New Actuators for Aircraft and Space Applications

Abstract

Actuators are key elements of air- and spacecrafts. In the recent years the concept of the more-electric aircraft pushed the development of electrical actuation systems to substitute hitherto used hydraulic actuators in a broad range of applications such as flight control, landing gear and brake actuation. On top of that the superior dynamics of electrical actuators, especially when utilizing the piezoelectric principle, open new fields of application in noise and vibration control. Novel electrical actuation technologies have to comply with demanding requirements concerning life, reliability, weight, environmental conditions and installation space. The main principles pushed forward in the recent years are electromechanical actuators (EMA) and piezoelectric actuators. These new actuators put strong requirements on electronics systems design and power amplifier stages. It requires highly efficient and reliable electronics to achieve flight worthy products. In Space & Military fields, there is a trend for miniaturisation meet in active optics, fine instruments, robotic missions, micro-satellites, UAVs, MAVs, which directly impact on the actuators. A new generation of small and smart actuators such as piezoelectric actuators and magnetic actuators, are responding to this trend, thanks to their capacity to offer high energy density and to support both extreme and various requirements. The paper presents typical applications to discuss the state-of-the-art performance and deduce further needs.