) are widely used in mechanical equipment to drive heavy-duty mechanisms. However, their energy efficiency is low, and their motion characteristics are inevitably affected by uncertain nonlinearities. Electromechanical actuators (EMAs) possess superior energy efficiency and motion characteristics. However, they cannot easily drive heavy-duty mechanisms because of weak bearing capacity. This study proposes and designs a novel electromechanical-hydraulic hybrid actuator (EMHA) that integrates the advantages of EMA and SHA. EMHA mainly features two transmission mechanisms. The piston of the hydraulic transmission mechanism and the ball screw pair of the electromechanical transmission mechanism are mechanically fixed together through screw bolts, realizing the integration of two types of transmission mechanisms. The control scheme of the electromechanical transmission mechanism is used for motion control, and the hydraulic transmission mechanism is used for power assistance. Then, the mathematical model, structure, and parameter design of the new EMHA are studied. Finally, the EMHA prototype and test platform are manufactured. The test results prove that the EMHA has good working characteristics and high energy efficiency. Compared with the valve-controlled hydraulic cylinder system, EMHA exhibits a velocity tracking error and energy consumption reduced by 49.7% and 54%, respectively, under the same working conditions.

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Abbreviations

EHA:

Electro-hydrostatic actuator

EMA:

Electromechanical actuator

EMHA:

Electromechanical-hydraulic hybrid actuator

SHA:

Servo-hydraulic actuator

A 1,A 2 :

Effective action areas of the EMHA rodless and rod chamber pressure, respectively

B :

Rotational viscous friction coefficient

c :

System viscous damping coefficient

d :

Outer diameter of the piston rod

d c :

Outer diameter of the cylinder barrel

ds:

Diameter of the lead screw

d 1, d 2 :

Diameters of the piston and piston rod, respectively

De:

Servo motor width

Dz1:

Wheelbase between the servo motor and the lead screw

Dz2:

Wheelbase between the driving gear and the driven gear

Fe:

Electromechanical transmission mechanism force

F e :

Output force of EMA

F ER :

Radial force of the driving rod of EMA

F f :

Interference force including friction

F h :

Hydraulic transmission mechanism force

F h :

Output force of SHA

F hr :

Radial force of the driving rod of SHA

F l :

Load force

F sum :

Total output force

i d :

Stator current of the d axis

i q :

Stator current of the q axis

I :

Current of the electrical unit

J 1, J 2 :

Moments of inertia of the servo motor rotor and reducer, respectively

Je:

Moment of inertia driven by the electrical unit

J l :

Equivalent moment of inertia of the load

J s :

Moment of inertia of the lead screw

k :

Reducer reduction ratio

l :

Lead of the screw transmission pair

L e :

Arm distance of the EMA output force

L h :

Arm distance of the SHA output force

L s :

Equivalent inductance

m :

Gear module

m h :

Hydraulic oil mass

m 1 :

Load mass

m s :

Lead screw mass

n :

Rotation speed of the servo motor

n s :

Rotation speed of the lead screw

N :

Number of the pole pairs

p 1,p 2 :

Pressures of the EMHA rodless and rod chamber, respectively

P h :

Driving power of the hydraulic cylinder

R :

Stator resistance

T :

Torque amplified through the reducer

T add :

Additional torque of the distributed linear drive system

T l :

Equivalent load torque of the servo motor

u d :

Stator voltage of the d axis

u q :

Stator voltage of the q axis

U :

Voltage of electrical unit

v :

Velocity of EMHA

v s :

Linear speed of the lead screw rotation

x :

Displacement of EMHA

z 1 z 2 z 3 :

Numbers of the driving teeth, transition teeth, and driven teeth, respectively

α :

Rotation angle of the servo motor

ψ :

Flux linkage amplitude of the rotor permanent magnet

η 1 η 2 :

Efficiency of the mechanical and hydraulic transmission mechanism, respectively

θ :

A certain angle

θ E :

Angle between the load force of the EMA driving rod and axis

θ H :

Angle between the load force of the SHA driving rod and axis

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51875385 and 51805349).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Advanced Transducers and Intelligent Control System of Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China

    Shufei Qiao, Long Quan, Yunxiao Hao, Lei Ge & Lianpeng Xia

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  1. Shufei Qiao
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  2. Long Quan
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  3. Yunxiao Hao
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  4. Lei Ge
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  5. Lianpeng Xia
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Correspondence to Long Quan.

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Qiao, S., Quan, L., Hao, Y. et al. Design and characteristic research of a novel electromechanical-hydraulic hybrid actuator with two transmission mechanisms. Front. Mech. Eng. 18, 19 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11465-022-0735-x

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