Research of new conceptions for aircraft actuators are gaining prominence, mainly due to the low energy efficiency of the current dominant systems in the sector. More Electrical Aircraft-MEA is a concept that has guided the realization of several researches on electro-mechanical (EMA) and electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHA). Airbus A380 and Boeing 787, for instance, present some innovations with origin in these researches. However, for safety reasons, the primary control surfaces are normally driven by conventional servo-hydraulic systems, which leaves this subject open to new researches. Presented this scenario, the Laboratory of Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems-LASHIP, the Division of Fluid and Mechatronic Systems-FLUMES, and the Svenska Aeroplan AB-SAAB started the development of a new conception of flight surface actuation, applying digital fluid power strategies, thus appointing the Digital Hydraulic Actuator-DHA. In this scope, this abstract aims to present all the steps of the DHA development, furthermore, shows the research's status and future challenges to bring closer academic studies with the aero industry. The extended abstract was organized through a timeline with all publications about the DHA concept written by these research groups. Also, the existing research project is presented, where the goals are the solution of intrinsic problems of the digital hydraulic systems and the reliability analysis of this concept.
This paper reports a study on the static and dynamic behavior of pneumatic actuation systems, resulting in a comprehensive view of the influence of the system parameters on the energy efficiency and dynamic performance. The operating point approach based on the steady-state analysis of a pneumatic actuation system is used for developing analytical expressions to describe the relationship between the piston diameter and the system performance, including displacement time, stroke end velocity, and energy efficiency. The validity of the proposed equations is demonstrated by comparison with results from a test rig. Sensitivity analysis using a non-linear dynamic simulation model indicated that a specific operating region exists, where good energy efficiency and the maximum dynamic performance are achieved. Moreover, the results show that an oversized system becomes more inefficient in both energetic and dynamic aspects. The results obtained provide a very consistent foundation for developing a method for pneumatic system sizing.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.