School of Mechanical and

Industrial Engineering
Introduction To Mechatronics
(MEng3212)
Chapter Two
Actuation Systems for Mechatronics

አዘጋጅ፡ ሙሉጌታ በላይ ኅዳር 2015 ዓ.ም

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 Introduction to Mechatronics
Contents
 Electrical Actuation Systems
 Hydraulic Actuation Systems

 Pneumatic Actuation Systems

 Mechanical Actuation Systems

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Actuators

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What is Actuator……..?
 Actuators are devices that converts energy into an action or motion.
 Inputs are mainly in one of the form of electrical signals, compressed
air, and fluids
 Actuators output can be two basic motions that are linear and rotary.
 Responsible for transforming the output of a microprocessor or
control system into a controlling action on a machine or a device.
 Example: An electrical output from the controller which has to be
transformed into a linear motion to move a load.

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What is Actuator……..?

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Types of Actuators
Based on motion
1. Linear actuator
2. Rotary actuator
Based on Power source
1. Electrical actuators
Uses the electrical power to generate the action
Example: Solenoid, Relay, AC motors, DC motors, Stepper motors
and Servo motors

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Types of Actuators
2. Hydraulic actuators
Use hydraulic fluid to amplify the controller command signal
Example: Hydraulic cylinders, Hydraulic valves and Hydraulic power
turbines
3. Pneumatic actuators
Use compressed air as the driving force
Example: Pneumatic cylinders, Pneumatic valves and pneumatic power
turbines

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Types of Actuators
4. Mechanical actuators
Use of thermal and sound to actuate the device
Example: Shape memory alloy

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Hydraulic Actuators
 Hydraulic linear actuators consist of a piston inside a hollow cylinder.
 Pressure from an external compressor fluid from pump moves the
piston inside the cylinder
 As pressure increases, the object moves along the axis of the piston
and creating a linear force.
 The piston returns to its original position by either a spring back force
or fluid being supplied to the other side of the piston.
They are two types of actuation
a) Linear actuators
b) Rotary actuators 9
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Hydraulic Actuators

Linear Actuators
 They produce linear motion as its output
 Important linear actuators are a) Single acting cylinder b) Double
acting cylinder c) Double rod cylinder

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Linear Actuators

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Rotary Actuators
 They produce rotary motion as its output.
Important rotary actuators are
a) Rotary vane actuator
b) Rack and pinion actuator
c) Single cylinder rack and pinion actuator
d) Double cylinder rack and pinion actuator

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Rotary Actuators

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Typical Hydraulic circuit
Components of Hydraulic Actuators
1. Actuating cylinders
2. Direction Control valves
3. Pressure relief valve
4. Fixed displacements pumps
5. Tank

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Typical Hydraulic circuit
Directional control valves (DCV)

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Typical Hydraulic circuit
Pressure relief valves
 Used in hydraulic systems to limit the system pressure to a
specific set level.
 If this set level is reached, the pressure relief valve responds and
feeds the excess flow from the system back to the tank

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Advantages of Hydraulic Actuators
 Hydraulic actuators are rugged and suited for high force applications.
They can produce forces 25 times greater than pneumatic cylinders of
equal size.
 They also operate in pressures of up to 4,000 psi.
 A hydraulic actuator can hold force and torque constant without the
pump supplying more fluid or pressure due to the incompressibility
of fluids.
 Hydraulic actuators can have their pumps and motors located a
considerable distance away with minimal loss of power.
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Disadvantages
 Hydraulics will leak fluid. Like pneumatic actuators, loss of fluid
leads to less efficiency and cleanliness problems resulting in potential
damage to surrounding components and areas
 Hydraulic actuators require many complementary parts, including a
fluid reservoir, motor, pump, release valves, and heat exchangers,
along with noise reduction equipment.

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Pneumatic actuators

 Pneumatic linear actuators consist of a piston inside a hollow

cylinder.

 Pressure from an external compressor or pneumatic pump moves the

piston inside the cylinder, as pressure increases, the cylinder moves
along the axis of the piston, creating a linear force.

 The piston returns to its original position by either a spring back force
or fluid being supplied to the other side of the piston.

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Pneumatic actuators

Sample pneumatic actuator circuit

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Pneumatic actuators

Advantages

 Pneumatic actuators’ typical applications involve areas where the

conditions involve extreme temperatures, a typical temperature range
is -40°F to 250°F.

 In terms of safety and inspection, using air and pneumatic actuators

avoids using hazardous materials. They also meet explosion
protection and machine safety requirements because they create no
magnetic interference due to the lack of motors.

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Pneumatic actuators

Advantages

 Pneumatic actuators are also lightweight, require minimal

maintenance, and have durable components that make pneumatics a
cost effective method of power.

Disadvantages

 Pressure losses and compressibility of air make pneumatics less

efficient than other methods. Compressor and air delivery limitations
mean that operations at lower pressures will have lower forces and
slower speeds. 22
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Pneumatic actuators

Disadvantages

 To be truly efficient, pneumatic actuators must be sized for a specific

job. Hence, they cannot be used for other applications.

 Even though air is readily available, it can be contaminated by oil or

lubrication, leading to downtime and maintenance. Companies still
have to pay for compressed air, making it a consumable, along with
the compressor and line maintenance costs.

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Mechanical actuation system
Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)
 A shape-memory alloys (SMA, smart metal, memory metal, memory
alloy, muscle wire, smart alloy)
 SMAs are Metal alloys that can be deformed at low temperature and
recover their original shape upon heating.
 The alloy appears to have a memory
 The most effective and widely used alloys are NiTi, CuZnAl, and
CuAlNi
 Exhibits super elastic behavior
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Mechanical actuation system
Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)
Shape memory is a unique property
of smart materials that enhances
their ability to be used as sensors
and actuators. This
property enables a deformed
material to recover its original
shape upon application of a thermal
or mechanical stimulus.

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Mechanical actuation system
Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)
Basic working principle:
 SMAs have two stable phases
 The high-temperature phase, called Austenite
 The low-temperature phase, called Martensite.
 The Martensite can be in one of two forms: twinned (or) Deformed
 A phase transformation which occurs between these two phases upon
heating/cooling is the basis for the unique properties of the SMAs
 The shape change involves a solid state phase change involving a
molecular rearrangement between Martensite and Austenite 26
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Mechanical actuation system
Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)
Basic working principle:
Niti or Nitinol (Nickel-Titanium Naval Ordnance Laboratory) is well
known SMA

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Mechanical actuation system
Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)
Benefits of SMA’s
 Provides high force (per volume/weight) allowing lightweight
compact actuator designs
 Eliminates extraneous systems (hydraulic, pneumatic, etc.)
 Responds to temperature change, which eliminates the need for
sensors and electronics
 Enables simple, frictionless designs that result in less maintenance

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Mechanical actuation system
Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)
Applications of SMA’s
 flexible spectacle frames cardiovascular surgery

 Dental wires such as those used in dental braces/Tooth clips

 SMAs can dampen vibrations of bridge structure and tuning the
natural frequency of various structures.
 Aeronautics
 Military
 Biomedical
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Mechanical actuation system
Piezo electric Actuators
 Piezoelectric actuators are transducers that convert electrical energy
into a mechanical displacement or stress based on a piezoelectric
effect.
 Piezoelectric stack or multilayer actuators are manufactured by
stacking up piezoelectric disks or plates
 The axis of the stack being the axis of linear motion that occurs when
a voltage is applied.
 These devices can also be ultrasonic.
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Mechanical actuation system
Piezo electric Actuators
 Ultrasonic actuators are specifically designed to produce strokes of
several micrometers at ultrasonic (>20 kHz) frequencies.
 They are especially useful for controlling vibration, positioning
applications, and quick switching.

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Mechanical actuation system
Piezo electric Actuators
Advantages:
 They have been used widely as a high precision positioning
mechanism since it can control a small mechanical displacement
at high speed
 large generated force, stable displacement, and ease to use.
 No requirement for lubrication to operate and the high reliability
characteristics

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Mechanical actuation system
Piezo electric Actuators
Applications:
 Commonly utilized for controlling fuel injection in internal
combustion motors
 Found in airbag growth systems
 Control components in humanoid robotics
 Located in robotic palms, actuating the artificial hands
 To control the flow in hydraulic circuits

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Actuators characteristics, design and selection
 Continuous power output—The maximum force/torque attainable
continuously.
 Range of motion: The range of linear/rotary motion
 Resolution: The minimum increment of force/torque attainable.
 Accuracy: Linearity of the relationship between the input and output.
 Peak force/torque: The force/torque at which the actuator stalls(fails )
 Heat dissipation: Maximum wattage of heat dissipation in continuous
operation
 Speed characteristics: Force/torque versus speed relationship
 No load speed :Typical operating speed/velocity with no external 34
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Actuators characteristics, design and selection
 Power requirement: Type of power (AC or DC), number of phases,
voltage level, and current capacity
 Speed control: The ability to control the speed of a pneumatic
actuator is an important advantage of the design

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End of Chapter Two

Next Lecture:
Chapter Three: Semiconductor Devices
and motor controlling
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