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Sample records for safety features actuation

  1. Technical evaluation of the noise and isolation testing of the safety features actuation system at the Davis Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selan, J.C.

    1981-07-01

    This report documents the technical evaluation of the noise and isolation testing of the safety features actuation system at the Davis Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1. The tests were to verify that faults on the non-Class 1E circuits would not propagate to the Class 1E circuits and degrade them below acceptable levels. The tests conducted demonstrated that the safety features actuation system did not degrade below acceptable levels nor was the system's ability to perform its protective functions affected

  2. Definitions of engineered safety features and related features for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-01-01

    In light water moderated, light water cooled nuclear power plants, definitions are given of engineered safety features which are designed to suppress or prevent dispersion of radioactive materials due to damage etc. of fuel at the times of power plant failures, and of related features which are designed to actuate or operate the engineered safety features. Contents are the following: scope of engineered safety features and of related features; classification of engineered safety features (direct systems and indirect systems) and of related features (auxiliaries, emergency power supply, and protective means). (Mori, K.)

  3. Ageing study of the engineered safety features actuation system of the Loviisa NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simola, K.; Maskuniitty, M.

    1995-06-01

    An ageing study of the engineered safety features actuation system of the Loviisa nuclear power plant has been performed. The operating experience, including failure and maintenance histories of analog measuring devices, logics for safety signal formation and individual control electronics of pumps and valves, has been collected and analysed. The safety importance of system components has been studied with a fault tree analysis of a selected safety function. Based on the results of the analysis of operating experiences and the fault tree analysis, some components were selected for deeper analyses. According to the operating experience, the amount of failures in the Loviisa plant safety system has been low and no increasing trend in the failure history can yet be observed. Only a few failures had prohibited the propagation of the safety signal, mostly the failures have caused a false alarm. The failures reported have concerned mainly limit signal units, transmitters, and priority units. According to the fault tree analysis of one safety function, the most important components of this subsystem are individual control units and pulse/DC converters. Failure modes and effect analyses were performed for priority and individual control unit, limit signal unit and comparator and pulse/DC converter in order to identify the critical failure modes of these devices. (orig.) (15 refs., 26 figs., 9 tabs.)

  4. Qualification of safety-related valve actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1981-01-01

    This Standard describes the qualification of all types of power-driven valve actuators, including damper actuators, for safety-related functions in nuclear power generating stations. It may also be used to separately qualify actuator components. This Standard establishes the minimum requirements for, and guidance regarding, the methods and procedures for qualification of all safety-related functions of power-driven valve actuators

  5. Application of condition-based HRA method for a manual actuation of the safety features in a nuclear power Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Hyun Gook; Jang, Seung-Cheol

    2006-01-01

    A practical approach to develop a more realistic fault-tree model with a consideration of various conditions endured by a human operator is proposed. In safety-critical systems, the generation failure of an actuation signal is caused by the concurrent failures of the automated systems and an operator action. These two sources of safety signals are complicatedly correlated. The failures of sensors or automated systems will cause a lack of necessary information for a human operator and result in error-forcing contexts such as the loss of corresponding alarms and indications. It is well known that the error-forcing contexts largely affect the operator's performance. An automated system which consists of multiple processing channels and complex components is also affected by the availability of the sensors. This paper proposes a condition-based human reliability assessment (CBHRA) method in order to address these complicated conditions in a practical way. We apply the CBHRA method to the manual actuation of the safety features such as a reactor trip and auxiliary feedwater actuation in Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plants. Even the human error probability of each given condition is simply assumed, the application results prove that the CBHRA effectively accommodates the complicated error-forcing contexts into the fault trees

  6. Reliability study: digital engineered safety feature actuation system of Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sudarno; Kang, H. G.; Jang, S. C.; Eom, H. S.; Ha, J. J.

    2003-04-01

    The usage of digital Instrumentation and Control (I and C) in a nuclear power plant becomes more extensive, including safety related systems. The PSA application of these new designs are very important in order to evaluate their reliability. In particular, Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plants (KSNPPs), typically Ulchin 5 and 6 (UCN 5 and 6) reactor units, adopted the digital safety-critical systems such as Digital Plant Protection System (DPPS) and Digital Engineered Safety Feature Actuation System (DESFAS). In this research, we developed fault tree models for assessing the unavailability of the DESFAS functions. We also performed an analysis of the quantification results. The unavailability results of different DESFAS functions showed that their values are comprised from 5.461E-5 to 3.14E-4. The system unavailability of DESFAS AFAS-1 is estimated as 5.461E-5, which is about 27% less than that of analog system if we consider the difference of human failure probability estimation between both analyses. The results of this study could be utilized in risk-effect analysis of KSNPP. We expect that the safety analysis result will contribute to design feedback

  7. Safety Impacts of the Actuated Signal Control at Urban Intersections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sang Hyuk Lee

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available To reduce travel time, the actuated signal controls have been implemented at urban intersections. However, the safety impacts of actuated signal controls thus far have rarely been examined. In this assessment of the safety impact of urban intersections with semi-actuated signal controls, the safety performance functions and EB approaches were applied. The semi-actuated signal controls have increased injuries and total crashes in all crash types by around 5.9% and 3.8%, respectively. Regarding the most common crash types, such as angle, sideswipe & rear-end, and head-on crashes, semi-actuated signal controls have been seen to decrease injuries by 7.7%. Total crashes have been reduced by over 9.2% through the use of semi-actuated signal controls. This may be result of optimal signal timings considering traffic conditions during peak time periods. In conclusion, safety impact factors which have been established in this study can be used to improve safety and minimize travel times using semi-actuated signal controls.

  8. The Safety Feature Test of QNX RTOS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jang Yeol; Lee, Young Jun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-05-15

    Benchmarking is a point of reference by which something can be measured. The QNX is a kind of Real Time Operating System(RTOS) developed by QSSL(QNX Software Systems Ltd.) in Canada. The ELMSYS is the brand name of commercially available PC to be applied such as Cabinet Operator Module(COM) of Digital Plant Protection System(DPPS) and COM of Digital Engineered Safety Features Actuation System(DESFAS-AC). The ELMSYS PC Hardware will be qualified by KTL(Korea Testing Lab.) in order to use as a Cabinet Operator Module(COM). QNX RTOS is dedicating by KAERI now. This paper describes the outline and some safety features among benchmarking test for QNX RTOS under the ELMSYS PC platform

  9. The Safety Feature Test of QNX RTOS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jang Yeol; Lee, Young Jun

    2010-01-01

    Benchmarking is a point of reference by which something can be measured. The QNX is a kind of Real Time Operating System(RTOS) developed by QSSL(QNX Software Systems Ltd.) in Canada. The ELMSYS is the brand name of commercially available PC to be applied such as Cabinet Operator Module(COM) of Digital Plant Protection System(DPPS) and COM of Digital Engineered Safety Features Actuation System(DESFAS-AC). The ELMSYS PC Hardware will be qualified by KTL(Korea Testing Lab.) in order to use as a Cabinet Operator Module(COM). QNX RTOS is dedicating by KAERI now. This paper describes the outline and some safety features among benchmarking test for QNX RTOS under the ELMSYS PC platform

  10. Development of a hybrid safety system: Actuation of the secondary automatic depressurization system at an early stage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimoto, Masae; Umezawa, Shigemitsu; Okabe, Kazuharu; Matsuoka, Tsuyoshi

    1996-01-01

    A Hybrid Safety System, which is an optimum combination of active and passive safety systems, has been developed in order to improve the safety, reliability and economic features of the next generation of PWRs. The passive safety systems include Automatic primary Depressurization System (ADS), Secondary Automatic Depressurization System (SADS), advanced accumulators, gravity injection system and so on. In this study the authors have improved the actuation logic of the passive safety systems. The original logic in the previous study actuates ADS at an early stage of an event such as a Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA), and this is followed by the actuation of SADS. In this study they divide SADS into two systems. The first, small SADS, uses small valves corresponding to the relief valves of the conventional PWR plants. The second, large SADS, corresponds to the original SADS using multiple valves of large capacity. With the new logic, the passive systems are actuated during a typical small LOCA. Small LOCA analyses using several break areas were performed for a 1,400 MWe PWR plant with a Hybrid Safety System. The results predict that core uncovery does not occur in the case of a relatively small break area and that core heat removal during a small LOCA is improved in comparison with the analyses for conventional PWR plants, where the secondary pressure remains higher during the event. The results also predict that this new logic make it possible to reduce the ADS valve size and the actuation pressure setpoint of the passive safety systems

  11. Suitability review of FMEA and reliability analysis for digital plant protection system and digital engineered safety features actuation system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, I. S.; Kim, T. K.; Kim, M. C.; Kim, B. S.; Hwang, S. W.; Ryu, K. C. [Hanyang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2000-11-15

    Of the many items that should be checked out during a review stage of the licensing application for the I and C system of Ulchin 5 and 6 units, this report relates to a suitability review of the reliability analysis of Digital Plant Protection System (DPPS) and Digital Engineered Safety Features Actuation System (DESFAS). In the reliability analysis performed by the system designer, ABB-CE, fault tree analysis was used as the main methods along with Failure Modes and Effect Analysis (FMEA). However, the present regulatory technique dose not allow the system reliability analysis and its results to be appropriately evaluated. Hence, this study was carried out focusing on the following four items ; development of general review items by which to check the validity of a reliability analysis, and the subsequent review of suitability of the reliability analysis for Ulchin 5 and 6 DPPS and DESFAS L development of detailed review items by which to check the validity of an FMEA, and the subsequent review of suitability of the FMEA for Ulchin 5 and 6 DPPS and DESFAS ; development of detailed review items by which to check the validity of a fault tree analysis, and the subsequent review of suitability of the fault tree for Ulchin 5 and 6 DPPS and DESFAS ; an integrated review of the safety and reliability of the Ulchin 5 and 6 DPPS and DESFAS based on the results of the various reviews above and also of a reliability comparison between the digital systems and the comparable analog systems, i.e., and analog Plant Protection System (PPS) and and analog Engineered Safety Features Actuation System (ESFAS). According to the review mentioned above, the reliability analysis of Ulchin 5 and 6 DPPS and DESFAS generally satisfies the review requirements. However, some shortcomings of the analysis were identified in our review such that the assumed test periods for several equipment were not properly incorporated in the analysis, and failures of some equipment were not included in the

  12. Temperature actuated automatic safety rod release

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutter, E.; Pardini, J.A.; Walker, D.E.

    1984-03-13

    A temperature-actuated apparatus is disclosed for releasably supporting a safety rod in a nuclear reactor, comprising a safety rod upper adapter having a retention means, a drive shaft which houses the upper adapter, and a bimetallic means supported within the drive shaft and having at least one ledge which engages a retention means of the safety rod upper adapter. A pre-determined increase in temperature causes the bimetallic means to deform so that the ledge disengages from the retention means, whereby the bimetallic means releases the safety rod into the core of the reactor.

  13. IEEE Std 382-1980: IEEE standard for qualification of safety-related valve actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1992-01-01

    This standard describes the qualification of all types of power-driven valve actuators, including damper actuators, for safety-related functions in nuclear power generating stations. This standard may also be used to separately qualify actuator components. This standard establishes the minimum requirements for, and guidance regarding, the methods and procedures for qualification of all safety-related functions of power-driven valve actuators

  14. 78 FR 25488 - Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-01

    ... Nuclear Power Plants AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for... regulatory guide (DG), DG-1235, ``Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants... entitled ``Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants'' is temporarily...

  15. Technical considerations for the development of an engineering safety features control system with PLC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, C. K.; Kim, C. H.; Han, J. B.; Kim, H.; Lee, S. S.

    2002-01-01

    Technical considerations are summarized for the development of an ESFCS(Engineered Safety Features Control System) with PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The ESFCS is required for the mitigation of plant accident conditions and therefore developed in conformance with the design requirements applied to the safety critical system. The design of ESFCS primarily considered its safety, and the system has an architecture that will be able to minimize spurious actuation. The PLC based functional distribution and redundant design features are adopted, and the fieldbus is applied in the communication of information and control signals between PLC processors. It is expected that the ESFCS will have several advanced design features compared with the conventional systems supplied by foreign vendors

  16. Evaluation of Generic Issue 57: Effects of fire protection system actuation on safety-related equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lambright, J.; Bohn, M.; Lynch, J.; Ross, S.; Brosseau, D.

    1992-12-01

    Nuclear power plants have experienced actuations of fire protection systems (FPSs) under conditions for which these systems were not intended to actuate and also have experienced advertent actuations with the presence of a fire. These actuations have often damaged safety-related equipment. A review of the impact of past occurrences of both types of such events and their impact on plant safety systems, an analysis of the risk impacts of such events on nuclear power plant safety, and a cost-benefit analysis of potential corrective measures have been performed. Thirteen different scenarios leading to actuation of fire protection systems due to a variety of causes were identified. These scenarios ranged from inadvertent actuation caused by human error to hardware failure, and include seismic root causes and seismic/fire interactions. A quantification of these thirteen root causes, where applicable, was performed on generically applicable scenarios. This document, Volume 4, contains appendices E and F of this report

  17. Logical safety system for triggering off the protection action of a safety actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plaige, Yves.

    1982-01-01

    This invention applies in particular to the emergency triggering of safety actuators controlling the shutdown of a nuclear reactor. This logical safety system includes four redundant lines each composed, inter alia, of a logical circuit for controlling the triggering of a protection action, a logical alarm circuit connected to the control circuit and a logical inhibiting circuit making it impossible to inhibit several alarm circuits simultaneously [fr

  18. Investigation of Equivalent Unsprung Mass and Nonlinear Features of Electromagnetic Actuated Active Suspension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Yin

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Electromagnetic actuated active suspension benefits active control and energy harvesting from vibration at the same time. However, the rotary type electromagnetic actuated active suspension introduces a significant extra mass on the unsprung mass due to the inertia of the rotating components of the actuator. The magnitude of the introduced unsprung mass is studied based on a gearbox type actuator and a ball screw type actuator. The geometry of the suspension and the actuator also influence the equivalent unsprung mass significantly. The suspension performance simulation or control logic derived should take this equivalent unsprung mass into account. Besides, an extra force should be compensated due to the nonlinear features of the suspension structure and it is studied. The active force of the actuator should compensate this extra force. The discovery of this paper provides a fundamental for evaluating the rotary type electromagnetic actuated active suspension performance and control strategy derived as well as controlling the electromagnetic actuated active suspension more precisely.

  19. Italy: Analysis of Solutions for Passively Actuated Safety Shutdown Devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burgazzi, L.

    2015-01-01

    This article looks at different special shutdown systems specifically engineered for prevention of severe accidents, to be implemented on Fast Reactors, with main focus on the investigation of the performance of the self-actuated shutdown systems in Sodium Fast Reactors. The passive shut-down systems are designed to shut-down system only by inherent passive reactivity feedback mechanism, under unprotected accident conditions, implying failure of reactor protection system. They are conceived to be self-actuated without any signal elaboration, since the actuation of the system is triggered by the effects induced by the transient like material dilatation, in case of overheating of the coolant for instance, according to Fast Reactor design to meet the safety requirements

  20. The analysis of actuating mechanism and review of concepts for the vortex valve

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jong Kyun; Sim, Yun Seop; Joung, Sae Won; Lee, Ki Young; Lee, Jun; Kim, Young In

    1995-12-01

    To understand the basic features of the passive fluidic device, which is increasing available core cooling water from the safety injection tanks in the KNGR, review of the existing vortex valves concepts and analysis of the actuating mechanism of them have been performed and the results are as following: * Preliminary methodology development for parallel two water columns behavior, which is similar to the SIT valve actuation condition * Preliminary methodology for the vortex value actuation features * Analysis of the parallel water columns behavior and vortex valve actuation features using the results of above activities * Further works to be done in the analytical methodology. 16 figs., 2 refs. (Author) .new

  1. Development of active rear steer actuator. Development of four wheel steer actuator for active safety; Active rear steer actuator no kaihatsu. Yobo anzen ni muketa 4WS actuator no kaihatsu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamanaka, T [Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., Aichi (Japan)

    1997-10-01

    Recently, ecology, energy saving and safety have become important issues. And Active Safety is spotlighted in vehicle control area. Many researches and developments on four wheel steer system have been done to improve vehicle stability. We have developed the Active Rear Steer system with electromechanical Actuator, which is mass-productive, compact, and high response and durable. 10 figs., 5 tabs.

  2. Context-aware system for pre-triggering irreversible vehicle safety actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Böhmländer, Dennis; Dirndorfer, Tobias; Al-Bayatti, Ali H; Brandmeier, Thomas

    2017-06-01

    New vehicle safety systems have led to a steady improvement of road safety and a reduction in the risk of suffering a major injury in vehicle accidents. A huge leap forward in the development of new vehicle safety systems are actuators that have to be activated irreversibly shortly before a collision in order to mitigate accident consequences. The triggering decision has to be based on measurements of exteroceptive sensors currently used in driver assistance systems. This paper focuses on developing a novel context-aware system designed to detect potential collisions and to trigger safety actuators even before an accident occurs. In this context, the analysis examines the information that can be collected from exteroceptive sensors (pre-crash data) to predict a certain collision and its severity to decide whether a triggering is entitled or not. A five-layer context-aware architecture is presented, that is able to collect contextual information about the vehicle environment and the actual driving state using different sensors, to perform reasoning about potential collisions, and to trigger safety functions upon that information. Accident analysis is used in a data model to represent uncertain knowledge and to perform reasoning. A simulation concept based on real accident data is introduced to evaluate the presented system concept. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Comparison of advanced mid-sized reactors regarding passive features, core damage frequencies and core melt retention features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wider, H.

    2005-01-01

    New Light Water Reactors, whose regular safety systems are complemented by passive safety systems, are ready for the market. The special aspect of passive safety features is their actuation and functioning independent of the operator. They add significantly to reduce the core damage frequency (CDF) since the operator continues to play its independent role in actuating the regular safety devices based on modern instrumentation and control (I and C). The latter also has passive features regarding the prevention of accidents. Two reactors with significant passive features that are presently offered on the market are the AP1000 PWR and the SWR 1000 BWR. Their passive features are compared and also their core damage frequencies (CDF). The latter are also compared with those of a VVER-1000. A further discussion about the two passive plants concerns their mitigating features for severe accidents. Regarding core-melt retention both rely on in-vessel cooling of the melt. The new VVER-1000 reactor, on the other hand features a validated ex-vessel concept. (author)

  4. Reactivity Accidents in CAREM-25 Core with and Without Safety Systems Actuation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gimenez, Marcelo; Vertullo, Alicia; Schlamp, Miguel

    2000-01-01

    A reactivity accident in CAREM core can be provoked by different initiating events, a cold water injection in pressure vessel, a secondary side steam line breakage and a failure in the absorbing rods drive system.The present work analyses inadverted control rod withdraws transients.Maximum worth control rod (2.5 $) at normal velocity (1 cm/s) is adopted for the simulations (Reactivity ramp of 0.018 $/s).Different scenarios considering actuation of first shutdown system (FSS), second shutdown system (SSS) and selflimiting conditions were modeled.Results of the accident with actuation of FSS show that safety margins are well above critical values (DNBR and CPR).In the cases with failure of the FSS and success of SSS or selflimited, safety margins are below critical values, however, the SSS provides a reduction of elapsed time under advised margins

  5. IEEE Std 382-1985: IEEE standard for qualification of actuators for power operated valve assemblies with safety-related functions for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1992-01-01

    This standard describes the qualification of all types of power-driven valve actuators, including damper actuators, for safety-related functions in nuclear power generating stations. This standard may also be used to separately qualify actuator components. This standard establishes the minimum requirements for, and guidance regarding, the methods and procedures for qualification of power-driven valve actuators with safety-related functions Part I describes the qualification process. Part II describes the standard qualification cases and their environmental parameters for the usual locations of safety-related equipment in a nuclear generating station. Part III describes the qualification tests outlined in 6.3.3

  6. Risk assessment of safety data link and network communication in digital safety feature control system of nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sang Hun; Son, Kwang Seop; Jung, Wondea; Kang, Hyun Gook

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Safety data communication risk assessment framework and quantitative scheme were proposed. • Fault-tree model of ESFAS unavailability due to safety data communication failure was developed. • Safety data link and network risk were assessed based on various ESF-CCS design specifications. • The effect of fault-tolerant algorithm reliability of safety data network on ESFAS unavailability was assessed. - Abstract: As one of the safety-critical systems in nuclear power plants (NPPs), the Engineered Safety Feature-Component Control System (ESF-CCS) employs safety data link and network communication for the transmission of safety component actuation signals from the group controllers to loop controllers to effectively accommodate various safety-critical field controllers. Since data communication failure risk in the ESF-CCS has yet to be fully quantified, the ESF-CCS employing data communication systems have not been applied in NPPs. This study therefore developed a fault tree model to assess the data link and data network failure-induced unavailability of a system function used to generate an automated control signal for accident mitigation equipment. The current aim is to provide risk information regarding data communication failure in a digital safety feature control system in consideration of interconnection between controllers and the fault-tolerant algorithm implemented in the target system. Based on the developed fault tree model, case studies were performed to quantitatively assess the unavailability of ESF-CCS signal generation due to data link and network failure and its risk effect on safety signal generation failure. This study is expected to provide insight into the risk assessment of safety-critical data communication in a digitalized NPP instrumentation and control system.

  7. Study of Cost Effective Large Advanced Pressurized Water Reactors that Employ Passive Safety Features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winters, J.W.; Corletti, M.M.; Hayashi, Y.

    2003-01-01

    A report of DOE sponsored portions of AP1000 Design Certification effort. On December 16, 1999, The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued Design Certification of the AP600 standard nuclear reactor design. This culminated an 8-year review of the AP600 design, safety analysis and probabilistic risk assessment. The AP600 is a 600 MWe reactor that utilizes passive safety features that, once actuated, depend only on natural forces such as gravity and natural circulation to perform all required safety functions. These passive safety systems result in increased plant safety and have also significantly simplified plant systems and equipment, resulting in simplified plant operation and maintenance. The AP600 meets NRC deterministic safety criteria and probabilistic risk criteria with large margins. A summary comparison of key passive safety system design features is provided in Table 1. These key features are discussed due to their importance in affecting the key thermal-hydraulic phenomenon exhibited by the passive safety systems in critical areas. The scope of some of the design changes to the AP600 is described. These changes are the ones that are important in evaluating the passive plant design features embodied in the certified AP600 standard plant design. These design changes are incorporated into the AP1000 standard plant design that Westinghouse is certifying under 10 CFR Part 52. In conclusion, this report describes the results of the representative design certification activities that were partially supported by the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative. These activities are unique to AP1000, but are representative of research activities that must be driven to conclusion to realize successful licensing of the next generation of nuclear power plants in the United States

  8. Design and simulation of a new bidirectional actuator for haptic systems featuring MR fluid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Nguyen Quoc; Tri, Diep Bao; Cuong, Vo Van; Choi, Seung-Bok

    2017-04-01

    In this research, a new configuration of bidirectional actuator featuring MR fluid (BMRA) is proposed for haptic application. The proposed BMRA consists of a driving disc, a driving housing and a driven disc. The driving disc is placed inside the driving housing and rotates counter to each other by a servo DC motor and a bevel gear system. The driven shaft is also placed inside the housing and next to the driving disc. The gap between the two disc and the gap between the discs and the housing are filled with MR fluid. On the driven disc, two mutual magnetic coils are placed. By applying currents to the two coils mutually, the torque at the output shaft, which is fixed to the driven disc, can be controlled with positive, zero or negative value. This make the actuator be suitable for haptic application. After a review of MR fluid and its application, configuration of the proposed BMRA is presented. The modeling of the actuator is then derived based on Bingham rheological model of MRF and magnetic finite element analysis (FEA). The optimal design of the actuator is then performed to minimize the mass of the BMRA. From the optimal design result, performance characteristics of the actuator is simulated and detailed design of a prototype actuator is conducted.

  9. Three Flow Features behind the Flow Control Authority of DBD Plasma Actuator: Result of High-Fidelity Simulations and the Related Experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kozo Fujii

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Both computational and experimental studies are conducted for understanding of the flow separation control mechanism of a DBD (dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator. Low speed flows over an airfoil are considered. A DBD plasma actuator is attached near the leading edge of an airfoil and the mechanism of flow control of this small device is discussed. The DBD plasma actuator, especially in burst mode, is shown to be very effective for controlling flow separation at Reynolds number of 6.3 × 104, when applied to the flows at an angle of attack higher than the stall. The analysis reveals that the flow structure includes three remarkable features that provide good authority for flow separation control with the appropriate actuator parameters. With proper setting of the actuator parameters to enhance the effective flow features for the application, good flow control can be achieved. Based on the analysis, guidelines for the effective use of DBD plasma actuators are proposed. A DBD plasma actuator is also applied to the flows under cruise conditions. With the DBD plasma actuator attached, a simple airfoil turns out to show higher lift-to-drag ratio than a well-designed airfoil.

  10. 78 FR 67206 - Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-08

    ... Nuclear Power Plants AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Revision to regulatory guide; issuance..., ``Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants.'' This RG is being revised to provide... Operators Installed Inside the Containment of Nuclear Power Plants,'' dated January 1974. ADDRESSES: Please...

  11. On the electrical safety of dielectric elastomer actuators in proximity to the human body

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pourazadi, S.; Shagerdmootaab, A.; Chan, H.; Moallem, M.; Menon, C.

    2017-11-01

    Novel devices based on the use of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) have been proposed for a large variety of different applications. In many of these applications, DEAs are envisioned to be in direct or close proximity to the human body. Since DEAs usually require high voltage for their actuation, the safety of individuals operating or using these devices should be ensured. In this paper, safety standards based on safe limits for electrical discharge are investigated. Flat and cylindrical DEA configurations, which are generally considered as the building blocks for the design of DEA-based systems, are investigated in detail. Relevant elements and factors that affect the electrical discharge of DEA devices are analyzed and guidelines to design DEA-based devices that are not of harm for humans are provided. The performed analyses are experimentally validated using flat DEA samples. The safety requirements that should be considered when wrapping DEAs around the body (specifically the legs) are also briefly investigated to provide a practical example of interest for the biomedical community.

  12. Improvement of the abnormal diagnosis technology by the development of an abnormal parts assignment system for the engineered safety features actuating system of the HTTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirato, Yoji; Kozawa, Takayuki; Saito, Kenji

    2015-01-01

    The safety protection sequence panel of HTTR is a control panel to actuate an engineering safety system for protecting the reactor core, reactor coolant pressure boundary, and containment vessel boundary at the time of an accident of the nuclear reactor facilities. The safety code stipulates that the control panel should receive safety check at a frequency of once a month during reactor operation. When abnormality has been found, it is required to eliminate its causes and restore normal operation as soon as possible. However, since this control panel is composed of a complex control circuit, the cause check during abnormality requires the confirmation by a knowledgeable person spending quite a lot of time for chart checking, which leads to a delay of restoration. To achieve a rapid restoration, the abnormal part assignment system (APAS), which can specify abnormality instantaneously even by a common operator, was developed. It has been confirmed that with this system, rapid initial response and prompt restoration can be effectively made. (A.O.)

  13. Regulatory analysis for the resolution of generic issue 57: Effects of Fire Protection System Actuation on Safety-Related Equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woods, H.W.

    1993-10-01

    Actuation of Fire Protection Systems (FPS) in Nuclear Power Plants have resulted in adverse interactions with equipment important to safety. Precursor operational experience has shown that 37% of all FPS actuations damaged some equipment, and 20% of all FPS actuations have resulted in a plant transient and reactor trip. On an average 0.17 FPS actuations per reactor year have been experienced in nuclear power plants in this country. This report presents the regulatory analysis for GI-57, ''Effects of Fire Protection System Actuation on Safety-Related Equipment''. The risk reduction estimates, cost/benefit analyses, and other insights gained during this effort have shown that implementation of the recommendations contained in this report can significantly reduce risk, and that these improvements can be warranted in accordance with the backfit rule, 10 CFR 50.109(a)(3). However, plant specific analyses are required in order to identify such improvements. Generic analyses can not serve to identify improvements that could be warranted for individual, specific plants. Plant specific analyses of the type needed for this purpose are underway as part of the Individual Plant Examination of External Events (IPEEE) program

  14. An Actuator Control Unit for Safety-Critical Mechatronic Applications with Embedded Energy Storage Backup

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Saponara

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an actuator control unit (ACU with a 450-J embedded energy storage backup to face safety critical mechatronic applications. The idea is to ensure full operation of electric actuators, even in the case of battery failure, by using supercapacitors as a local energy tank. Thanks to integrated switching converter circuitry, the supercapacitors provide the required voltage and current levels for the required time to guarantee actuator operation until the system enters into safety mode. Experimental results are presented for a target application related to the control of servomotors for a robotized prosthetic arm. Mechatronic devices for rehabilitation or assisted living of injured and/or elderly people are available today. In most cases, they are battery powered with lithium-based cells, providing high energy density and low weight, but at the expense of a reduced robustness compared to lead-acid- or nickel-based battery cells. The ACU of this work ensures full operation of the wearable robotized arm, controlled through acceleration and electromyography (EMG sensor signals, even in the case of battery failure, thanks to the embedded energy backup unit. To prove the configurability and scalability of the proposed solution, experimental results related to the electric actuation of the car door latch and of a robotized gearbox in vehicles are also shown. The reliability of the energy backup device has been assessed in a wide temperature range, from −40 to 130 °C, and in a durability test campaign of more than 10,000 cycles. Achieved results prove the suitability of the proposed approach for ACUs requiring a burst of power of hundreds of watts for only a few seconds in safety-critical applications. Alternatively, the aging and temperature characterizations of energy backup units is limited to supercapacitors of thousands of farads for high power applications (e.g., electric/hybrid propulsion and with a temperature range limited to

  15. New design of engineered safety features-component control system to improve performance and reliability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S.T.; Jung, H.W.; Lee, S.J.; Cho, C.H.; Kim, D.H.; Kim, H.

    2006-01-01

    Full text: Full text: The Engineered Safety Features-Component Control System (ESF-CCS) controls the engineered safety features of a Nuclear Power Plant such as Solenoid Operated Valves (SOV), Motor Operated Valves (MOV), pumps, dampers, etc. to mitigate the effects of a Design Basis Accident (DBA) or an abnormal operation. ESF-CCS serves as an interface system between the Plant Protection System (PPS) and remote actuation devices. ESF-CCS is composed of fault tolerant Group Controllers GC, Loop Controllers (LC), ESF-CCS Test and Interface Processor (ETIP) and Cabinet Operator Module (COM) and Control Channel Gateway (CCG) etc. GCs in each division are designed to be fully independent triple configuration, which perform system level NSSS and BOP ESFAS logic (2-out-of-4 logic and l-out-of-2 logic, respectively) making it possible to test each GC individually during normal operation. In the existing configuration, the safety-related plant component control is part of the Plant Control System (PCS) non-safety system. For increased safety and reliability, this design change incorporates this part into the LCs, and is therefore designed according to the safety-critical system procedures. The test and diagnosis capabilities of ETIP and COM are reinforced. By means of an automatic periodic test for all main functions of the system, it is possible to quickly determine an abnormal status of the system, and to decrease the elapsed time for tests, thus effectively increasing availability. ESF-CCS consists of four independent divisions (A, B, C, and D) in the Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400). One prototype division is being manufactured and will be tested

  16. Fuzzy Constrained Predictive Optimal Control of High Speed Train with Actuator Dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xi Wang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the problem of fuzzy constrained predictive optimal control of high speed train considering the effect of actuator dynamics. The dynamics feature of the high speed train is modeled as a cascade of cars connected by flexible couplers, and the formulation is mathematically transformed into a Takagi-Sugeno (T-S fuzzy model. The goal of this study is to design a state feedback control law at each decision step to enhance safety, comfort, and energy efficiency of high speed train subject to safety constraints on the control input. Based on Lyapunov stability theory, the problem of optimizing an upper bound on the cruise control cost function subject to input constraints is reduced to a convex optimization problem involving linear matrix inequalities (LMIs. Furthermore, we analyze the influences of second-order actuator dynamics on the fuzzy constrained predictive controller, which shows risk of potentially deteriorating the overall system. Employing backstepping method, an actuator compensator is proposed to accommodate for the influence of the actuator dynamics. The experimental results show that with the proposed approach high speed train can track the desired speed, the relative coupler displacement between the neighbouring cars is stable at the equilibrium state, and the influence of actuator dynamics is reduced, which demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed approaches.

  17. FEATURES OF CONTROLLING ELECTROPNEUMATIC VALVES OF ACTUATOR TO CONTROL ITS CLUTCH WITH ACCELERATION VALVE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. A. Yaryta

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with one of the ways to control an actuator of the automated clutch control system. The aim is to design control of the electropneumatic actuator, to control its coupling with the acceleration valve on the basis of experimental research as well as to provide rational parameters of the automated clutch control system for the robotic transmission. The feature of the system is an acceleration valve in the design of the electropneumatic actuator to control the clutch. New links demand to adjust the way to control the actuator. The connection of Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM with single power supply pulses to control electropneumatic valves is substantiated. The quantitative characteristics of single control pulses and PWM ones are determined. The error of operation accuracy for various ways of the control of the electropneumatic actuator to control the clutch of the robotic transmission is determined. Obtained separate PWM area is designed to suppress the initial hysteresis when the rod of the clutch actuator is moved. An algorithm for the operation of a clutch control system is proposed, taking into account the use of two modes of operation of solenoid valves. A graphical interpretation of the clutch control algorithm is presented, which gives an idea of the location of the constant signal feeding zones to the solenoid valve, as well as the operation areas of the solenoid valve in PWM mode. The control algorithm of the clutch booster provides a mode of guaranteed absence of excess pressure in the pneumatic cylinder after releasing the clutch pedal, provided that two normally closed solenoid valves are used. This configuration of the electro-pneumatic clutch control system allows the use of an emergency clutch release system in case of voltage absence. The reference algorithm for filtering the array of data coming from the feedback sensor, as well as the numerical values of the delay caused by the presence of a filter, are given.

  18. Passive Safety Features for Small Modular Reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ingersoll, Daniel T.

    2010-01-01

    The rapid growth in the size and complexity of commercial nuclear power plants in the 1970s spawned an interest in smaller, simpler designs that are inherently or intrinsically safe through the use of passive design features. Several designs were developed, but none were ever built, although some of their passive safety features were incorporated into large commercial plant designs that are being planned or built today. In recent years, several reactor vendors are actively redeveloping small modular reactor (SMR) designs with even greater use of passive features. Several designs incorporate the ultimate in passive safety they completely eliminate specific accident initiators from the design. Other design features help to reduce the likelihood of an accident or help to mitigate the accidents consequences, should one occur. While some passive safety features are common to most SMR designs, irrespective of the coolant technology, other features are specific to water, gas, or liquid-metal cooled SMR designs. The extensive use of passive safety features in SMRs promise to make these plants highly robust, protecting both the general public and the owner/investor. Once demonstrated, these plants should allow nuclear power to be used confidently for a broader range of customers and applications than will be possible with large plants alone.

  19. Advances in global development and deployment of small modular reactors and incorporating lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi accident into the designs of engineered safety features of advanced reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hadid Subki, M.; )

    2014-01-01

    The IAEA has been facilitating the Member States in incorporating the lessons-learned from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident into the designs of engineered safety features of advanced reactors, including small modular reactors. An extended assessment is required to address challenges for advancing reactor safety in the new evolving generation of SMR plants to preserve the historic lessons in safety, through: assuring the diversity in emergency core cooling systems following loss of onsite AC power; ensuring diversity in reactor depressurization following a transient or accident; confirming independence in reactor trip and safety systems for sensors, power supplies and actuation systems, and finally diversity in maintaining containment integrity following a severe accident

  20. MDEP Common Position CP-DICWG-13. Common position on spurious actuation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2017-01-01

    Spurious actuations produced by Instrumentation and Control (I and C) systems are a safety concern if such actuations could challenge plant safety. Spurious actuations can lead to unnecessary challenges to safety equipment, challenge the ability of safety systems to provide their intended functions, or place the plant in an un-analysed state. Spurious actuation of plant equipment can be caused by factors including, but not limited to, single failures, common cause failures, human (e.g. operator) action, maintenance errors, design errors, or missing requirements. Modern I and C systems can have inter-connectivities, dependencies and commonalities that can, if the overall I and C architecture and the individual I and C systems are not adequately developed and operated, facilitate fault propagation, leading to potential spurious actuation of one or more trains of plant equipment. Sources and contributors of spurious actuations of multiple trains of plant equipment may include inadequate independence among redundant portions of I and C systems, inappropriate allocation of I and C functions, inadequate qualification or design of supporting systems (e.g. heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system), or non-classified systems that could have been erroneously classified. Spurious actuations are a type of hazard. Generic Common Position (GCP) DICWG-10 'Common Position on Hazard Identification and Controls for Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems' provides a set of common positions pertaining to identifying and controlling hazards in an I and C system. This common position was developed to add special considerations when identifying and controlling hazards that include spurious actuations. It is expected that GCP DICWG-10 and the common positions in this document be used together for a complete analysis of hazards and their controls (e.g. prevention of spurious actuations in the design of the system/component). Spurious actuations of concern

  1. Temperature sensitive self-actuated scram mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giuggio, N.; Noyes, R.C.; Zaman, S.U.

    1980-01-01

    A self-actuated mechanism within a safety assembly in a liquid metal nuclear reactor comprising sensor fuel pins located in a reactor coolant flow path, a sensor bulb containing NaK located near the upper end of the sensor fuel pins and in the reactor coolant flow path, and a sensor tube connecting the sensor bulb to a metal bellows and push rod. The motion of the push rod resulting from the temperature dependent change in the NaK volume actuates a safety rod release mechanism when a predetermined coolant temperature is reached

  2. Regulatory control of nuclear facility valves and their actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    The methods and procedures by which the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (STUK) regulates valves and their actuators in nuclear power plants and in other nuclear facilities are specified in the guide. The scope of regulation depends on the Safety Class of the valve and the actuator in question. The Safety Classification principles for the systems, structures and components of the nuclear power plants are described in the guide YVL 2.1 and the regulatory control of the nuclear facility safety valves is described in the guide YVL 5.4

  3. Buckling Pneumatic Linear Actuators Inspired by Muscle

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, Dian; Verma, Mohit Singh; So, Ju-Hee; Mosadegh, Bobak; Keplinger, Christoph; Lee, Benjamin; Khashai, Fatemeh; Lossner, Elton Garret; Suo, Zhigang; Whitesides, George McClelland

    2016-01-01

    The mechanical features of biological muscles are difficult to reproduce completely in synthetic systems. A new class of soft pneumatic structures (vacuum-actuated muscle-inspired pneumatic structures) is described that combines actuation by negative pressure (vacuum), with cooperative buckling of beams fabricated in a slab of elastomer, to achieve motion and demonstrate many features that are similar to that of mammalian muscle.

  4. Recent performance experience with US light water reactor self-actuating safety and relief valves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hammer, C.G.

    1996-12-01

    Over the past several years, there have been a number of operating reactor events involving performance of primary and secondary safety and relief valves in U.S. Light Water Reactors. There are several different types of safety and relief valves installed for overpressure protection of various safety systems throughout a typical nuclear power plant. The following discussion is limited to those valves in the reactor coolant systems (RCS) and main steam systems of pressurized water reactors (PWR) and in the RCS of boiling water reactors (BWR), all of which are self-actuating having a setpoint controlled by a spring-loaded disk acting against system fluid pressure. The following discussion relates some of the significant recent experience involving operating reactor events or various testing data. Some of the more unusual and interesting operating events or test data involving some of these designs are included, in addition to some involving a number of similar events and those which have generic applicability.

  5. Temperature sensitive self-actuated scram mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-01-01

    The apparatus, described in detail, accurately infers the average coolant temperature exiting from the reactor core in a liquid metal cooled reactor and rapidly and reliably actuates a safety rod release mechanism on the occurrence of a critical temperature. The output temperature is inferred from the cooperative effect of the flow rate through a coolant flow path within the safety assembly and the heat generated by sensor fuel pins. The inferred temperature is sensed by a confined fluid having a high expansion coefficient; the expansion is transferred to a linear force used to actuate the release mechanism. The system may be contained within the safety assembly and does not interfere with the operation of the plant protection system scram mode. It is resetable after a scram. The time interval between the overtemperature and the insertion of the safety rods is short enough to preclude fuel damage. (U.K.)

  6. LFR safety features through intrinsic negative reactivity feedbacks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grasso, Giacomo

    2012-01-01

    The safety of Lead-cooled Fast Reactors can rely on intrinsic features such as: • the impossibility of Lead boiling, hence the unreliability of core (only) voiding; • the buoyancy of Control Rods in Lead, allowing their safe positioning also below the active region. For heightening the safety features of LFRs in safety analyses it could be required to approach the evaluation of the reactivity coefficients from a more physical point of view, including more elementary mechanisms, each one related to the proper driving temperature

  7. Review on signal-by-wire and power-by-wire actuation for more electric aircraft

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean-Charles MARÉ

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The huge and rapid progress in electric drives offers new opportunities to improve the performances of aircraft at all levels: fuel burn, environmental footprint, safety, integration and production, serviceability, and maintainability. Actuation for safety-critical applications like flight-controls, landing gears, and even engines is one of the major consumers of non-propulsive power. Conventional actuation with centralized hydraulic power generation and distribution and control of power by throttling has been well established for decades, but offers a limited potential of evolution. In this context, electric drives become more and more attractive to remove the natural drawbacks of conventional actuation and to offer new opportunities for improving performance. This paper takes the stock, at both the signal and power levels, of the evolution of actuation for safety-critical applications in aerospace. It focuses on the recent advances and the remaining challenges to be taken toward full electrical actuation for commercial and military aircraft, helicopters, and launchers. It logically starts by emphasizing the specificity of safety-critical actuation for aerospace. The following section addresses in details the evolution of aerospace actuation from mechanically-signaled and hydraulically-supplied to all electric, with special emphasis on research and development programs and on solutions entered into service. Finally, the last section reviews the challenges to be taken to generalize the use of all-electric actuators for future aircraft programs.

  8. A low-power-consumption out-of-Plane electrothermal actuator

    OpenAIRE

    Girbau Sala, David; Llamas Morote, Marco Antonio; Casals Terré, Jasmina; Simó Selvas, Francisco Javier; Pradell i Cara, Lluís; Lázaro Guillén, Antoni

    2007-01-01

    This paper proposes a new vertical electrothermal actuator. It can be considered as a hybrid between the traditional in-plane buckle-beam actuator and the vertical hot-cold actuator. It is here referred to as vertical buckle beam. At identical dimensional and bias conditions, it features a displacement larger than that of other vertical electrothermal actuators proposed so far in the literature. The actuator performance is demonstrated by means of an analytical model along with finite-element...

  9. Numerical investigation of aerodynamic flow actuation produced by surface plasma actuator on 2D oscillating airfoil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minh Khang Phan

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Numerical simulation of unsteady flow control over an oscillating NACA0012 airfoil is investigated. Flow actuation of a turbulent flow over the airfoil is provided by low current DC surface glow discharge plasma actuator which is analytically modeled as an ion pressure force produced in the cathode sheath region. The modeled plasma actuator has an induced pressure force of about 2 kPa under a typical experiment condition and is placed on the airfoil surface at 0% chord length and/or at 10% chord length. The plasma actuator at deep-stall angles (from 5° to 25° is able to slightly delay a dynamic stall and to weaken a pressure fluctuation in down-stroke motion. As a result, the wake region is reduced. The actuation effect varies with different plasma pulse frequencies, actuator locations and reduced frequencies. A lift coefficient can increase up to 70% by a selective operation of the plasma actuator with various plasma frequencies and locations as the angle of attack changes. Active flow control which is a key advantageous feature of the plasma actuator reveals that a dynamic stall phenomenon can be controlled by the surface plasma actuator with less power consumption if a careful control scheme of the plasma actuator is employed with the optimized plasma pulse frequency and actuator location corresponding to a dynamic change in reduced frequency.

  10. Design-related inherent safety characteristics in large LMFBR power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tzanos, C.P.; Barthold, W.P.; Bowers, C.H.; Ferguson, D.R.; Prohammer, F.G.; van Erp, J.B.

    1976-01-01

    Design-related safety-enhancing features such as (1) extended pump coastdown, (2) increased negative reactivity feedbacks, (3) reduced sodium void reactivity, and (4) self-actuated shutdown systems are evaluated. Primary emphasis is placed on preventing or limiting core damage. Attention is also given to features aimed at mitigation of the energetics potential of hypothetical core-disruptive accidents

  11. Safety features and licensing of CNNC-ACP100

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhong, F., E-mail: Zhongfj2000@163.com [Nuclear Power Inst. of China, National Key Lab. of Science and Technology on Reactor System Design Technology (China)

    2014-07-01

    ACP100 is an innovatory modular pressurized water reactor, the engineering safety systems fully adopt passive safety design technology. Its inherent safety and passive features/systems are verified via testing facilities and are highlighted at certain levels of defence in depth. The licensing of ACP 100 is within current LWR framework and meets up-to-date codes and requirements in nuclear safety. (author)

  12. Temperature sensitive self-actuated scram mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giuggio, N.; Noyes, R.C.; Zaman, S.U.

    1982-01-01

    This invention provides a mechanism for rapidly dropping a neutron absorbing poison material into the core of an LMFBR type reactor, and in particular a mechanism that is self-actuated when the reactor coolant temperature reaches a critical value. A safety duct located in the reactor core and extending above the core contains an inner column that provides a vertical coolant flow path through the duct. One or more fuel pins are located in the duct, with a temperature-responsive actuator near their upper ends. A poison bundle surrounds the inner column within the duct, held in position by a release mechanism connected to the actuator. The inferred core temperature is sensed by a fluid confined within the actuator, and the expansion of the fluid is translated into a linear force used to activate the release mechanism

  13. Engineering safety features for high power experimental reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doval, A.; Villarino, E.; Vertullo, A.

    2000-01-01

    In the present analysis we will focus our attention in the way engineering safety features are designed in order to prevent fuel damage in case of abnormal or accidental situations. To prevent fuel damage two main facts must be considered, the shutdown of the reactor and the adequate core cooling capacity, it means that both, neutronic and thermohydraulic aspects must be analysed. Some neutronic safety features are common to all power ranges like negative feedback reactivity coefficients and the required number of control rods containing the proper absorber material to shutdown the reactor. From the thermohydraulic point of view common features are siphon-breaker devices and flap valves for those powers requiring cooling in the forced convection regime. For the high power reactor group, the engineering safety features specially designed for a generic reactor of 20 MW, will be presented here. From the neutronic point of view besides the common features, and to comply with our National Regulatory Authority, a Second Shutdown System was designed as a redundant shutdown system in case the control plates fail. Concerning thermohydraulic aspects besides the pump flywheels and the flap valves providing the natural convection loop, a metallic Chimney and a Chimney Water Injection System were supplied. (author)

  14. Bio-Inspired Control of an Arm Exoskeleton Joint with Active-Compliant Actuation System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michele Folgheraiter

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the methodology followed on the design of a multi-contact point haptic interface that uses a bio-inspired control approach and a novel actuation system. The combination of these components aims at creating a system that increases the operability of the target, and, at the same time, enables an intuitive and safe tele-operation of any complex robotic system of any given morphology. The novelty lies on the combination of a thoughtful kinematic structure driven by an active-compliant actuation system and a bio-inspired paradigm for its regulation. Due to the proposed actuation approach, the final system will achieve the condition of wearable system. On that final solution, each joint will be able to change its stiffness depending on the task to be executed, and on the anatomical features of each individual. Moreover, the system provides a variety of safety mechanisms at different levels to prevent causing any harm to the operator. In future, the system should allow the complete virtual immersion of the user within the working scenario.

  15. Integral fast reactor concept inherent safety features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marchaterre, J.F.; Sevy, R.H.; Cahalan, J.E.

    1987-01-01

    The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is an innovative liquid-metal-cooled reactor concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The two major goals of the IFT development effort are improved economics and enhanced safety. The design features that together fulfill these goals are: 1) a liquid metal (sodium) coolant, 2) a pool-type reactor primary system configuration, 3) an advanced ternary alloy metallic fuel, and 4) an integral fuel cycle. This paper reviews the design features that contribute to the safety margins inherent to the IFR concept. Special emphasis is placed on the ability of the IFR design to accommodate anticipated transients without scram (ATWS)

  16. Integral Fast Reactor concept inherent safety features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marchaterre, J.F.; Sevy, R.H.; Cahalan, J.E.

    1986-01-01

    The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is an innovative liquid-metal-cooled reactor concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The two major goals of the IFR development effort are improved economics and enhanced safety. The design features that together fulfill these goals are: (1) a liquid metal (sodium) coolant, (2) a pool-type reactor primary system configuration, (3) an advanced ternary alloy metallic fuel, and (4) an integral fuel cycle. This paper reviews the design features that contribute to the safety margins inherent to the IFR concept. Special emphasis is placed on the ability of the IFR design to accommodate anticipated transients without scram (ATWS)

  17. Fault tolerant linear actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tesar, Delbert

    2004-09-14

    In varying embodiments, the fault tolerant linear actuator of the present invention is a new and improved linear actuator with fault tolerance and positional control that may incorporate velocity summing, force summing, or a combination of the two. In one embodiment, the invention offers a velocity summing arrangement with a differential gear between two prime movers driving a cage, which then drives a linear spindle screw transmission. Other embodiments feature two prime movers driving separate linear spindle screw transmissions, one internal and one external, in a totally concentric and compact integrated module.

  18. Innovative safety features of the modular HTGR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silady, F.A.; Simon, W.A.

    1992-04-01

    In this document the innovative safety features of the MHTGR are reviewed by examining the safety response to events challenging the functions relied on to retain radionuclides within the coated fuel particles. A broad range of challenges to core heat removal are examined, including a loss of helium pressure and a simultaneous loss of forced cool of the core

  19. Integral fast reactor safety features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cahalan, J.E.; Kramer, J.M.; Marchaterre, J.F.; Mueller, C.J.; Pedersen, D.R.; Sevy, R.H.; Wade, D.C.; Wei, T.Y.C.

    1988-01-01

    The integral fast reactor (IFR) is an advanced liquid-metal-cooled reactor concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The two major goals of the IFR development effort are improved economics and enhanced safety. In addition to liquid metal cooling, the principal design features that distinguish the IFR are: a pool-type primary system, and advanced ternary alloy metallic fuel, and an integral fuel cycle with on-site fuel reprocessing and fabrication. This paper focuses on the technical aspects of the improved safety margins available in the IFR concept. This increased level of safety is made possible by the liquid metal (sodium) coolant and pool-type primary system layout, which together facilitate passive decay heat removal, and a sodium-bonded metallic fuel pin design with thermal and neutronic properties that provide passive core responses which control and mitigate the consequences of reactor accidents

  20. Study on control method of the actuators accepting commands from different classifications in nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Lixue; Zhang Nan; Fan Jin; Li Liang

    2015-01-01

    The distributed control system has become the main control system for the nuclear power plant, consisting of 1E and non-1E parts. Because the safety actuators accept commands from different safety classifications, this is a difficulty of controlling those actuators in nuclear power plant. This article discusses about the control method for safety actuators accepting commands from different classifications. Firstly, one control method adopted in new nuclear power projects is introduced. Then based on this, an optimized method is raised. The new method mainly concludes two points than the adopted method: 1. The concept 'local control mode' is introduced into the signal priority logic modules, and the priority logic module turns into local mode for the non-1E control system once it accepts safety signal; 2. The 'remote control mode' is added into the module of the safety actuator in the non-1E control system, and this can make the non-1E control system abandon controlling the safety actuator when the relevant priority logic module accept the safety signal. Based on verifying the correctness of modified scheme, comparisons between the fore-and-aft schemes are provided to summary the merits of the optimized method. It is concluded that optimized scheme is better in the aspects of reliability, safety and economy. (authors)

  1. What price safety. A probabilistic cost-benefit evaluaton of existing engineered safety features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Donnell, E.P.

    1978-01-01

    The paper provides a method for performing quantitative cost-benefit evaluations for nuclear safety concerns involving accidents of low probability and potentially large consequences. It presents an application of the method to ECCS, containment, emergency power system and hydrogen recombiner system. This evaluation provides a valuable assessment of the relative cost effectiveness of these features in reducing accident risk. It also provides insight into the sensitivity of cost-benefit calculations to the manner in which safety features are sequantially added in design. (author)

  2. Pneumatic artificial muscle actuators for compliant robotic manipulators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Ryan Michael

    Robotic systems are increasingly being utilized in applications that require interaction with humans. In order to enable safe physical human-robot interaction, light weight and compliant manipulation are desirable. These requirements are problematic for many conventional actuation systems, which are often heavy, and typically use high stiffness to achieve high performance, leading to large impact forces upon collision. However, pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) are actuators that can satisfy these safety requirements while offering power-to-weight ratios comparable to those of conventional actuators. PAMs are extremely lightweight actuators that produce force in response to pressurization. These muscles demonstrate natural compliance, but have a nonlinear force-contraction profile that complicates modeling and control. This body of research presents solutions to the challenges associated with the implementation of PAMs as actuators in robotic manipulators, particularly with regard to modeling, design, and control. An existing PAM force balance model was modified to incorporate elliptic end geometry and a hyper-elastic constitutive relationship, dramatically improving predictions of PAM behavior at high contraction. Utilizing this improved model, two proof-of-concept PAM-driven manipulators were designed and constructed; design features included parallel placement of actuators and a tendon-link joint design. Genetic algorithm search heuristics were employed to determine an optimal joint geometry; allowing a manipulator to achieve a desired torque profile while minimizing the required PAM pressure. Performance of the manipulators was evaluated in both simulation and experiment employing various linear and nonlinear control strategies. These included output feedback techniques, such as proportional-integral-derivative (PID) and fuzzy logic, a model-based control for computed torque, and more advanced controllers, such as sliding mode, adaptive sliding mode, and

  3. Integral fast reactor safety features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cahalan, J.E.; Kramer, J.M.; Marchaterre, J.F.; Mueller, C.J.; Pedersen, D.R.; Sevy, R.H.; Wade, D.C.; Wei, T.Y.C.

    1988-01-01

    The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is an advanced liquid-metal-cooled reactor concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The two major goals of the IFR development effort are improved economics and enhanced safety. In addition to liquid metal cooling, the principal design features that distinguish the IFR are: (1) a pool-type primary system, (2) an advanced ternary alloy metallic fuel, and (3) an integral fuel cycle with on-site fuel reprocessing and fabrication. This paper focuses on the technical aspects of the improved safety margins available in the IFR concept. This increased level of safety is made possible by (1) the liquid metal (sodium) coolant and pool-type primary system layout, which together facilitate passive decay heat removal, and (2) a sodium-bonded metallic fuel pin design with thermal and neutronic properties that provide passive core responses which control and mitigate the consequences of reactor accidents

  4. Networked Rectenna Array for Smart Material Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Sang H.; Golembiewski, Walter T.; Song, Kyo D.

    2000-01-01

    The concept of microwave-driven smart material actuators is envisioned as the best option to alleviate the complexity associated with hard-wired control circuitry. Networked rectenna patch array receives and converts microwave power into a DC power for an array of smart actuators. To use microwave power effectively, the concept of a power allocation and distribution (PAD) circuit is adopted for networking a rectenna/actuator patch array. The PAD circuit is imbedded into a single embodiment of rectenna and actuator array. The thin-film microcircuit embodiment of PAD circuit adds insignificant amount of rigidity to membrane flexibility. Preliminary design and fabrication of PAD circuitry that consists of a few nodal elements were made for laboratory testing. The networked actuators were tested to correlate the network coupling effect, power allocation and distribution, and response time. The features of preliminary design are 16-channel computer control of actuators by a PCI board and the compensator for a power failure or leakage of one or more rectennas.

  5. Passive safety features in current and future water cooled reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-11-01

    Better understanding of the passive safety systems and components in current and future water-cooled reactors may enhance the safety of present reactors, to the extend passive features are backfitted. This better understanding should also improve the safety of future reactors, which can incorporate more of these features. Passive safety systems and components may help to prevent accidents, core damage, or release radionuclides to the environment. The Technical Committee Meeting which was hosted by the USSR State Committee for Utilization of Nuclear Energy was attended by about 80 experts from 16 IAEA Member States and the NEA-OECD. A total of 21 papers were presented during the meeting. The objective of the meeting was to review and discuss passive safety systems and features of current and future water cooled reactor designs and to exchange information in this area of activity. A separate abstract was prepared for each of the 21 papers published in this proceedings. Refs, figs and tabs

  6. Safety design features of the IRIS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS) is an advanced, integral, light water cooled reactor of medium generating capacity (335 MW(e)), that features an integral reactor vessel containing all the reactor primary system components, including steam generators, coolant pumps, pressurizer and heaters, and control rod drive mechanisms; in addition to the typical core, internals, control rods and neutron reflector. This integral configuration allows for the use of a small, high design pressure, spherical steel containment which results in a significant reduction in the size of the nuclear island. Other IRIS innovations include a simplified passive safety system concept and equipment features that derive from the 'safety-by-design' philosophy. This design approach allows for elimination of certain accident initiators at the design stage, or when outright elimination is not possible, decreases accident consequences and/or their probability of occurrence. Major design characteristics of the IRIS are given. As part of the IRIS pre-application licensing review by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the IRIS design team has developed a test plan that will provide the necessary data for safety analysis computer model verification, as well as for verifying the manufacturing feasibility, operability, and durability of new component designs

  7. Polymer-based actuators for virtual reality devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolzmacher, Christian; Hafez, Moustapha; Benali Khoudja, Mohamed; Bernardoni, Paul; Dubowsky, Steven

    2004-07-01

    Virtual Reality (VR) is gaining more importance in our society. For many years, VR has been limited to the entertainment applications. Today, practical applications such as training and prototyping find a promising future in VR. Therefore there is an increasing demand for low-cost, lightweight haptic devices in virtual reality (VR) environment. Electroactive polymers seem to be a potential actuation technology that could satisfy these requirements. Dielectric polymers developed the past few years have shown large displacements (more than 300%). This feature makes them quite interesting for integration in haptic devices due to their muscle-like behaviour. Polymer actuators are flexible and lightweight as compared to traditional actuators. Using stacks with several layers of elatomeric film increase the force without limiting the output displacement. The paper discusses some design methods for a linear dielectric polymer actuator for VR devices. Experimental results of the actuator performance is presented.

  8. Hydraulic Actuators with Autonomous Hydraulic Supply for the Mainline Aircrafts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. S. Shumilov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Applied in the aircraft control systems, hydraulic servo actuators with autonomous hydraulic supply, so-called, hydraulic actuators of integrated configuration, i.e. combination of a source of hydraulic power and its load in the single unit, are aimed at increasing control system reliability both owing to elimination of the pipelines connecting the actuator to the hydraulic supply source, and owing to avoidance of influence of other loads failure on the actuator operability. Their purpose is also to raise control system survivability by eliminating the long pipeline communications and their replacing for the electro-conductive power supply system, thus reducing the vulnerability of systems. The main reason for a delayed application of the hydraulic actuators in the cutting-edge aircrafts was that such aircrafts require hydraulic actuators of considerably higher power with considerable heat releases, which caused an unacceptable overheat of the hydraulic actuators. Positive and negative sides of the hydraulic actuators, their alternative options of increased reliability and survivability, local hydraulic systems as an advanced alternative to independent hydraulic actuators are considered.Now to use hydraulic actuators in mainline aircrafts is inexpedient since there are the unfairly large number of the problems reducing, first and last, safety of flights, with no essential weight and operational advantages. Still works to create competitive hydraulic actuators ought to be continued.Application of local hydraulic systems (LHS will allow us to reduce length of pressure head and drain pipelines and mass of pipelines, as well as to raise their general fail-safety and survivability. Application of the LHS principle will allow us to use a majority of steering drive advantages. It is necessary to allocate especially the following:- ease of meeting requirements for the non-local spread of the engine weight;- essentially reducing length and weight of

  9. A Quantitative Feasibility Study on Potential Safety Improvement Effects of Advanced Safety Features in APR-1400 when Applied to OPR-1000

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ualikhan Zhiyenbayev [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Dae Wook [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    This study aims to test the feasibility of the applications using Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA). Particularly, three of those advanced safety features are selected as follows: 1. Providing an additional Emergency Diesel Generator (EDG); 2. Increasing the capacity of Class 1E batteries; 3. Placing a Refueling Water Storage Tank (RWST) inside containment, i.e., change from RWST to IRWST. The Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR-1400) adopts several advanced safety features compared to its predecessor, the Optimized Power Reactor 1000 (OPR-1000), which includes an additional Emergency Diesel Generator, increase in battery capacity, in-containment refueling water storage tank (IRWST), and so on. Considering the remarkable advantages of these safety features in safety improvement and the design similarities between APR-1400 and OPR-1000, it is feasible to apply key advanced safety features of APR-1400 to OPR-1000 to enhance the safety. The selected safety features are incorporated into OPR-1000 PSA model using the Advanced Information Management System (AIMS) for PSA and CDFs are re-evaluated for each application and combination of three applications. Based on current results, it is concluded that three of key advanced safety features of APR-1400 can be effectively applied to OPR-1000, resulting in considerable safety improvement. In aggregate, three advanced safety features, which are an additional EDG, increased battery capacity and IRWST, can reduce the CDF of OPR-1000 by more than 15% when applied altogether.

  10. A Quantitative Feasibility Study on Potential Safety Improvement Effects of Advanced Safety Features in APR-1400 when Applied to OPR-1000

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ualikhan Zhiyenbayev; Chung, Dae Wook

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to test the feasibility of the applications using Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA). Particularly, three of those advanced safety features are selected as follows: 1. Providing an additional Emergency Diesel Generator (EDG); 2. Increasing the capacity of Class 1E batteries; 3. Placing a Refueling Water Storage Tank (RWST) inside containment, i.e., change from RWST to IRWST. The Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR-1400) adopts several advanced safety features compared to its predecessor, the Optimized Power Reactor 1000 (OPR-1000), which includes an additional Emergency Diesel Generator, increase in battery capacity, in-containment refueling water storage tank (IRWST), and so on. Considering the remarkable advantages of these safety features in safety improvement and the design similarities between APR-1400 and OPR-1000, it is feasible to apply key advanced safety features of APR-1400 to OPR-1000 to enhance the safety. The selected safety features are incorporated into OPR-1000 PSA model using the Advanced Information Management System (AIMS) for PSA and CDFs are re-evaluated for each application and combination of three applications. Based on current results, it is concluded that three of key advanced safety features of APR-1400 can be effectively applied to OPR-1000, resulting in considerable safety improvement. In aggregate, three advanced safety features, which are an additional EDG, increased battery capacity and IRWST, can reduce the CDF of OPR-1000 by more than 15% when applied altogether

  11. The safety features of an integrated maritime reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyakoshi, Junichi; Yamada, Nobuyuki; Kuwahara, Shin-ichi

    1975-01-01

    The EFDR-80, a typical integrated maritime reactor, which is being developed in West Germany is outlined. The safety features of the integrated maritime reactor are presented with the analysis of reactor accidents and hazards, and are compared with those of the separated maritime reactor. Furthermore, the safety criteria of maritime reactors in Japan and West Germany are compared, and some of the differences are presented from the viewpoint of reactor design and safety analysis. In this report the authors express an earnest desire that the definite and reasonable safety criteria of the integrated maritime reactor should be established and that the safety criteria of the nuclear ship should be standardized internationally. (auth.)

  12. Fast force actuators for LSST primary/tertiary mirror

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hileman, Edward; Warner, Michael; Wiecha, Oliver

    2010-07-01

    The very short slew times and resulting high inertial loads imposed upon the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) create new challenges to the primary mirror support actuators. Traditionally large borosilicate mirrors are supported by pneumatic systems, which is also the case for the LSST. These force based actuators bear the weight of the mirror and provide active figure correction, but do not define the mirror position. A set of six locating actuators (hardpoints) arranged in a hexapod fashion serve to locate the mirror. The stringent dynamic requirements demand that the force actuators must be able to counteract in real time for dynamic forces on the hardpoints during slewing to prevent excessive hardpoint loads. The support actuators must also maintain the prescribed forces accurately during tracking to maintain acceptable mirror figure. To meet these requirements, candidate pneumatic cylinders incorporating force feedback control and high speed servo valves are being tested using custom instrumentation with automatic data recording. Comparative charts are produced showing details of friction, hysteresis cycles, operating bandwidth, and temperature dependency. Extremely low power actuator controllers are being developed to avoid heat dissipation in critical portions of the mirror and also to allow for increased control capabilities at the actuator level, thus improving safety, performance, and the flexibility of the support system.

  13. Plant-inspired adaptive structures and materials for morphing and actuation: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Suyi; Wang, K W

    2016-12-20

    Plants exhibit a variety of reversible motions, from the slow opening of pine cones to the impulsive closing of Venus flytrap leaves. These motions are achieved without muscles and they have inspired a wide spectrum of engineered materials and structures. This review summarizes the recent developments of plant-inspired adaptive structures and materials for morphing and actuation. We begin with a brief overview of the actuation strategies and physiological features associated to these plant movements, showing that different combinations of these strategies and features can lead to motions with different deformation characteristics and response speeds. Then we offer a comprehensive survey of the plant-inspired morphing and actuation systems, including pressurized cellular structures, osmotic actuation, anisotropic hygroscopic materials, and bistable systems for rapid movements. Although these engineered systems are vastly different in terms of their size scales and intended applications, their working principles are all related to the actuation strategies and physiological features in plants. This review is to promote future cross-disciplinary studies between plant biology and engineering, which can foster new solutions for many applications such as morphing airframes, soft robotics and kinetic architectures.

  14. OMS engine shutoff valve and actuation system design and evaluation. [for space shuttles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wichmann, H.

    1974-01-01

    Shutoff valve and actuation system concepts that are most suitable for the Orbital Maneuvering Systems engine application were determined. Emphasis was placed on the ten year and 100 mission life requirement, propellant and propellant residue compatibility and weight. It was found that poppet or ball valves utilizing electric or electropneumatic actuation were most applicable. Preliminary design layouts of a number of valve and actuation concepts were prepared and analyzed to make the optimum concept selection. Pneumatic actuation systems were required to feature their own pneumatic supply so that for the quad redundant valve, it was necessary to include two pneumatic supply systems, one for each of the series legs of the quad redundant package. The requirement for the pneumatic package placed heavy reliability, weight, and maintenance penalties upon electropneumatic actuation systems. The two valve and actuation systems concepts selected featured electric torque motor operation and a poppet as well as a ball valve concept with a retractable seal.

  15. Safety Features of Material and Personnel Movement Devices. Module SH-25. Safety and Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Center for Occupational Research and Development, Inc., Waco, TX.

    This student module on safety features of material and personnel movement devices is one of 50 modules concerned with job safety and health. This module covers safe conditions and operating practices for conveyors, elevators, escalators, moving walks, manlifts, forklifts, and motorized hand trucks. Following the introduction, 10 objectives (each…

  16. 16 CFR Figure 5 to Part 1512 - Typical Handbrake Actuator Showing Grip Dimension

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Typical Handbrake Actuator Showing Grip Dimension 5 Figure 5 to Part 1512 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FEDERAL HAZARDOUS... Actuator Showing Grip Dimension EC03OC91.072 ...

  17. X-ray and nuclear radiation facilities: personnel safety features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mason, W.J.; Pipes, E.W.; Rucker, T.R.; Smith, D.N.; West, C.M.

    1976-10-01

    The Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant is a research and production installation. The nature and versatility of this work require the use of a large number and variety of x-ray and radiographic sources for nondestructive testing and material analyses. Presently, there are over 80 x-ray generators in the plant, which range in size from small, portable units which operate at a less than 50 kilovolts potential and 0.1 milliampere current to an electron linear accelerator which operates at 12-million electron volts and produces a radiation beam of such intensity that it could deliver a lethal dose to man in a fraction of a minute. There are also almost 50 gamma and neutron sources in use in the plant. These units range in size from a few millicuries to several hundred curies. Although the radiation safety at each of these facilities was considered adequate, the administrative and maintenance procedures became unduly complicated. Accordingly, engineering standards and uniform operating procedures were considered necessary to alleviate these complications and, in so doing, provide an improved measure of radiation safety. Development and implementation of these standards are described and the general philosophy and approach to these standards are outlined. Use of a matrix (type of installation versus radiation safety feature) to facilitate equipment classification and personnel safety feature requirements is presented. Included is a set of the standards showing formats, matrices, etc., and the detailed standards for each safety feature

  18. Emergency scram actuation device for nuclear reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noyes, R.C.; Zaman, S.U.; Stuteville, D.W.

    1979-01-01

    The safety parameter employed for emergency scrams of a liquid metal cooled reactor is the coolant pressure. An actuation bellows is provided which is connected to a measuring chamber by means of a flow system. Both units are installed in a coolant flow section. The measuring chamber proper is connected with the coolant by means of an aperture limiting the flow. Inside the measuring chamber there is an expansion space filled with gas. Pressure changes in the coolant affect the pressure in the expansion space. Expansion of the bellows actuates the release mechanism. (DG) [de

  19. Ultrathin Alvarez lens system actuated by artificial muscles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petsch, S; Grewe, A; Köbele, L; Sinzinger, S; Zappe, H

    2016-04-01

    A key feature of Alvarez lenses is that they may be tuned in focal length using lateral rather than axial translation, thus reducing the overall length of a focus-tunable optical system. Nevertheless the bulk of classical microsystems actuators limits further miniaturization. We present here a new, ultrathin focus-tunable Alvarez lens fabricated using molding techniques and actuated using liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) artificial muscle actuators. The large deformation generated by the LCE actuators permits the integration of the actuators in-plane with the mechanical and optical system and thus reduces the device thickness to only 1.6 mm. Movement of the Alvarez lens pair of 178 μm results in a focal length change of 3.3 mm, based on an initial focal length of 28.4 mm. This design is of considerable interest for realization of ultraflat focus-tunable and zoom systems.

  20. Bioinspired Soft Actuation System Using Shape Memory Alloys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matteo Cianchetti

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Soft robotics requires technologies that are capable of generating forces even though the bodies are composed of very light, flexible and soft elements. A soft actuation mechanism was developed in this work, taking inspiration from the arm of the Octopus vulgaris, specifically from the muscular hydrostat which represents its constitutive muscular structure. On the basis of the authors’ previous works on shape memory alloy (SMA springs used as soft actuators, a specific arrangement of such SMA springs is presented, which is combined with a flexible braided sleeve featuring a conical shape and a motor-driven cable. This robot arm is able to perform tasks in water such as grasping, multi-bending gestures, shortening and elongation along its longitudinal axis. The whole structure of the arm is described in detail and experimental results on workspace, bending and grasping capabilities and generated forces are presented. Moreover, this paper demonstrates that it is possible to realize a self-contained octopus-like robotic arm with no rigid parts, highly adaptable and suitable to be mounted on underwater vehicles. Its softness allows interaction with all types of objects with very low risks of damage and limited safety issues, while at the same time producing relatively high forces when necessary.

  1. Tough nanocomposite ionogel-based actuator exhibits robust performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xinhua; He, Bin; Wang, Zhipeng; Tang, Haifeng; Su, Teng; Wang, Qigang

    2014-10-20

    Ionogel electrolytes can be fabricated for electrochemical actuators with many desirable advantages, including direct low-voltage control in air, high electrochemical and thermal stability, and complete silence during actuation. However, the demands for active actuators with above features and load-driving ability remain a challenge; much work is necessary to enhance the mechanical strength of electrolyte materials. Herein, we describe a cross-linked supramolecular approach to prepare tough nanocomposite gel electrolytes from HEMA, BMIMBF4, and TiO2 via self-initiated UV polymerization. The tough and stable ionogels are emerging to fabricate electric double-layer capacitor-like soft actuators, which can be driven by electrically induced ion migration. The ionogel-based actuator shows a displacement response of 5.6 mm to the driving voltage of 3.5 V. After adding the additional mass weight of the same as the actuator, it still shows a large displacement response of 3.9 mm. Furthermore, the actuator can not only work in harsh temperature environments (100°C and -10°C) but also realize the goal of grabbing an object by adjusting the applied voltage.

  2. Safety features of subcritical fluid fueled systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bell, C.R.

    1995-01-01

    Accelerator-driven transmutation technology has been under study at Los Alamos for several years for application to nuclear waste treatment, tritium production, energy generation, and recently, to the disposition of excess weapons plutonium. Studies and evaluations performed to date at Los Alamos have led to a current focus on a fluid-fuel, fission system operating in a neutron source-supported subcritical mode, using molten salt reactor technology and accelerator-driven proton-neutron spallation. In this paper, the safety features and characteristics of such systems are explored from the perspective of the fundamental nuclear safety objectives that any reactor-type system should address. This exploration is qualitative in nature and uses current vintage solid-fueled reactors as a baseline for comparison. Based on the safety perspectives presented, such systems should be capable of meeting the fundamental nuclear safety objectives. In addition, they should be able to provide the safety robustness desired for advanced reactors. However, the manner in which safety objectives and robustness are achieved is very different from that associated with conventional reactors. Also, there are a number of safety design and operational challenges that will have to be addressed for the safety potential of such systems to be credible

  3. Safety features of subcritical fluid fueled systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bell, C.R.

    1994-01-01

    Accelerator-driven transmutation technology has been under study at Los Alamos for several years for application to nuclear waste treatment, tritium production, energy generation, and recently, to the disposition of excess weapons plutonium. Studies and evaluations performed to date at Los Alamos have led to a current focus on a fluid-fuel, fission system operating in a neutron source-supported subcritical mode, using molten salt reactor technology and accelerator-driven proton-neutron spallation. In this paper, the safety features and characteristics of such systems are explored from the perspective of the fundamental nuclear safety objectives that any reactor-type system should address. This exploration is qualitative in nature and uses current vintage solid-fueled reactors as a baseline for comparison. Based on the safety perspectives presented, such systems should be capable of meeting the fundamental nuclear safety objectives. In addition, they should be able to provide the safety robustness desired for advanced reactors. However, the manner in which safety objectives and robustness are achieved in very different from that associated with conventional reactors. Also, there are a number of safety design and operational challenges that will have to be addressed for the safety potential of such systems to be credible

  4. Safety features of subcritical fluid fueled systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bell, C.R. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM (United States)

    1995-10-01

    Accelerator-driven transmutation technology has been under study at Los Alamos for several years for application to nuclear waste treatment, tritium production, energy generation, and recently, to the disposition of excess weapons plutonium. Studies and evaluations performed to date at Los Alamos have led to a current focus on a fluid-fuel, fission system operating in a neutron source-supported subcritical mode, using molten salt reactor technology and accelerator-driven proton-neutron spallation. In this paper, the safety features and characteristics of such systems are explored from the perspective of the fundamental nuclear safety objectives that any reactor-type system should address. This exploration is qualitative in nature and uses current vintage solid-fueled reactors as a baseline for comparison. Based on the safety perspectives presented, such systems should be capable of meeting the fundamental nuclear safety objectives. In addition, they should be able to provide the safety robustness desired for advanced reactors. However, the manner in which safety objectives and robustness are achieved is very different from that associated with conventional reactors. Also, there are a number of safety design and operational challenges that will have to be addressed for the safety potential of such systems to be credible.

  5. Another Lesson from Plants: The Forward Osmosis-Based Actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinibaldi, Edoardo; Argiolas, Alfredo; Puleo, Gian Luigi; Mazzolai, Barbara

    2014-01-01

    Osmotic actuation is a ubiquitous plant-inspired actuation strategy that has a very low power consumption but is capable of generating effective movements in a wide variety of environmental conditions. In light of these features, we aimed to develop a novel, low-power-consumption actuator that is capable of generating suitable forces during a characteristic actuation time on the order of a few minutes. Based on the analysis of plant movements and on osmotic actuation modeling, we designed and fabricated a forward osmosis-based actuator with a typical size of 10 mm and a characteristic time of 2–5 minutes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fastest osmotic actuator developed so far. Moreover, the achieved timescale can be compared to that of a typical plant cell, thanks to the integrated strategy that we pursued by concurrently addressing and solving design and material issues, as paradigmatically explained by the bioinspired approach. Our osmotic actuator produces forces above 20 N, while containing the power consumption (on the order of 1 mW). Furthermore, based on the agreement between model predictions and experimental observations, we also discuss the actuator performance (including power consumption, maximum force, energy density and thermodynamic efficiency) in relation to existing actuation technologies. In light of the achievements of the present study, the proposed osmotic actuator holds potential for effective exploitation in bioinspired robotics systems. PMID:25020043

  6. Another lesson from plants: the forward osmosis-based actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinibaldi, Edoardo; Argiolas, Alfredo; Puleo, Gian Luigi; Mazzolai, Barbara

    2014-01-01

    Osmotic actuation is a ubiquitous plant-inspired actuation strategy that has a very low power consumption but is capable of generating effective movements in a wide variety of environmental conditions. In light of these features, we aimed to develop a novel, low-power-consumption actuator that is capable of generating suitable forces during a characteristic actuation time on the order of a few minutes. Based on the analysis of plant movements and on osmotic actuation modeling, we designed and fabricated a forward osmosis-based actuator with a typical size of 10 mm and a characteristic time of 2-5 minutes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fastest osmotic actuator developed so far. Moreover, the achieved timescale can be compared to that of a typical plant cell, thanks to the integrated strategy that we pursued by concurrently addressing and solving design and material issues, as paradigmatically explained by the bioinspired approach. Our osmotic actuator produces forces above 20 N, while containing the power consumption (on the order of 1 mW). Furthermore, based on the agreement between model predictions and experimental observations, we also discuss the actuator performance (including power consumption, maximum force, energy density and thermodynamic efficiency) in relation to existing actuation technologies. In light of the achievements of the present study, the proposed osmotic actuator holds potential for effective exploitation in bioinspired robotics systems.

  7. Another lesson from plants: the forward osmosis-based actuator.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edoardo Sinibaldi

    Full Text Available Osmotic actuation is a ubiquitous plant-inspired actuation strategy that has a very low power consumption but is capable of generating effective movements in a wide variety of environmental conditions. In light of these features, we aimed to develop a novel, low-power-consumption actuator that is capable of generating suitable forces during a characteristic actuation time on the order of a few minutes. Based on the analysis of plant movements and on osmotic actuation modeling, we designed and fabricated a forward osmosis-based actuator with a typical size of 10 mm and a characteristic time of 2-5 minutes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fastest osmotic actuator developed so far. Moreover, the achieved timescale can be compared to that of a typical plant cell, thanks to the integrated strategy that we pursued by concurrently addressing and solving design and material issues, as paradigmatically explained by the bioinspired approach. Our osmotic actuator produces forces above 20 N, while containing the power consumption (on the order of 1 mW. Furthermore, based on the agreement between model predictions and experimental observations, we also discuss the actuator performance (including power consumption, maximum force, energy density and thermodynamic efficiency in relation to existing actuation technologies. In light of the achievements of the present study, the proposed osmotic actuator holds potential for effective exploitation in bioinspired robotics systems.

  8. An Intelligent Actuator Fault Reconstruction Scheme for Robotic Manipulators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Bing; Yin, Shen

    2018-02-01

    This paper investigates a difficult problem of reconstructing actuator faults for robotic manipulators. An intelligent approach with fast reconstruction property is developed. This is achieved by using observer technique. This scheme is capable of precisely reconstructing the actual actuator fault. It is shown by Lyapunov stability analysis that the reconstruction error can converge to zero after finite time. A perfect reconstruction performance including precise and fast properties can be provided for actuator fault. The most important feature of the scheme is that, it does not depend on control law, dynamic model of actuator, faults' type, and also their time-profile. This super reconstruction performance and capability of the proposed approach are further validated by simulation and experimental results.

  9. Studies to demonstrate the adequacy of testing results of the qualification tests for the actuator of main steam safety relive valves (MSSRV) in an advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gou, P.F.; Patel, R.; Curran, G.; Henrie, D.; Solorzano, E.

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents several studies performed to demonstrate that the testing results from the qualification tests for the actuator of the Main Steam Safety Relief Valves (MSSRV; also called SRV in this paper) in GE's Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) are in compliance with the qualification guidelines stipulated in the applicable IEEE standards. The safety-related function of the MSSRV is to relieve pressure in order to protect the reactor pressure vessel from over-pressurization condition during normal operation and design basis events. In order to perform this function, the SRV must actuate at a given set pressure while maintaining the pressure and structural integrity of the SRV. The valves are provided with an electro-pneumatic actuator assembly that opens the valve upon receipt of an automatic or manually initiated electric signal to allow depressurization of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). To assure the SRV can perform its intended safety related functions properly, qualification tests are needed in addition to analysis, to demonstrate that the SRV can withstand the specified environmental, dynamic and seismic design basis conditions without impairing its safety related function throughout their installed life under the design conditions including postulated design basis events such as OBE loads and Faulted (SSE) events. The guidelines used for the test methods, procedures and acceptance criteria for the qualification tests are established in IEEE std 344-1987 and IEEE std 382-1985. In the qualification tests, the specimen consists of the actuator, control valve assembly, limit switches, and limit switch support structure. During the functional, dynamic and seismic tests, the test specimen was mounted on a SRV. Qualification of safety related equipment to meet the guidelines of the IEEE standards is typically a two-step process: 1) environmental aging and 2) design basis events qualification. The purpose of the first step is to put the equipment in an

  10. Potential safety features and safety analysis aspects for high performance light water reactor (HPLWR)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aksan, N.; Schulenberg, T.; Squarer, D.

    2003-01-01

    Research Activities are ongoing worldwide to develop advanced nuclear power plants with high thermal efficiency for the purpose to improve their economical competitiveness. Within the 5th Framework Programme of the European Commission, a project has been launched with the main objective to assess the technical and economical feasibility of a high efficiency LWR operating at super critical pressure conditions. Several European research institutions, industrial partners and the University of Tokyo participated and worked in this common research project. Within the aims of the development of the HPLWR is to use both passive and active safety systems for performing safety related functions in the event of transients or accidents. Consequently substantial effort has been invested in order to define the safety features of the plant in a European environment, as well as to incorporate passive safety features into the design. Throughout this process, the European Utility Requirements (EUR) and requirements known from Generation IV initiative were considered as a guideline in general terms in order to include further advanced ideas. The HPLWR general features were compared to both requirements, indicating a potential to meet these. Since, the supercritical HPLWR represents a challenge for best-estimate safety codes like RELAP5, CATHARE and TRAB due to the fact that these codes were developed for two-phase or single-phase coolant at pressures far below critical point, work on the preliminary assessment of the appropriateness of these codes have been performed for selected relevant phenomena, and application of the codes to the selected transients on the basis of defined 'reference design'. An overview on their successful upgrade to supercritical pressures and application to some plant safety analysis are provided in the paper. Further elaborations in relation to future needs are also discussed. (author)

  11. Thermally actuated linkage arrangement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, P.M.

    1981-01-01

    A reusable thermally actuated linkage arrangement includes a first link member having a longitudinal bore therein adapted to receive at least a portion of a second link member therein, the first and second members being sized to effect an interference fit preventing relative movement there-between at a temperature below a predetermined temperature. The link members have different coefficients of thermal expansion so that when the linkage is selectively heated by heating element to a temperature above the predetermined temperature, relative longitudinal and/or rotational movement between the first and second link members is enabled. Two embodiments of a thermally activated linkage are disclosed which find particular application in actuators for a grapple head positioning arm in a nuclear reactor fuel handling mechanism to facilitate back-up safety retraction of the grapple head independently from the primary fuel handling mechanism drive system. (author)

  12. Method for driving an actuator, actuator drive, and apparatus comprising an actuator

    OpenAIRE

    2010-01-01

    An actuator driver circuit includes a drive signal source and an electrical damping element having a negative resistance connected in series with the drive signal source. A controllable switch is provided for selectively switching the electrical damping element into or put of a signal path from a drive signal source output to a driver circuit output, in order to selectively change the electrical damping of an actuator. For example, the electrical damping of a radial actuator or a focus actuat...

  13. Software for computers in the safety systems of nuclear power stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-08-01

    This standard includes the safety actuation systems, the safety system support features and the protection systems. The standard provides requirements for each stage of software generation, including design, development, qualification and operation as well as the documentation for each stage of the software generation for the purpose of achieving highly reliable software. The principles applied in developing these requirements include: Best available practice; top-down design methods; modularity; verification of each phase; clear documentation; auditable documents and validation testing. (orig./HP)

  14. Innovative safety features of the modular HTGR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silady, F.A.; Simon, W.A.

    1992-01-01

    The Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) is an advanced reactor concept under development through a cooperative program involving the US Government, the nuclear industry, and the utilities. Near-term development is focused on electricity generation. The top-level safety requirement is that the plant's operation not disturb the normal day-to-day activities of the public. Quantitatively, this requires that the design meet the US Environmental Protection Agency's Protective Action Guides at the site boundary and hence preclude the need for sheltering or evacuation of the public. To meet these stringent safety requirements and at the same time provide a cost competitive design requires the innovative use of the basic high temperature gas-cooled reactor features of ceramic fuel, helium coolant, and a graphite moderator. The specific fuel composition and core size and configuration have been selected to the use the natural characteristics of these materials to develop significantly higher margins of safety. In this document the innovative safety features of the MHTGR are reviewed by examining the safety response to events challenging the functions relied on to retain radionuclides within the coated fuel particles. A broad range of challenges to core heat removal are examined, including a loss of helium pressure of a simultaneous loss of forced cooling of the core. The challenges to control of heat generation consider not only the failure to insert the reactivity control systems but also the withdrawal of control rods. Finally, challenges to control of chemical attack of the ceramic-coated fuel are considered, including catastrophic failure of the steam generator, which allows water ingress, or failure of the pressure vessels, which allows air ingress. The plant's response to these extreme challenges is not dependent on operator action, and the events considered encompass conceivable operator errors

  15. Advanced sensor fault detection and isolation for electro-mechanical flight actuators

    OpenAIRE

    Ossmann, Daniel; van der Linden, Franciscus

    2015-01-01

    Moving towards the more electric aircraft to be able to replace mechanic, hydraulic and pneumatic components of an aircraft, the aircraft industry calls for new technologies able to support this trend. One of these technologies is the development of advanced electro-mechanical actuators for aircraft control surfaces. Step by step hydraulic actuators are replaced by their electro-mechanical alternatives featuring weight and cost savings. As hydraulic actuators are used for decades by the air...

  16. The static actuation of dielectric elastomer actuators: how does pre-stretch improve actuation?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kofod, Guggi

    2008-01-01

    It has previously been shown that providing dielectric elastomer actuators with a level of pre-stretch can improve properties such as breakdown strength, actuation strain and efficiency. The actuation in such actuators depends on an interplay between the highly nonlinear hyperelastic stress-strain behaviour with the electrostatic Maxwell's stress; however, the direct effects of pre-stretch on the electromechanical coupling have still not been investigated in detail. We compare several experimental results found in the literature on the hyperelastic parameters of the Ogden model for the commonly used material VHB 4910, and introduce a more detailed and thus more accurate fit to a previous uniaxial stress-strain experiment. Electrostatic actuation models for a pure shear cuboid dielectric elastomer actuator with pre-stretch are introduced, for both intensive and extensive variables. For both intensive and extensive variables the constant strain (blocked stress or force) as well as the actuation strain is presented. It is shown how in the particular case of isotropic amorphous elastomers the pre-stretch does not affect the electromechanical coupling directly, and that the enhancement in actuation strain due to pre-stretch occurs through the alteration of the geometrical dimensions of the actuator. Also, the presence of the optimum load is explained as being due to the plateau region in the force-stretch curve, and it is shown that pre-stretch is not able to affect its position. Finally, it is shown how the simplified Ogden fit leads to entirely different conclusions for actuation strain in terms of extensive variables as does the detailed fit, emphasizing the importance of employing accurate hyperelastic models for the stress-stretch behaviour of the elastomer.

  17. Bioinspired Smart Actuator Based on Graphene Oxide-Polymer Hybrid Hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tao; Huang, Jiahe; Yang, Yiqing; Zhang, Enzhong; Sun, Weixiang; Tong, Zhen

    2015-10-28

    Rapid response and strong mechanical properties are desired for smart materials used in soft actuators. A bioinspired hybrid hydrogel actuator was designed and prepared by series combination of three trunks of tough polymer-clay hydrogels to accomplish the comprehensive actuation of "extension-grasp-retraction" like a fishing rod. The hydrogels with thermo-creep and thermo-shrinking features were successively irradiated by near-infrared (NIR) to execute extension and retraction, respectively. The GO in the hydrogels absorbed the NIR energy and transformed it into thermo-energy rapidly and effectively. The hydrogel with adhesion or magnetic force was adopted as the "hook" of the hybrid hydrogel actuator for grasping object. The hook of the hybrid hydrogel actuator was replaceable according to applications, even with functional materials other than hydrogels. This study provides an innovative concept to explore new soft actuators through combining response hydrogels and programming the same stimulus.

  18. Actuators, transducers and motors based on giant magnetostrictive materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Claeyssen, F.; Lhermet, N.; Le Letty, R. [Cedrat Recherche, Meylan (France); Bouchilloux, P. [Magsoft Corporation, 1223 People`s Avenue, New York 12180 (United States)

    1997-08-01

    Rare earth-iron magnetostrictive alloys, especially Terfenol-D, feature ``giant`` magnetostrains: static strains of 1000-2000 ppm and dynamic strains of 3500 ppm are reported. These strains permit building various actuating devices (actuators, transducers, motors) both at macro and micro scale. The object of the paper is to recall adapted design methods, especially finite element methods such as ATILA, and to review these different kinds of devices studied at Cedrat Recherche, providing both up-dated experimental and numerical results. The presented devices will include several large displacement longitudinal and shear actuators biased using permanent magnets and used either as characterisation devices or as electromechanical actuators (for active damping, for sonar transducers..), a 1 kHz 4 kW Tonpilz-type sonar transducer called the tripode, a 2 N m torque rotating multi-mode motor, a torsion based drift free micro actuator and a wireless linear micromotor. (orig.)

  19. Fiber-Reinforced Origamic Robotic Actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Juan; Chen, Xiaojiao; Song, Chaoyang; Wang, Zheng

    2018-02-01

    A novel pneumatic soft linear actuator Fiber-reinforced Origamic Robotic Actuator (FORA) is proposed with significant improvements on the popular McKibben-type actuators, offering nearly doubled motion range, substantially improved force profile, and significantly lower actuation pressure. The desirable feature set is made possible by a novel soft origamic chamber that expands radially while contracts axially when pressurized. Combining this new origamic chamber with a reinforcing fiber mesh, FORA generates very high traction force (over 150N) and very large contractile motion (over 50%) at very low input pressure (100 kPa). We developed quasi-static analytical models both to characterize the motion and forces and as guidelines for actuator design. Fabrication of FORA mostly involves consumer-grade three-dimensional (3D) printing. We provide a detailed list of materials and dimensions. Fabricated FORAs were tested on a dedicated platform against commercially available pneumatic artificial muscles from Shadow and Festo to showcase its superior performances and validate the analytical models with very good agreements. Finally, a robotic joint was developed driven by two antagonistic FORAs, to showcase the benefits of the performance improvements. With its simple structure, fully characterized mechanism, easy fabrication procedure, and highly desirable performance, FORA could be easily customized to application requirements and fabricated by anyone with access to a 3D printer. This will pave the way to the wider adaptation and application of soft robotic systems.

  20. Shape memory-based actuators and release mechanisms therefrom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaidyanathan, Rajan (Inventor); Snyder, Daniel W. (Inventor); Schoenwald, David K. (Inventor); Lam, Nhin S. (Inventor); Watson, Daniel S. (Inventor); Krishnan, Vinu B. (Inventor); Noebe, Ronald D. (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    SM-based actuators (110) and release mechanisms (100) therefrom and systems (500) including one or more release mechanisms (100). The actuators (110) comprise a SM member (118) and a deformable member (140) mechanically coupled to the SM member (118) which deforms upon a shape change of the SM member triggered by a phase transition of the SM member. A retaining element (160) is mechanically coupled to the deformable member (140), wherein the retaining element (160) moves upon the shape change. Release mechanism (100) include an actuator, a rotatable mechanism (120) including at least one restraining feature (178) for restraining rotational movement of the retaining element (160) before the shape change, and at least one spring (315) that provides at least one locked spring-loaded position when the retaining element is in the restraining feature and at least one released position that is reached when the retaining element is in a position beyond the restraining feature (178). The rotatable mechanism (120) includes at least one load-bearing protrusion (310). A hitch (400) is for mechanically coupling to the load, wherein the hitch is supported on the load bearing protrusion (310) when the rotatable mechanism is in the locked spring-loaded position.

  1. Improvement of risk informed surveillance test interval for the safety related instrument and control system of Ulchin units 3 and 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jang, Seung Cheol; Lee, Yun Hwan; Lee, Seung Joon; Han, Sang Hoon

    2012-05-01

    The purpose of this research is the development of various methodologies necessary for the licensing of the risk informed surveillance test interval(STI) improvement for the safety related I and C systems in UCN 3 and 4, for instance, reactor protection system (RPS), engineered safety features actuation system (ESFAS), ESF auxiliary relay cabinet (ARC), and core protection calculator (CPC). The technical adequacy of the methodology was sufficiently verified through the application to the following STI changes. o CPC channel functional test (change from 1 month to 3 months including safety channel and log power test) o RPS channel functional test (change from 1 month to 3 months) o RPS logic and trip channel test (change from 1 month to 3 months. 1 month for RPS manual actuation test) o ESFAS channel functional test (change from 1 month to 3 months) o ESFAS logic and trip channel test (change from 1 month to 3 months) o ESF auxiliary relay test (change from 1 month to 3 months with staggered test. Manual actuation at the ESF ARC is added as a backup of ESF actuation signals during emergency operation

  2. Improvement of risk informed surveillance test interval for the safety related instrumentation and control system of Yonggwang units 3 and 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jang, Seung Cheol; Lee, Yun Hwan; Lee, Seung Joon; Han, Sang Hoon

    2012-05-01

    The purpose of this research is the development of various methodologies necessary for the licensing of the risk informed surveillance test interval(STI) improvement for the safety related I and C systems in YGN 3 and 4, for instance, reactor protection system (RPS), engineered safety features actuation system (ESFAS), ESF auxiliary relay cabinet (ARC), and core protection calculator (CPC). The technical adequacy of the methodology was sufficiently verified through the application to the following STI changes. o CPC channel functional test (change from 1 month to 3 months including safety channel and log power test) o RPS channel functional test (change from 1 month to 3 months) o RPS logic and trip channel test (change from 1 month to 3 months. 1 month for RPS manual actuation test) o ESFAS channel functional test (change from 1 month to 3 months) o ESFAS logic and trip channel test (change from 1 month to 3 months) o ESF auxiliary relay test (change from 1 month to 3 months with staggered test. Manual actuation at the ESF ARC is added as a backup of ESF actuation signals during emergency operation

  3. Basic research of electro-rheological gel drum for novel linear actuator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koyanagi, K; Yamaguchi, T; Oshima, T [Toyama Prefectural University, Toyama (Japan); Kakinuma, Y [Keio University, Kanagawa (Japan); Anzai, H; Sakurai, K [Fujikura Kasei, Tochigi (Japan)], E-mail: koyanagi@pu-toyama.ac.jp

    2009-02-01

    In recent years, robots that coexist with human are under active researches. Such robots need high safety, backdriveability, large generative force, high speed response, good controllability, and so on. We have put emphasis on the backdriveability and created a novel prototype linear actuator with an ER (Electro-Rheological) gel, a new functional material. It is an all-purpose actuator satisfying characteristics for human-coexistence welfare robot.

  4. The design and safety features of the IRIS reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carelli, Mario D.; Conway, L.E.; Oriani, L.; Petrovic, B.; Lombardi, C.V.; Ricotti, M.E.; Barroso, A.C.O.; Collado, J.M.; Cinotti, L.; Todreas, N.E.; Grgic, D.; Moraes, M.M.; Boroughs, R.D.; Ninokata, H.; Ingersoll, D.T.; Oriolo, F.

    2004-01-01

    Salient features of the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS) are presented here. IRIS, an integral, modular, medium size (335 MWe) PWR, has been under development since the turn of the century by an international consortium led by Westinghouse and including over 20 organizations from nine countries. Described here are the features of the integral design which includes steam generators, pumps and pressurizer inside the vessel, together with the core, control rods, and neutron reflector/shield. A brief summary is provided of the IRIS approach to extended maintenance over a 48-month schedule. The unique IRIS safety-by-design approach is discussed, which, by eliminating accidents, at the design stage, or decreasing their consequences/probabilities when outright elimination is not possible, provides a very powerful first level of defense in depth. The safety-by-design allows a significant reduction and simplification of the passive safety systems, which are presented here, together with an assessment of the IRIS response to transients and postulated accidents

  5. A cyclically actuated electrolytic drug delivery device

    KAUST Repository

    Yi, Ying; Buttner, Ulrich; Foulds, Ian G.

    2015-01-01

    This work, focusing on an implantable drug delivery system, presents the first prototype electrolytic pump that combines a catalytic reformer and a cyclically actuated mode. These features improve the release performance and extend the lifetime

  6. Soft Somatosensitive Actuators via Embedded 3D Printing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Truby, Ryan L; Wehner, Michael; Grosskopf, Abigail K; Vogt, Daniel M; Uzel, Sebastien G M; Wood, Robert J; Lewis, Jennifer A

    2018-04-01

    Humans possess manual dexterity, motor skills, and other physical abilities that rely on feedback provided by the somatosensory system. Herein, a method is reported for creating soft somatosensitive actuators (SSAs) via embedded 3D printing, which are innervated with multiple conductive features that simultaneously enable haptic, proprioceptive, and thermoceptive sensing. This novel manufacturing approach enables the seamless integration of multiple ionically conductive and fluidic features within elastomeric matrices to produce SSAs with the desired bioinspired sensing and actuation capabilities. Each printed sensor is composed of an ionically conductive gel that exhibits both long-term stability and hysteresis-free performance. As an exemplar, multiple SSAs are combined into a soft robotic gripper that provides proprioceptive and haptic feedback via embedded curvature, inflation, and contact sensors, including deep and fine touch contact sensors. The multimaterial manufacturing platform enables complex sensing motifs to be easily integrated into soft actuating systems, which is a necessary step toward closed-loop feedback control of soft robots, machines, and haptic devices. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Electromechanical actuation of buckypaper actuator: Material properties and performance relationships

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cottinet, P.-J.; Souders, C.; Tsai, S.-Y.; Liang, R.; Wang, B.; Zhang, C.

    2012-01-01

    Carbon nanotubes can be assembled into macroscopic thin film materials called buckypapers. To incorporate buckypaper actuators into engineering systems, it is of high importance to understand their material property-actuation performance relationships in order to model and predict the behavior of these actuators. The electromechanical actuation of macroscopic buckypaper structures and their actuators, including single and multi-walled carbon nanotube buckypapers and aligned single-walled nanotube buckypapers, were analyzed and compared. From the experimental evidence, this Letter discusses the effects of the fundamental material properties, including Young modulus and electrical double layer properties, on actuation performance of the resultant actuators. -- Highlights: ► In this study we identified the figure of merit of the electromechanical conversion. ► Different type of buckypaper was realized and characterized for actuation properties. ► The results demonstrated the potential of Buckypapers/Nafion for actuation

  8. Adaptive mechanical-wetting lens actuated by ferrofluids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Hui-Chuan; Xu, Su; Liu, Yifan; Levi, Shoshana; Wu, Shin-Tson

    2011-04-01

    We report an adaptive mechanical-wetting lens actuated by ferrofluids. The ferrofluids works like a piston to pump liquids in and out from the lens chamber, which in turn reshapes the lens curvature and changes the focal length. Both positive and negative lenses are demonstrated experimentally. The ferrofluid-actuated mechanical-wetting lens exhibits some attractive features, such as high resolution, fast response time, low power consumption, simple structure and electronic control, weak gravity effect, and low cost. Its potential applications in medical imaging, surveillance, and commercial electronics are foreseeable.

  9. TELEPERM XS: I and C systems for safety application in NPP's - features, developments, references and feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prehler, Heinz Josef

    2007-01-01

    In the field of digital I and C AREVA NP is focused on concepts that on the one hand make allowance for development cycles getting shorter in the technology competition and on the other hand assure a long-term system support with the ability to deliver spare parts in the long run. The system platform TELEPERM XS, which was developed especially for safety I and C application of nuclear power plants, meets requirements effectively and thus provides a great benefit for the customer. The typical applications of TELEPERM XS are in the field of Reactor Protection and ESFAS functions (Engineered Safety Features Actuation System). High demands are defined for system reliability and availability, as well as for failure prevention and tolerance. The requirements of corresponding international codes and standards of nuclear installations are also implemented in the development and engineering processes of TELEPERM XS. The system platform is integrated into a sustainable program for service life management of electronic systems and equipment. Its ongoing future-oriented development ensures the long-term availability of hardware and software components for installed TELEPERM XS applications already installed in the plants. The further development of platform and components continues to be based on the robust, service-proven TELEPERM XS architecture, with the aim of minimizing the risks associated with equipment qualification and project licensing. A further development feature is the completion and extension of TELEPERM XS applications. This continuous innovation process, combined with maximized compatibility, makes TELEPERM XS unique, and provides the basis for a sustainable system with a service life guaranteed for the long term. Within the past 10 years, the majority of all comprehensive modernization projects worldwide were implemented or are contracted using TELEPERM XS. TELEPERM XS has been implemented in two new nuclear power plants and there are orders for four more

  10. Multi-actuators vehicle collision avoidance system - Experimental validation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamid, Umar Zakir Abdul; Zakuan, Fakhrul Razi Ahmad; Akmal Zulkepli, Khairul; Zulfaqar Azmi, Muhammad; Zamzuri, Hairi; Rahman, Mohd Azizi Abdul; Aizzat Zakaria, Muhammad

    2018-04-01

    The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) of the United States of America in their reports has mentioned that a significant amount of the road mishaps would be preventable if more automated active safety applications are adopted into the vehicle. This includes the incorporation of collision avoidance system. The autonomous intervention by the active steering and braking systems in the hazardous scenario can aid the driver in mitigating the collisions. In this work, a real-time platform of a multi-actuators vehicle collision avoidance system is developed. It is a continuous research scheme to develop a fully autonomous vehicle in Malaysia. The vehicle is a modular platform which can be utilized for different research purposes and is denominated as Intelligent Drive Project (iDrive). The vehicle collision avoidance proposed design is validated in a controlled environment, where the coupled longitudinal and lateral motion control system is expected to provide desired braking and steering actuation in the occurrence of a frontal static obstacle. Results indicate the ability of the platform to yield multi-actuators collision avoidance navigation in the hazardous scenario, thus avoiding the obstacle. The findings of this work are beneficial for the development of a more complex and nonlinear real-time collision avoidance work in the future.

  11. Development of quantitative goals for inherent safety feature design and licensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kastenberg, W.E.; Apostolakis, G.; Dhir, V.K.; Okrent, D.

    1987-01-01

    There is now considerable interest in the development of advanced fast reactors whose major focus is inherent safety. The achievement of inherent safety can be viewed from several aspects. In the Integral Fast Reactor Concept the approach is to utilize the intrinsic characteristics of pool-type liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBRs) and the properties of metal fuels to integrate a high degree of inherent safety into the design. The PRISM and SAFR concepts focus on other inherent safety features. The reactors discussed above represent a radical departure from existing LWR designs as well as previous LMFBR designs (e.g., CRBRP) which are based, for the most part, on the General Design Criteria found in 10CFR50 Appendix. In view of these parallel developments (advanced reactors exploiting inherent safety and the use of quantitative goals to augment licensing), there appears to be a need to perform research on the development of methods for designing, assessing, and licensing inherent safety features in advanced reactors. The objectives of such research are outlined

  12. Actuator with Multi Degrees of Freedom(Actuator)

    OpenAIRE

    矢野, 智昭; Tomoaki, YANO; 産業技術総合研究所

    2006-01-01

    The advantages, problems and the recent developments of the actuator with multi degrees of freedom are presented. At first, the advantages of the actuator with multi degrees of freedom are described. Next, the problems needed to solve for practical use are presented. The recent applications of the actuator with multi degrees of freedom are also reviewed.

  13. Fault tree model of human error based on error-forcing contexts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Hyun Gook; Jang, Seung Cheol; Ha, Jae Joo

    2004-01-01

    In the safety-critical systems such as nuclear power plants, the safety-feature actuation is fully automated. In emergency case, the human operator could also play the role of a backup for automated systems. That is, the failure of safety-feature-actuation signal generation implies the concurrent failure of automated systems and that of manual actuation. The human operator's manual actuation failure is largely affected by error-forcing contexts (EFC). The failures of sensors and automated systems are most important ones. The sensors, the automated actuation system and the human operators are correlated in a complex manner and hard to develop a proper model. In this paper, we will explain the condition-based human reliability assessment (CBHRA) method in order to treat these complicated conditions in a practical way. In this study, we apply the CBHRA method to the manual actuation of safety features such as reactor trip and safety injection in Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plants

  14. Safety systems and features of boiling and pressurized water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khair, H. O. M.

    2012-06-01

    The safe operation of nuclear power plants (NPP) requires a deep understanding of the functioning of physical processes and systems involved. This study was carried out to present an overview of the features of safety systems of boiling and pressurized water reactors that are available commercially. Brief description of purposes and functions of the various safety systems that are employed in these reactors was discussed and a brief comparison between the safety systems of BWRs and PWRs was made in an effort to emphasize of safety in NPPs.(Author)

  15. Compact, planar, translational piezoelectric bimorph actuator with Archimedes’ spiral actuating tethers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Chenye; Liu, Sanwei; Livermore, Carol; Xie, Xin

    2016-01-01

    The design, analytical modelling, finite element analysis (FEA), and experimental characterization of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) out-of-plane (vertical) translational piezoelectric lead–zirconate–titanate (PZT) bimorph actuator supported on Archimedes’ spiral tethers are presented. Three types of bimorph actuators with different electrode patterns (with spiral tethers half actuated, fully actuated with uniform polarity, or fully actuated with reversed polarity) are designed and modelled. The two actuators with the highest predicted performance (half actuated and fully actuated with uniform polarity) are implemented and characterized. Both designs are fabricated by commercial processes and are compatible with integration into more complex MEMS systems. Analytical modelling and FEA are used to analyze and predict the actuators’ displacements and blocking forces. Experimental measurements of the deflections and blocking forces of actuators with full uniform actuation and half actuation validate the design. At an applied voltage of 110 V, the out-of-plane deflections of the actuators with half actuation and full uniform actuation are measured at about 17 µ m and 29 µ m respectively, in good agreement with analytical predictions of 17.3 µ m and 34.2 µ m and FEA predictions of 17.1 µ m and 25.8 µ m. The blocking force for devices with half-actuated tethers is predicted to be 12 mN (analytical) and 10 mN (FEA), close to the experimental value of 9 mN. The blocking force for devices with full uniform actuation is predicted to be 23 mN (analytical) and 17 mN (FEA), as compared with 15 mN in experiments. (paper)

  16. Investigation of road network features and safety performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xuesong; Wu, Xingwei; Abdel-Aty, Mohamed; Tremont, Paul J

    2013-07-01

    The analysis of road network designs can provide useful information to transportation planners as they seek to improve the safety of road networks. The objectives of this study were to compare and define the effective road network indices and to analyze the relationship between road network structure and traffic safety at the level of the Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ). One problem in comparing different road networks is establishing criteria that can be used to scale networks in terms of their structures. Based on data from Orange and Hillsborough Counties in Florida, road network structural properties within TAZs were scaled using 3 indices: Closeness Centrality, Betweenness Centrality, and Meshedness Coefficient. The Meshedness Coefficient performed best in capturing the structural features of the road network. Bayesian Conditional Autoregressive (CAR) models were developed to assess the safety of various network configurations as measured by total crashes, crashes on state roads, and crashes on local roads. The models' results showed that crash frequencies on local roads were closely related to factors within the TAZs (e.g., zonal network structure, TAZ population), while crash frequencies on state roads were closely related to the road and traffic features of state roads. For the safety effects of different networks, the Grid type was associated with the highest frequency of crashes, followed by the Mixed type, the Loops & Lollipops type, and the Sparse type. This study shows that it is possible to develop a quantitative scale for structural properties of a road network, and to use that scale to calculate the relationships between network structural properties and safety. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. The design features and safety concepts of the nuclear heating reactor developed in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Wenxiang; Wang Dazhong

    1995-01-01

    Based on the specific conditions of the nuclear heat applications and the development objectives of the advanced reactors, the nuclear heating reactor (NHR) exploited in China has adhered to the new safety concepts and been designed with a number of advanced features, including the integrated arrangement, full power natural circulation capacity, self-pressurized performance, dynamically-hydraulic control rod drive and passive safety systems, so that higher standard of safety as well as simplification in the plant systems and improvement in economic viability has been achieved. This paper describes the special consideration in the design as well as the main design features and safety concepts of the NHR. Some experimental and analytical results are also presented to demonstrate the NHR safety features

  18. Technical specification optimization program - engineered safety features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andre, G.R.; Jansen, R.L.

    1986-01-01

    The Westinghouse Technical Specification Program (TOP) was designed to evaluate on a quantitative basis revisions to Nuclear Power Plant Technical Specifications. The revisions are directed at simplifying plant operation, and reducing unnecessary transients, shutdowns, and manpower requirements. In conjunction with the Westinghouse Owners Group, Westinghouse initiated a program to develop a methodology to justify Technical Specification revisions; particularly revisions related to testing and maintenance requirements on plant operation for instrumentation systems. The methodology was originally developed and applied to the reactor trip features of the reactor protection system (RPS). The current study further refined the methodology and applied it to the engineered safety features of the RPS

  19. High-authority smart material integrated electric actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weisensel, G. N.; Pierce, Thomas D.; Zunkel, Gary

    1997-05-01

    For many current applications, hydraulic power is still the preferred method of gaining mechanical advantage. However, in many of these applications, this power comes with the penalties of high weight, size, cost, and maintenance due to the system's distributed nature and redundancy requirements. A high authority smart material Integrated Electric Actuator (IEA) is a modular, self-contained linear motion device that is capable of producing dynamic output strokes similar to those of hydraulic actuators yet at significantly reduced weight and volume. It provides system simplification and miniaturization. This actuator concept has many innovative features, including a TERFENOL-D-based pump, TERFENOL-D- based active valves, control algorithms, a displacement amplification unit and integrated, unitized packaging. The IEA needs only electrical power and a control command signal as inputs to provide high authority, high response rate actuation. This approach is directly compatible with distributed control strategies. Aircraft control, automotive brakes and fuel injection, and fluid power delivery are just some examples of the IEA's pervasive applications in aerospace, defense and commercial systems.

  20. New source terms: what do they tell us about engineered safety feature performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernero, R.M.

    1985-01-01

    The accident behavior models which are the basis of engineered safety feature design are generally simple, non-mechanistic and concentrated on volatile radioiodine. Now data from source term studies show that models should be more mechanistic and look at other species than volatile iodine. A complete reevaluation of engineered safety features is needed

  1. Engineering and safety features of modular vault dry storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deacon, D.; Wheeler, D.J.

    1984-01-01

    This paper discusses the need for interim dry storage and reviews detailed features of the Modular Vault Dry storage concept. The concept meets three basic utility requirements. Firstly, the technology and safety features have been demonstrated on existing plant; secondly, it can be built and licensed in an acceptably short timescale; and thirdly, economic analysis shows that a modular vault dry store is often the cheapest option for interim storage

  2. Technical and institutional safety features of nuclear power plants in Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosa, L.P.

    1986-01-01

    This work reports technical, political and institutional safety features of nuclear power plants in Brazil. It is mainly concerned with reactor accidents and personnel safety. The three mile Island and Chernobyl accidents are also discussed and taken as examples. (A.C.A.S.)

  3. Passive components of NPP safety-related systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ionaytis Romuald, R.; Bubnova Tatyana, A.

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents a new passive components with having drives: fast-response cutoff valves; modular actuators with opposite cocking pneumatic drives and actuation spring drives; voting electromagnetic valve units for control of pneumatic drives; passive initiators of actuation; visual diagnostics . All these devices have been developed and tested at mock-ups. This paper presents also the following direct-action passive safety components: modular pressure-relief safety valves; pilot safety valves with passive action; check valves with remote position indicator and after-tightening; modular inserts for limiting emergency coolant flow; vortex rectifier; critical weld fasteners; gas-liquid valves; fast-removable seal assembly; seal spring loaders; grooves for increasing hydraulic resistance. Replacement of active safety system components for passive ones improves the general reliability NPP by 1.5 or 2 orders of magnitudes. (authors)

  4. Education and Training of Safety Regulation for Nuclear Safety Infrastructure: Its Necessity and Unique Features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Young Sung; Choi, Young Joon; Lee, Jae Cheon

    2009-01-01

    Faced with global warming and electricity demands, countries over the world recognize the comparative advantages of nuclear energy. It is estimated that about 300 nuclear power plants (NPPs) expect to be constructed until 2030 worldwide. In addition, according to the IAEA, approximately 20 new countries might have their first NPP in operation by 2030 in the high projection compared with bout 5 new countries in the low projection. When introducing nuclear power, the implementation of an appropriate infrastructure to address all of the relevant issues is a central concern of international community. In particular, nuclear power program requires, at an earlier stage than when construction starts, the development of a legal and regulatory framework and training of regulators and safety experts whose combined knowledge adequately covers all areas of nuclear safety and regulation applied at a NPP construction and operation. As an essential component of such human resource development, special attention was paid to the provision of education and training to regulators of which countries plan to introduce NPPs. In term of education theory, safety regulation has some unique features in learning and teaching, which are different from those of nuclear engineering or development. This paper overviews nuclear safety infrastructure, explores the roles of exporting countries, and presents features and components in education of nuclear safety regulation

  5. Passive and engineered safety features of the prototype fast reactor (PFR), Dounreay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gregory, C.V.

    1991-01-01

    Prototype fast reactor (PFR) combines passive and engineered safety features. Natural convection, a strong negative power coefficient, the decay heat removal system, and a fuel design able to operate beyond failure are all inherent and passive safety features of the PFR. The reliable shutdown system and the protection provided against SGU leaks are example of engineered protection. Experience at PFR demonstrates the worth and potential of a range of passive and engineered safeguards

  6. Note: A novel rotary actuator driven by only one piezoelectric actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Hu; Fu, Lu; Zhao, Hongwei; Shi, Chengli; Ren, Luquan; Li, Jianping; Qu, Han

    2013-09-01

    This paper presents a novel piezo-driven rotary actuator based on the parasitic motion principle. Output performances of the rotary actuator were tested and discussed. Experiment results indicate that using only one piezoelectric actuator and simple sawtooth wave control, the rotary actuator reaches the rotation velocity of about 20,097 μrad/s when the driving voltage is 100 V and the driving frequency is 90 Hz. The actuator can rotate stably with the minimum resolution of 0.7 μrad. This paper verifies feasibility of the parasitic motion principle for applications of rotary actuators, providing new design ideas for precision piezoelectric rotary actuators.

  7. Perspective on Secure Development Activities and Features of Safety I and C Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Youngdoo; Yu, Yeong Jin; Kim, Hyungtae; Kwon, Yong il; Park, Yeunsoo; Choo, Jaeyul; Son, Jun Young; Jeong, Choong Heui

    2015-01-01

    The Enforcement Decree of the Act on Physical Protection and Radiological Emergency (ED-APPRE) was revised December 2013 to include security requirements on computer systems at nuclear facilities to protect those systems against malicious cyber-attacks. It means Cyber-Security-related measures, controls and activities of safety I and C systems against cyber-attacks shall meet the requirements of ED-APPRE. Still regulation upon inadvertent access or non-malicious modifications to the safety I and C systems is covered under the Nuclear Safety Act. The objective of this paper is to propose KINS' regulatory perspective on secure development and features against non-malicious access or modification of safety I and C systems. Secure development activities and features aim to prevent inadvertent and non-malicious access, and to prevent unwanted action from personnel or connected systems for ensuring reliable operation of safety I and C systems. Secure development activities of safety I and C systems are life cycle activities to ensure unwanted, unneeded and undocumented code is not incorporated into the systems. Secure features shall be developed, verified and qualified throughout the development life cycle

  8. Perspective on Secure Development Activities and Features of Safety I and C Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, Youngdoo; Yu, Yeong Jin; Kim, Hyungtae; Kwon, Yong il; Park, Yeunsoo; Choo, Jaeyul; Son, Jun Young; Jeong, Choong Heui [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-05-15

    The Enforcement Decree of the Act on Physical Protection and Radiological Emergency (ED-APPRE) was revised December 2013 to include security requirements on computer systems at nuclear facilities to protect those systems against malicious cyber-attacks. It means Cyber-Security-related measures, controls and activities of safety I and C systems against cyber-attacks shall meet the requirements of ED-APPRE. Still regulation upon inadvertent access or non-malicious modifications to the safety I and C systems is covered under the Nuclear Safety Act. The objective of this paper is to propose KINS' regulatory perspective on secure development and features against non-malicious access or modification of safety I and C systems. Secure development activities and features aim to prevent inadvertent and non-malicious access, and to prevent unwanted action from personnel or connected systems for ensuring reliable operation of safety I and C systems. Secure development activities of safety I and C systems are life cycle activities to ensure unwanted, unneeded and undocumented code is not incorporated into the systems. Secure features shall be developed, verified and qualified throughout the development life cycle.

  9. Nuclear Storage Overpack Door Actuator and Alignment Apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andreyko, Gregory M.

    2005-01-01

    The invention is a door actuator and alignment apparatus for opening and closing the 15,000-pound horizontally sliding door of a storage overpack. The door actuator includes a ball screw mounted horizontally on a rigid frame including a pair of door panel support rails. An electrically powered ball nut moves along the ball screw. The ball nut rotating device is attached to a carriage. The carriage attachment to the sliding door is horizontally pivoting. Additional alignment features include precision cam followers attached to the rails and rail guides attached to the carriage

  10. Flight Test Experience With an Electromechanical Actuator on the F-18 Systems Research Aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Stephen C.; Jenney, Gavin D.; Raymond, Bruce; Dawson, David

    2000-01-01

    Development of reliable power-by-wire actuation systems for both aeronautical and space applications has been sought recently to eliminate hydraulic systems from aircraft and spacecraft and thus improve safety, efficiency, reliability, and maintainability. The Electrically Powered Actuation Design (EPAD) program was a joint effort between the Air Force, Navy, and NASA to develop and fly a series of actuators validating power-by-wire actuation technology on a primary flight control surface of a tactical aircraft. To achieve this goal, each of the EPAD actuators was installed in place of the standard hydraulic actuator on the left aileron of the NASA F/A-18B Systems Research Aircraft (SRA) and flown throughout the SRA flight envelope. Numerous parameters were recorded, and overall actuator performance was compared with the performance of the standard hydraulic actuator on the opposite wing. This paper discusses the integration and testing of the EPAD electromechanical actuator (EMA) on the SRA. The architecture of the EMA system is discussed, as well as its integration with the F/A-18 Flight Control System. The flight test program is described, and actuator performance is shown to be very close to that of the standard hydraulic actuator it replaced. Lessons learned during this program are presented and discussed, as well as suggestions for future research.

  11. Flight control actuation system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wingett, Paul T. (Inventor); Gaines, Louie T. (Inventor); Evans, Paul S. (Inventor); Kern, James I. (Inventor)

    2006-01-01

    A flight control actuation system comprises a controller, electromechanical actuator and a pneumatic actuator. During normal operation, only the electromechanical actuator is needed to operate a flight control surface. When the electromechanical actuator load level exceeds 40 amps positive, the controller activates the pneumatic actuator to offset electromechanical actuator loads to assist the manipulation of flight control surfaces. The assistance from the pneumatic load assist actuator enables the use of an electromechanical actuator that is smaller in size and mass, requires less power, needs less cooling processes, achieves high output forces and adapts to electrical current variations. The flight control actuation system is adapted for aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, and other flight vehicles, especially flight vehicles that are large in size and travel at high velocities.

  12. Fpga-based control of piezoelectric actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juhász László

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In many industrial applications like semiconductor production and optical inspection systems, the availability of positioning systems capable to follow trajectory paths in the range of several centimetres, featuring at the same time a nanometre-range precision, is demanding. Pure piezoelectric stages and standard positioning systems with motor and spindle are not able to meet such requirements, because of the small operation range and inadequacies like backlash and friction. One concept for overcoming these problems consists of a hybrid positioning system built through the integration of a DC-drive in series with a piezoelectric actuator. The wide range of potential applications enables a considerable market potential for such an actuator, but due to the high variety of possible positioned objects and dynamic requirements, the required control complexity may be significant. In this paper, a real-time capable state-space control concept for the piezoelectric actuators, embedded in such a hybrid micropositioning system, is presented. The implementation of the controller together with a real-time capable hysteresis compensation measure is performed using a low-budget FPGA-board, whereas the superimposed integrated controller is realized with a dSPACE RCP-system. The advantages of the designed control over a traditional proportional-integral control structure are proven through experimental results using a commercially available hybrid micropositioning system. Positioning results by different dynamic requirements featuring positioning velocities from 1 μm/s up to 5 cm/s are given.

  13. Integrated system of safety features for spent fuel interim storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pantazi, Doina; Stanciu, Marcela; Mateescu, Silvia; Marin, Ion

    1999-01-01

    The design of the spent fuel interim storage facility (SFISF) must meet the applicable safety requirements in order to ensure radiological protection of the personnel, public and environment during all phases of the facility. To elaborate the safety documentation necessary for licensing, we were trying to chose the most appropriate approach related to safety features for SFISF, based on national and international regulations, standards and recommendations, as well as on the experience of other countries with similar facilities and finally, on our own experience in designing other nuclear objectives in Romania. The paper presents the issues that we consider important for the safety evaluation and are developed as a detailed diagram. The diagram contains in a logical succession the following issues: - fundamental principles of radioprotection; - fundamental safety principles of radioactive waste management; - safety objectives of SFISF; - safety criteria for SFISF; - safety requirements for SFISF; - siting criteria for SFISF; - siting requirements for SFISF. (authors)

  14. Development of multilayer conducting polymer actuator for power application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikushima, Kimiya; Kudoh, Yuji; Hiraoka, Maki; Yokoyama, Kazuo; Nagamitsu, Sachio

    2009-03-01

    In late years many kinds of home-use robot have been developed to assist elderly care and housework. Most of these robots are designed with conventional electromagnetic motors. For safety it is desirable to replace these electromagnetic motors with artificial muscle. However, an actuator for such a robot is required to have simple structure, low driving voltage, high stress generation, high durability, and operability in the air. No polymer actuator satisfying all these requirements has been realized yet. To meet these we took following two approaches focusing on conducting polymer actuators which can output high power in the air. (Approach 1) We have newly developed an actuator by multiply laminating ionic liquid infiltrated separators and polypyrrole films. Compared with conventional actuator that is driven in a bath of ionic liquid, the new actuator can greatly increase generated stress since the total sectional area is tremendously small. In our experiment, the new actuator consists of minimum unit with thickness of 128um and has work/weight ratio of 0.92J/kg by laminating 9 units in 0.5Hz driving condition. In addition, the driving experiment has shown a stable driving characteristic even for 10,000 cycles durability test. Furthermore, from our design consideration, it has been found that the work/weight ratio can be improved up to 8J/kg (1/8 of mammalian muscle of 64J/kg) in 0.1Hz by reducing the thickness of each unit to 30um. (Approach 2) In order to realize a simplified actuator structure in the air without sealing, we propose the use of ionic liquid gel. The actuation characteristic of suggested multilayered actuator using ionic liquid gel is simulated by computer. The result shows that performance degradation due to the use of ionic liquid gel is negligible small when ionic liquid gel with the elasticity of 3kPa or less is used. From above two results it is concluded that the proposed multilayerd actuator is promising for the future robotic applications

  15. Large Stroke High Fidelity PZN-PT Single-Crystal "Stake" Actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yu; Xia, Yuexue; Lin, Dian Hua; Yao, Kui; Lim, Leong Chew

    2017-10-01

    A new piezoelectric actuator design, called "Stake" actuator, is proposed and demonstrated in this paper. As an example, the stake actuator is made of four d 32 -mode PZN-5.5%PT single crystals (SCs), each of 25 mm ( L ) ×8 mm ( W ) ×0.4 mm (T) in dimensions, bonded with the aid of polycarbonate edge guide-cum-stiffeners into a square-pipe configuration for improved bending and twisting strengths and capped with top and bottom pedestals made of 1.5-mm-thick anodized aluminum. The resultant stake actuator measured 9 mm ×9 mm ×28 mm. The hollow structure is a key design feature, which optimizes SC usage efficiency and lowers the overall cost of the actuator. The displacement-voltage responses, blocking forces, resonance characteristics of the fabricated stake actuator, as well as the load and temperature effects, are measured and discussed. Since d 32 is negative for [011]-poled SC, the "Stake" actuator contracts in the axial direction when a positive-polarity field is applied to the crystals. Biased drive is thus recommended when extensional displacement is desired. The SC stake actuator has negligible (0.13% when driven up to +300 V (i.e., 0.75 kV/mm), which is close to the rhombohedral-to-orthorhombic transformation field ( E RO ) of 0.85 kV/mm of the SC used. The stake actuator displays a stroke of [Formula: see text] (at +300 V) despite its small overall dimensions, and has a blocking force of 114 N. The SC d 32 stake actuator fabricated displays more than 30% larger axial strain than the state-of-the-art PZT stack actuators of comparable length as well as moderate blocking forces. Said actuators are thus ideal for applications when large displacements with simple open-loop control are preferred.

  16. Dielectric Actuation of Polymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Xiaofan

    in tactile display is investigated by the prototyping of a large scale refreshable Braille display device. Braille is a critical way for the vision impaired community to learn literacy and improve life quality. Current piezoelectrics-based refreshable Braille display technologies are limited to up to 1 line of Braille text, due to the bulky size of bimorph actuators. Based on the unique actuation feature of BSEP, refreshable Braille display devices up to smartphone-size have been demonstrated by polymer sheet laminates. Dots in the devices can be individually controlled via incorporated field-driven BSEP actuators and Joule heater units. A composite material consisting of silver nanowires (AgNW) embedded in a polymer substrate is brought up as a compliant electrode candidate for BSEP application. The AgNW composite is highly conductive (Rs: 10 Ω/sq) and remains conductive at strains as high as 140% (Rs: <10 3 Ω/sq). The baseline conductivity has only small changes up to 90% strain, which makes it low enough for both field driving and stretchable Joule heating. An out-of-plane bistable area strain up to 68% under Joule heating is achieved.

  17. Soft Robotic Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godfrey, Juleon Taylor

    In this thesis a survey on soft robotic actuators is conducted. The actuators are classified into three main categories: Pneumatic Artificial Muscles (PAM), Electronic Electroactive Polymers (Electric EAP), and Ionic Electroactive Polymers (Ionic EAP). Soft robots can have many degrees and are more compliant than hard robots. This makes them suitable for applications that are difficult for hard robots. For each actuator background history, build materials, how they operate, and modeling are presented. Multiple actuators in each class are reviewed highlighting both their use and their mathematical formulation. In addition to the survey the McKibben actuator was chosen for fabrication and in-depth experimental analysis. Four McKibben actuators were fabricated using mesh sleeve, barbed hose fittings, and different elastic bladders. All were actuated using compressed air. Tensile tests were performed for each actuator to measure the tension force as air pressure increased from 20 to 100 psi in 10 psi increments. To account for material relaxation properties eleven trials for each actuator were run for 2-3 days. In conclusion, the smallest outer diameter elastic bladder was capable of producing the highest force due to the larger gap between the bladder and the sleeve.

  18. Improvement of Safety Features in Standard Operation Procedure of Tc-99m Generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manisah Saedon; Mohd Khairul Hakimi; Shyen, A.K.S.

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes the improvements proposed to the original production procedures for Tc-99m generators. Improvements are intended to add safety and health features for workers into the existing procedures. The difference between the new safe work procedures from the original work procedures; is the concern about the safety and health of employees other than the product safety. One of the suggested safety characteristics is by using the visual aid so that the workers can easily see and read the procedures when they perform their duties, whereas the previous procedures are kept in the manual and difficult to access. The purpose of this paper is to share information about the importance of safety and health features for the workers in the procedures established in addition to provide awareness to all parties involved. (author)

  19. Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Device Actuated with Pneumatic Muscles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ioana Petre

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Year after year recovery clinics worldwide report significant numbers of lower limb bearing joint disabilities. An effective method for the speedy rehabilitation of patients with such afflictions is Continuous Passive Motion (CPM, drawing upon a range of specific equipment. This paper presents an innovative constructive solution for such orthopaedic rehabilitation equipment, designed to ensure a swift reintegration of patients at as low a cost as possible. The absolute novelty consists in the utilization of the linear pneumatic muscle as actuator of the orthopaedic rehabilitation equipment, thus achieving a light and highly compliant construction that satisfies safety requirements related to man-machine interaction. Pneumatic muscles are bio-inspired actuation systems characterized by a passive variable compliant behaviour. This property, deployed in rehabilitation systems, enables the development of human friendly devices, which are comfortable for the patients, and capable of safe interaction. This paper presents the constructive schematic of the orthopaedic rehabilitation equipment, the structure of the actuation and positioning system, and several of its functional characteristics.

  20. Design of passive fault-tolerant flight controller against actuator failures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiang Yu

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The problem of designing passive fault-tolerant flight controller is addressed when the normal and faulty cases are prescribed. First of all, the considered fault and fault-free cases are formed by polytopes. As considering that the safety of a post-fault system is directly related to the maximum values of physical variables in the system, peak-to-peak gain is selected to represent the relationships among the amplitudes of actuator outputs, system outputs, and reference commands. Based on the parameter dependent Lyapunov and slack methods, the passive fault-tolerant flight controllers in the absence/presence of system uncertainty for actuator failure cases are designed, respectively. Case studies of an airplane under actuator failures are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

  1. Use of FPGA and CPLD in nuclear reactor safety systems and its regulatory review requirements for reactor safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roy, Suvadip; Biswas, Animesh; Pradhan, S.K.

    2015-01-01

    Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) and Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLD) is being used widely in safety critical and safety related systems in nuclear power plans like in trip logic units, Engineered Safety Feature (ESF) actuation decision logic and neutronic signal processing for their reprogrammability feature and compact design. These HDL Programmable devices (HPD) are complex devices consisting of both hardware and software which is used to implement the logic on the FPGA. It is observed that these Programmable devices suffer from various modes of failure and the major failures in these devices are due to Single Event Upset (SEU), where a highly energetic ionizing radiation may lead to device failure which can even occur in radiologically benign environment. Other failures can occur during steps of developing the hardware using software tools like during Synthesis and placement and routing of the desired hardware. Here a study on use of such devices in Nuclear Reactors, study on mode of failures of these devices, way to tackle such failure and development of review guidelines for review of such devices used in safety critical and safety related systems with special emphasis on choice of software tools, way to mitigate effects of SEU and simulation and hardware testing results to be reviewed by regulatory body during design safety review is done. (author)

  2. Powered Upper Limb Orthosis Actuation System Based on Pneumatic Artificial Muscles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakarov, Dimitar; Veneva, Ivanka; Tsveov, Mihail; Venev, Pavel

    2018-03-01

    The actuation system of a powered upper limb orthosis is studied in the work. To create natural safety in the mutual "man-robot" interaction, an actuation system based on pneumatic artificial muscles (PAM) is selected. Experimentally obtained force/contraction diagrams for bundles, consisting of different number of muscles are shown in the paper. The pooling force and the stiffness of the pneumatic actuators is assessed as a function of the number of muscles in the bundle and the supply pressure. Joint motion and torque is achieved by antagonistic actions through pulleys, driven by bundles of pneumatic muscles. Joint stiffness and joint torques are determined on condition of a power balance, as a function of the joint position, pressure, number of muscles and muscles

  3. Failure of cargo aileron’s actuator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Zucca

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available During a ferry flight, in a standard operation condition and at cruising level, a military cargo experienced a double hydraulic system failure due to a structural damage of the dual booster actuator. The booster actuator is the main component in mechanism of aileron’s deflection. The crew was able to arrange an emergency landing thanks to the spare oil onboard: load specialists refilled the hydraulic reservoirs. Due to safety concerns and in order to prevent the possibility of other similar incidents, a technical investigation took place. The study aimed to carry out the analysis of root causes of the actuator failure. The Booster actuator is composed mainly by the piston rod and its aluminum external case (AA7049. The assembly has two bronze caps on both ends. These are fixed in position by means of two retainers. At one end of the actuator case is placed a trunnion: a cylindrical protrusion used as a pivoting point on the aircraft. The fracture was located at one end of the case, on the trunnion side, in correspondence to the cap and over the retainer. One of the two fracture surfaces was found separated to the case and with the cap entangled inside. The fracture surfaces of the external case indicated fatigue crack growth followed by ductile separation. The failure analysis was performed by means of optical, metallographic, digital and electronic microscopy. The collected evidences showed a multiple initiation fracture mechanism. Moreover, 3D scanner reconstruction and numerical simulation demonstrated that dimensional non conformances and thermal loads caused an abnormal stress concentration. Stress concentration was located along the case assy outer surface where the fatigue crack originated. The progressive rupture mechanism grew under cyclical axial load due to the normal operations. Recommendations were issued in order to improve dimensional controls and assembly procedures during production and overhaul activities.

  4. MEMS fluidic actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kholwadwala, Deepesh K [Albuquerque, NM; Johnston, Gabriel A [Trophy Club, TX; Rohrer, Brandon R [Albuquerque, NM; Galambos, Paul C [Albuquerque, NM; Okandan, Murat [Albuquerque, NM

    2007-07-24

    The present invention comprises a novel, lightweight, massively parallel device comprising microelectromechanical (MEMS) fluidic actuators, to reconfigure the profile, of a surface. Each microfluidic actuator comprises an independent bladder that can act as both a sensor and an actuator. A MEMS sensor, and a MEMS valve within each microfluidic actuator, operate cooperatively to monitor the fluid within each bladder, and regulate the flow of the fluid entering and exiting each bladder. When adjacently spaced in a array, microfluidic actuators can create arbitrary surface profiles in response to a change in the operating environment of the surface. In an embodiment of the invention, the profile of an airfoil is controlled by independent extension and contraction of a plurality of actuators, that operate to displace a compliant cover.

  5. Bi-directional series-parallel elastic actuator and overlap of the actuation layers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furnémont, Raphaël; Mathijssen, Glenn; Verstraten, Tom; Lefeber, Dirk; Vanderborght, Bram

    2016-01-27

    Several robotics applications require high torque-to-weight ratio and energy efficient actuators. Progress in that direction was made by introducing compliant elements into the actuation. A large variety of actuators were developed such as series elastic actuators (SEAs), variable stiffness actuators and parallel elastic actuators (PEAs). SEAs can reduce the peak power while PEAs can reduce the torque requirement on the motor. Nonetheless, these actuators still cannot meet performances close to humans. To combine both advantages, the series parallel elastic actuator (SPEA) was developed. The principle is inspired from biological muscles. Muscles are composed of motor units, placed in parallel, which are variably recruited as the required effort increases. This biological principle is exploited in the SPEA, where springs (layers), placed in parallel, can be recruited one by one. This recruitment is performed by an intermittent mechanism. This paper presents the development of a SPEA using the MACCEPA principle with a self-closing mechanism. This actuator can deliver a bi-directional output torque, variable stiffness and reduced friction. The load on the motor can also be reduced, leading to a lower power consumption. The variable recruitment of the parallel springs can also be tuned in order to further decrease the consumption of the actuator for a given task. First, an explanation of the concept and a brief description of the prior work done will be given. Next, the design and the model of one of the layers will be presented. The working principle of the full actuator will then be given. At the end of this paper, experiments showing the electric consumption of the actuator will display the advantage of the SPEA over an equivalent stiff actuator.

  6. Soft, Rotating Pneumatic Actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ainla, Alar; Verma, Mohit S; Yang, Dian; Whitesides, George M

    2017-09-01

    This article describes a soft pneumatic actuator that generates cyclical motion. The actuator consists of several (three, four, or five) chambers (arranged around the circumference of a circle surrounding a central rod) that can be actuated independently using negative pressure (or partial vacuum). Sequential actuation of the four-chamber device using reduced pressure moves the central rod cyclically in an approximately square path. We characterize the trajectory of the actuator and the force exerted by it, as we vary the material used for fabrication, the number of chambers, and the size of the actuator. We demonstrate two applications of this actuator: to deliver fluid while stirring (by replacing the central rod with a needle) and for locomotion that mimics a reptilian gait (by combining four actuators together).

  7. Soft buckling actuators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Dian; Whitesides, George M.

    2017-12-26

    A soft actuator is described, including: a rotation center having a center of mass; a plurality of bucklable, elastic structural components each comprising a wall defining an axis along its longest dimension, the wall connected to the rotation center in a way that the axis is offset from the center of mass in a predetermined direction; and a plurality of cells each disposed between two adjacent bucklable, elastic structural components and configured for connection with a fluid inflation or deflation source; wherein upon the deflation of the cell, the bucklable, elastic structural components are configured to buckle in the predetermined direction. A soft actuating device including a plurality of the soft actuators and methods of actuation using the soft actuator or soft actuating device disclosed herein are also described.

  8. Failure analysis of globe control valves with spring-diaphragm actuator for nuclear power plant applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, M.R.; Chen, W.W.H.; Wang, T.Y.

    1997-01-01

    The results of the failure analysis of a globe control valve with spring-diaphragm actuator indicated that the diaphragm failed because the service loading is close to the strength of the diaphragm. The resulting impact force is significantly larger than the plug guide strength and that cause it to bulge out after the impact. To improve the valve performance, proper torque should be used to tighten the actuator diaphragm case fasteners. A stronger actuator diaphragm could be used to provide additional safety margin during operation. Stiffening the plug guide may avoid jamming the bushing

  9. Electrical actuators in a Chilean copper mine; Elektrische Stellantriebe in chilenischem Kupferbergwerk

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herbstritt, Michael [AUMA Riester GmbH und Co. KG, Muellheim (Germany)

    2008-03-15

    Mining of copper at the Los Pelambres mine in Chile yields a mixture of water, sand, sludge and mineral reminiscent of fresh concrete. This high-viscosity material is treated in a series of filters and sedimentation installations. The gate-type and other valves necessary for distribution are operated by the electrical actuator systems examined in this article. A special feature of this arrangement is the fact that the actuator itself is separated from the appurtenant local control system. Separate installation means that the actuator drive systems, which are mounted on mobile stands of 2 m height, can be easily parameterized. (orig.)

  10. Temperature actuated automatic safety rod release

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hutter, E.; Pardini, J.A.; Walker, D.E.

    1987-01-01

    This patent describes a nuclear reactor having a core, a safety rod for downward insertion into and upward withdrawal from the core, a drive shaft for supporting and operating the safety rod, and drive means connected to the drive shaft for operating the shaft. An apparatus is described for releasably supporting the safety rod, the apparatus comprising an upper adapter adapted to be affixed to the upper end of the safety rod, the upper adapter having a retention means, a lower portion on the drive shaft and having a hollow interior for housing the upper adapter, a bimetallic means supported within the hollow interior of the lower portion and having at least one ledge which engages the retention means to support the upper adapter, the bimetallic means being a substantially cylindrical bimetallic member for receiving the upper adapter in a generally coaxial relation, the substantially cylindrical bimetallic member comprising an inner layer and an outer layer, and the inner layer having a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than the outer layer

  11. Systematic evaluation program review of NRC Safety Topic VI-7.3 associated with the electrical, instrumentation and control portions of the ECCS actuation system for the Dresden II Nuclear Power Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    St Leger-Barter, G.

    1980-11-01

    This report documents the technical evaluation and review of NRC Safety Topic VI-7.A.3, associated with the electrical, instrumentation, and control portions of the classification of the ECCS actuation system for the Dresden II nuclear power plant, using current licensing criteria

  12. A new class of actuator surface models for wind turbines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xiaolei; Sotiropoulos, Fotis

    2018-05-01

    Actuator line model has been widely employed in wind turbine simulations. However, the standard actuator line model does not include a model for the turbine nacelle which can significantly impact turbine wake characteristics as shown in the literature. Another disadvantage of the standard actuator line model is that more geometrical features of turbine blades cannot be resolved on a finer mesh. To alleviate these disadvantages of the standard model, we develop a new class of actuator surface models for turbine blades and nacelle to take into account more geometrical details of turbine blades and include the effect of turbine nacelle. In the actuator surface model for blade, the aerodynamic forces calculated using the blade element method are distributed from the surface formed by the foil chords at different radial locations. In the actuator surface model for nacelle, the forces are distributed from the actual nacelle surface with the normal force component computed in the same way as in the direct forcing immersed boundary method and the tangential force component computed using a friction coefficient and a reference velocity of the incoming flow. The actuator surface model for nacelle is evaluated by simulating the flow over periodically placed nacelles. Both the actuator surface simulation and the wall-resolved large-eddy simulation are carried out. The comparison shows that the actuator surface model is able to give acceptable results especially at far wake locations on a very coarse mesh. It is noted that although this model is employed for the turbine nacelle in this work, it is also applicable to other bluff bodies. The capability of the actuator surface model in predicting turbine wakes is assessed by simulating the flow over the MEXICO (Model experiments in Controlled Conditions) turbine and a hydrokinetic turbine.

  13. Parametric Design and Multiobjective Optimization of Maglev Actuators for Active Vibration Isolation System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qianqian Wu

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The microvibration has a serious impact on science experiments on the space station and on image quality of high resolution satellites. As an important component of the active vibration isolation platform, the maglev actuator has a large stroke and exhibits excellent isolating performance benefiting from its noncontact characteristic. A maglev actuator with good linearity was designed in this paper. Fundamental features of the maglev actuator were obtained by finite element simulation. In order to minimize the coil weight and the heat dissipation of the maglev actuator, parametric design was carried out and multiobjective optimization based on the genetic algorithm was adopted. The optimized actuator has better mechanical properties than the initial one. Active vibration isolation platforms for different-scale payload were designed by changing the arrangement of the maglev actuators. The prototype to isolate vibration for small-scale payload was manufactured and the experiments for verifying the characteristics of the actuators were set up. The linearity of the actuator and the mechanical dynamic response of the vibration isolation platform were obtained. The experimental results highlight the effectiveness of the proposed design.

  14. A practical multilayered conducting polymer actuator with scalable work output

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikushima, Kimiya; John, Stephen; Yokoyama, Kazuo; Nagamitsu, Sachio

    2009-01-01

    Household assistance robots are expected to become more prominent in the future and will require inherently safe design. Conducting polymer-based artificial muscle actuators are one potential option for achieving this safety, as they are flexible, lightweight and can be driven using low input voltages, unlike electromagnetic motors; however, practical implementation also requires a scalable structure and stability in air. In this paper we propose and practically implement a multilayer conducting polymer actuator which could achieve these targets using polypyrrole film and ionic liquid-soaked separators. The practical work density of a nine-layer multilayer actuator was 1.4 kJ m −3 at 0.5 Hz, when the volumes of the electrolyte and counter electrodes were included, which approaches the performance of mammalian muscle. To achieve air stability, we analyzed the effect of air-stable ionic liquid gels on actuator displacement using finite element simulation and it was found that the majority of strain could be retained when the elastic modulus of the gel was kept below 3 kPa. As a result of this work, we have shown that multilayered conducting polymer actuators are a feasible idea for household robotics, as they provide a substantial practical work density in a compact structure and can be easily scaled as required

  15. Validation of the actuator disc and actuator line techniques for yawed rotor flows using the New Mexico experimental data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Breton, S. P.; Shen, Wen Zhong; Ivanell, S.

    2017-01-01

    Experimental data acquired in the New Mexico experiment on a yawed 4.5m diameter rotor model turbine are used here to validate the actuator line (AL) and actuator disc (AD) models implemented in the Large Eddy Simulation code EllipSys3D in terms of loading and velocity field. Even without modelling...... the AD model can reproduce the averaged features of the flow. The importance of using high quality airfoil data (including 3D corrections) as well as a fine grid resolution is highlighted by the results obtained. Overall, it is found that both models can satisfactorily predict the 3D velocity field...... and blade loading of the New Mexico rotor under yawed inflow....

  16. Inherent safety features in balance-of-plant layout

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wattelet, P.L.; Green, K.J.

    1992-01-01

    Future nuclear units must be more economical to construct and operate, and, at the same time, clearly incorporate advances in safety over the current generation of light water reactors. To achieve these goals, the root causes of safety issues must be addressed. In this way, global, cost-effective solutions can be implemented. With simple, direct design approaches, the licensing risk is minimized and configuration control is enhanced. With proper planning in the early stages of plant design, postulated accidents and events can often be mitigated by passive features inherent in the basic structure and layout, eliminating expensive added protective structures and components often found in current designs. Korea Electric Power Corporation's Yonggwang (YGN) Units 3 and 4, shown in an artist's rendering in Figure 1, are now under construction in Korea. Engineering is more than 85% complete, and Unit 3 construction is more than 50% complete. Significant steps toward design simplification and safety enhancement have been made by addressing safety concerns very early in the design effort. The tools used to achieve this were improved symmetry and separation, isolation of potential hazards, and an improved design process

  17. Evaluation of features to support safety and quality in general practice clinical software

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background Electronic prescribing is now the norm in many countries. We wished to find out if clinical software systems used by general practitioners in Australia include features (functional capabilities and other characteristics) that facilitate improved patient safety and care, with a focus on quality use of medicines. Methods Seven clinical software systems used in general practice were evaluated. Fifty software features that were previously rated as likely to have a high impact on safety and/or quality of care in general practice were tested and are reported here. Results The range of results for the implementation of 50 features across the 7 clinical software systems was as follows: 17-31 features (34-62%) were fully implemented, 9-13 (18-26%) partially implemented, and 9-20 (18-40%) not implemented. Key findings included: Access to evidence based drug and therapeutic information was limited. Decision support for prescribing was available but varied markedly between systems. During prescribing there was potential for medicine mis-selection in some systems, and linking a medicine with its indication was optional. The definition of 'current medicines' versus 'past medicines' was not always clear. There were limited resources for patients, and some medicines lists for patients were suboptimal. Results were provided to the software vendors, who were keen to improve their systems. Conclusions The clinical systems tested lack some of the features expected to support patient safety and quality of care. Standards and certification for clinical software would ensure that safety features are present and that there is a minimum level of clinical functionality that clinicians could expect to find in any system.

  18. Design data and safety features of commerical nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heddleson, F.A.

    1976-06-01

    Design data, safety features, and site characteristics are summarized for 34 nuclear power units in 17 power stations in the United States. Six pages of data are presented for each plant, consisting of thermal-hydraulic and nuclear factors, containment features, emergency-core-cooling systems, site features, circulating water system data, and miscellaneous factors. An aerial perspective is also presented for each plant. This volume covers Light Water Reactors (LWRs) with dockets 50-508 through 50-549, four HTGRs--50-171, 50-267, 50-450/451, 50-463/464, the Atlantic Floating Station 50-477/478, and the Clinch River Breeder 50-537

  19. Thermoelectric-Driven Sustainable Sensing and Actuation Systems for Fault-Tolerant Nuclear Incidents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Longtin, Jon [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)

    2016-02-08

    The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear incident in March 2011 represented an unprecedented stress test on the safety and backup systems of a nuclear power plant. The lack of reliable information from key components due to station blackout was a serious setback, leaving sensing, actuation, and reporting systems unable to communicate, and safety was compromised. Although there were several independent backup power sources for required safety function on site, ultimately the batteries were drained and the systems stopped working. If, however, key system components were instrumented with self-powered sensing and actuation packages that could report indefinitely on the status of the system, then critical system information could be obtained while providing core actuation and control during off-normal status for as long as needed. This research project focused on the development of such a self-powered sensing and actuation system. The electrical power is derived from intrinsic heat in the reactor components, which is both reliable and plentiful. The key concept was based around using thermoelectric generators that can be integrated directly onto key nuclear components, including pipes, pump housings, heat exchangers, reactor vessels, and shielding structures, as well as secondary-side components. Thermoelectric generators are solid-state devices capable of converting heat directly into electricity. They are commercially available technology. They are compact, have no moving parts, are silent, and have excellent reliability. The key components to the sensor package include a thermoelectric generator (TEG), microcontroller, signal processing, and a wireless radio package, environmental hardening to survive radiation, flooding, vibration, mechanical shock (explosions), corrosion, and excessive temperature. The energy harvested from the intrinsic heat of reactor components can be then made available to power sensors, provide bi-directional communication, recharge batteries for other

  20. Thermoelectric-Driven Sustainable Sensing and Actuation Systems for Fault-Tolerant Nuclear Incidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Longtin, Jon

    2015-09-01

    The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear incident in March 2011 represented an unprecedented stress test on the safety and backup systems of a nuclear power plant. The lack of reliable information from key components due to station blackout was a serious setback, leaving sensing, actuation, and reporting systems unable to communicate, and safety was compromised. Although there were several independent backup power sources for required safety function on site, ultimately the batteries were drained and the systems stopped working. If, however, key system components were instrumented with self-powered sensing and actuation packages that could report indefinitely on the status of the system, then critical system information could be obtained while providing core actuation and control during off-normal status for as long as needed. This research project focused on the development of such a self-powered sensing and actuation system. The electrical power is derived from intrinsic heat in the reactor components, which is both reliable and plentiful. The key concept was based around using thermoelectric generators that can be integrated directly onto key nuclear components, including pipes, pump housings, heat exchangers, reactor vessels, and shielding structures, as well as secondary-side components. Thermoelectric generators are solid-state devices capable of converting heat directly into electricity. They are commercially available technology. They are compact, have no moving parts, are silent, and have excellent reliability. The key components to the sensor package include a thermoelectric generator (TEG), microcontroller, signal processing, and a wireless radio package, environmental hardening to survive radiation, flooding, vibration, mechanical shock (explosions), corrosion, and excessive temperature. The energy harvested from the intrinsic heat of reactor components can be then made available to power sensors, provide bi-directional communication, recharge batteries for other

  1. Development of Proportional Pressure Control Valve for Hydraulic Braking Actuator of Automobile ABS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Che-Pin Chen

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This research developed a novel proportional pressure control valve for an automobile hydraulic braking actuator. It also analyzed and simulated solenoid force of the control valves, and the pressure relief capability test of electromagnetic thrust with the proportional valve body. Considering the high controllability and ease of production, the driver of this proportional valve was designed with a small volume and powerful solenoid force to control braking pressure and flow. Since the proportional valve can have closed-loop control, the proportional valve can replace a conventional solenoid valve in current brake actuators. With the proportional valve controlling braking and pressure relief mode, it can narrow the space of hydraulic braking actuator, and precisely control braking force to achieve safety objectives. Finally, the proposed novel proportional pressure control valve of an automobile hydraulic braking actuator was implemented and verified experimentally.

  2. Preventive maintenance measures and repeat tests on actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hueren, H.

    1990-01-01

    At Biblis Nuclear Power Station, about 1500 electrical actuators and variable speed drives of various model ranges and with various driving end speeds and actuating times are installed and about 600 of these are located in important safety engineering systems. In order to optimize the preventive maintenance measures on the drives, a data bank has been established into which are stored, in addition to the fixed type data of each drive, inter alia, statements about location of application, valve type, inspection cycle, calendar year of next maintenance, findings during inspection measures and causes of faults. Before each unit inspection, in addition to the inspection lists, the maintenance and installation records and also the associated job instructions are produced from this data processing equipment. (orig.) [de

  3. The resonance frequency shift characteristic of Terfenol-D rods for magnetostrictive actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, Ke; Kou, Yong; Zheng, Xiaojing

    2012-01-01

    This paper focuses on the resonance frequency shift characteristic of Terfenol-D rods for magnetostrictive actuators. A 3D nonlinear dynamic model to describe the magneto-thermo-elastic coupling behavior of actuators is proposed based on a nonlinear constitutive model. The coupled interactions among stress- and magnetic-field-dependent variables for actuators are solved iteratively using the finite element method. The model simulations show a good correlation with the experimental data, which demonstrates that this model can capture the coupled resonance frequency shift features for magnetostrictive actuators well. Moreover, a comprehensive description for temperature, pre-stress and bias field dependences of resonance frequency is discussed in detail. These essential and important investigations will be of significant benefit to both theoretical research and the applications of magnetostrictive materials in smart or intelligent structures and systems. (paper)

  4. Molecular-channel driven actuator with considerations for multiple configurations and color switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mu, Jiuke; Wang, Gang; Yan, Hongping; Li, Huayu; Wang, Xuemin; Gao, Enlai; Hou, Chengyi; Pham, Anh Thi Cam; Wu, Lianjun; Zhang, Qinghong; Li, Yaogang; Xu, Zhiping; Guo, Yang; Reichmanis, Elsa; Wang, Hongzhi; Zhu, Meifang

    2018-02-09

    The ability to achieve simultaneous intrinsic deformation with fast response in commercially available materials that can safely contact skin continues to be an unresolved challenge for artificial actuating materials. Rather than using a microporous structure, here we show an ambient-driven actuator that takes advantage of inherent nanoscale molecular channels within a commercial perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer (PFSA) film, fabricated by simple solution processing to realize a rapid response, self-adaptive, and exceptionally stable actuation. Selective patterning of PFSA films on an inert soft substrate (polyethylene terephthalate film) facilitates the formation of a range of different geometries, including a 2D (two-dimensional) roll or 3D (three-dimensional) helical structure in response to vapor stimuli. Chemical modification of the surface allowed the development of a kirigami-inspired single-layer actuator for personal humidity and heat management through macroscale geometric design features, to afford a bilayer stimuli-responsive actuator with multicolor switching capability.

  5. Design of the Control System for Engineered Safety Features of KIJANG Research Reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hagtae; Kim, Jun-Yeon; Chae, Hee-Taek

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to design an effective control system for the Engineered Safety Features (ESF) of KJRR such as the Safety Residual Heat Removal System (SRHRS) pumps and Siphon Break Valve (SBV) without an Engineered Safety Features-Component Control System (ESF-CCS). This control system is called a 'local motor starter', because this system controls motors in the SRHRS pumps and SBVs by receiving the signal from Reactor Protection System (RPS) and Alternate Protection System (APS) when the differential pressure or pool level reach the set points. In this paper, the design concepts and requirements of the local motor starter based on the design features of KJRR is proposed. An ESF is a safety system that mitigates consequences of the Anticipated Operational Occurrence (AOO) and Design Basis Accident (DBA). The results of this paper are able to be used for the development of control systems for research reactors similar to KJRR. The precondition for such application is to have a few ESFs and conduct simple logic. The proposed control system called a local motor starter is being designed, and a manufacture of the actual systems is expected in the foreseeable future

  6. Safety features and research needs of westinghouse advanced reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carelli, M.D.; Winters, J.W.; Cummins, W.E.; Bruschi, H.J.

    2002-01-01

    The three Westinghouse advanced reactors - AP600, AP1000 and IRIS - are at different levels of readiness. AP600 has received a Design Certification, its larger size version AP1000 is currently in the design certification process and IRIS has just completed its conceptual design and will initiate soon a licensing pre-application. The safety features of the passive designs AP600/AP1000 are presented, followed by the features of the more revolutionary IRIS, a small size modular integral reactor. A discussion of the IRIS safety by design approach is given. The AP600/AP1000 design certification is backed by completed testing and development which is summarized, together with a research program currently in progress which will extend AP600 severe accident test data to AP1000 conditions. While IRIS will of course rely on applicable AP600/1000 data, a very extensive testing campaign is being planned to address all the unique aspects of its design. Finally, IRIS plans to use a risk-informed approach in its licensing process. (authors)

  7. Refillable and magnetically actuated drug delivery system using pear-shaped viscoelastic membrane

    KAUST Repository

    So, Hongyun

    2014-07-01

    We report a refillable and valveless drug delivery device actuated by an external magnetic field for on-demand drug release to treat localized diseases. The device features a pear-shaped viscoelastic magnetic membrane inducing asymmetrical deflection and consecutive touchdown motion to the bottom of the dome-shaped drug reservoir in response to a magnetic field, thus achieving controlled discharge of the drug. Maximum drug release with 18 ± 1.5 μg per actuation was achieved under a 500 mT magnetic flux density, and various controlled drug doses were investigated with the combination of the number of accumulated actuations and the strength of the magnetic field.

  8. Conceptual Design of Hybrid Safety Features for NPP by Utilizing Solar Updraft Tower

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Sub Lee [Handong Global University, Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Young Jae; Kim, Yong Jin [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Hyo Chan; Park, Youn Won [BEES, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    In this study, hybrid safety features for NPP with solar updraft tower (SUT) is conceptually suggested to cope with loss of ultimate heat sink accident. The hybrid safety features utilizing SUT target NPPs in seashore of Arabian Gulf. Usually NPPs are constructed near seashore to utilize sea water as an ultimate heat sink. Residual heat or decay heat of nuclear reactor will diffuse into the ocean through the condenser. NPPs in Middle East are expected to be placed in seashore of Arabian Gulf. The NPP site of Barakah is an actual example. For NPPs in seashore of Arabian Gulf, an additional safety concern should be considered. Arabian Gulf is the largest oil transporting route in the world. The oil spill risk in Arabian Gulf will be the largest simultaneously. Unfortunately, not like other oceans, Arabian Gulf is a kind of closed ocean which does not have strong ocean currents connected to out of the gulf. If once oil spill is occurred, its influence can be propagated more than our expectation. The spilled oil also can affect to NPPs in seashore by covering surfaces of condenser. It will directly cause loss of ultimate heat sink. The hybrid safety features of SUT system are expected to aid normal operation of safety system and mitigate consequence of severe accident. Detail analysis and technology development is ongoing now.

  9. Conceptual Design of Hybrid Safety Features for NPP by Utilizing Solar Updraft Tower

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Sub Lee; Choi, Young Jae; Kim, Yong Jin; Park, Hyo Chan; Park, Youn Won

    2016-01-01

    In this study, hybrid safety features for NPP with solar updraft tower (SUT) is conceptually suggested to cope with loss of ultimate heat sink accident. The hybrid safety features utilizing SUT target NPPs in seashore of Arabian Gulf. Usually NPPs are constructed near seashore to utilize sea water as an ultimate heat sink. Residual heat or decay heat of nuclear reactor will diffuse into the ocean through the condenser. NPPs in Middle East are expected to be placed in seashore of Arabian Gulf. The NPP site of Barakah is an actual example. For NPPs in seashore of Arabian Gulf, an additional safety concern should be considered. Arabian Gulf is the largest oil transporting route in the world. The oil spill risk in Arabian Gulf will be the largest simultaneously. Unfortunately, not like other oceans, Arabian Gulf is a kind of closed ocean which does not have strong ocean currents connected to out of the gulf. If once oil spill is occurred, its influence can be propagated more than our expectation. The spilled oil also can affect to NPPs in seashore by covering surfaces of condenser. It will directly cause loss of ultimate heat sink. The hybrid safety features of SUT system are expected to aid normal operation of safety system and mitigate consequence of severe accident. Detail analysis and technology development is ongoing now

  10. Safety analysis for key design features of KALIMER-600 design concept

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Yong-Bum; Kwon, Y. M.; Kim, E. K.; Suk, S. D.; Chang, W. P.; Joeng, H. Y.; Ha, K. S.; Heo, S.

    2005-03-01

    KAERI is developing the conceptual design of a Liquid Metal Reactor, KALIMER-600 (Korea Advanced LIquid MEtal Reactor) under the Long-term Nuclear R and D Program. KALIMER-600 addresses key issues regarding future nuclear power plants such as plant safety, economics, proliferation, and waste. In this report, key safety design features are described and safety analyses results for typical ATWS accidents, containment design basis accidents, and flow blockages in the KALIMER design are presented. First, the basic approach to achieve the safety goal and main design features of KALIMER-600 are introduced in Chapter 1, and the event categorization and acceptance criteria for the KALIMER-600 safety analysis are described in Chapter 2, In Chapter 3, results of inherent safety evaluations for the KALIMER-600 conceptual design are presented. The KALIMER-600 core and plant system are designed to assure benign performance during a selected set of events without either reactor control or protection system intervention. Safety analyses for the postulated anticipated transient without scram (ATWS) have been performed using the SSC-K code to investigate the KALIMER-600 system response to the events. The objectives of Chapter 4, are to assess the response of KALIMER-600 containment to the design basis accidents and to evaluate whether the consequences are acceptable or not in the aspect of structural integrity and the exposure dose rate. In Chapter 5, the analysis of flow blockage for KALIMER-600 with the MATRA-LMR-FB code, which has been developed for the internal flow blockage in a LMR subassembly, are described. The cases with a blockage of 6-subchannel, 24-subchannel, and 54-subchannel are analyzed

  11. Piezoelectric-hydraulic pump based band brake actuation system for automotive transmission control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Gi-Woo; Wang, K. W.

    2007-04-01

    The actuation system of friction elements (such as band brakes) is essential for high quality operations in modern automotive automatic transmissions (in short, ATs). The current band brake actuation system consists of several hydraulic components, including the oil pump, the regulating valve and the control valves. In general, it has been recognized that the current AT band brake actuation system has many limitations. For example, the oil pump and valve body are relatively heavy and complex. Also, the oil pumps induce inherently large drag torque, which affects fuel economy. This research is to overcome these problems of the current system by exploring the utilization of a hybrid type piezo-hydraulic pump device for AT band brake control. This new actuating system integrates a piezo-hydraulic pump to the input of the band brake. Compared with the current systems, this new actuator features much simpler structure, smaller size, and lower weight. This paper describes the development, design and fabrication of the new stand-alone prototype actuator for AT band brake control. An analytical model is developed and validated using experimental data. Performance tests on the hardware and system simulations utilizing the validated model are performed to characterize the new prototype actuator. It is predicted that with increasing of accumulator pressure and driving frequency, the proposed prototype actuating system will satisfy the band brake requirement for AT shift control.

  12. Safety features of the MAPLE-X10 reactor design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, A.G.; Bishop, W.E.; Heeds, W.

    1990-09-01

    The MAPLE-X10 reactor is a D 2 0-reflected, H 2 0-cooled and -moderated pool-type reactor under construction at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories. This 10-MW reactor will produce key medical and industrial radio-isotopes such as 99 Mo, 125 I, and 192 Ir. As the prototype for the MAPLE research reactor concept, the reactor incorporates diverse safety features both inherent in the design and in the added engineered systems. The safety requirements are analogous to those of the Canadian CANDU power reactor since standards for the licensing of new research reactors have not been developed yet by the licensing authority in Canada

  13. Safety features of the MAPLE-X10 reactor design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, A.G.; Bishop, W.E.; Heeds, W.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports on the MAPLE-X10 reactor D 2 O-reflected, H 2 O-cooled and -moderated pool- type reactor, under construction at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories. This 10-MW will produce key medical and industrial radioisotopes such as 99 Mo, 125 I, and 192 Ir. The prototype for the MAPLE research reactor concept, the reactor incorporates diverse safety features both inherent in the design and in the added engineered systems. The safety requirements are analogous to those of the Canadian CANDU power reactor as standards for the licensing of new research reactors have not been developed by the licensing authority in Canada

  14. Main design and safety features of a 200MW nuclear heating reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Wenxiang; Gao, Zuying; Wang, Dazhong

    1992-01-01

    Inept has been in charge of the development of a nuclear heating reactor since 1980s, which is one of the national key R and D Programs in China. A 5MWt experimental NCR was completed at Inept in 1989 and has operated successfully for space heating since then. In order to realize the commercialization of the NCR, it has been decided to construct a 200MW demonstration NCR in 1993. A number of advanced features, including natural circulation, integrated arrangement, self-pressurized performance, dual vessel structure, hydraulic control rod drive and passive safety systems, have been incorporated into the NCR-200 to achieve its safety goal and economic viability. This makes the NCR safe, simple, reliable, easy-constructed and maintained. At present, the design work of the NCR-200 have shown that its safety characteristics are excellent. The NCR could play an important role in resolving future energy and environmental problems in China. The paper will mainly cover the key design considerations, main technical features and safety analysis results of the NCR-200

  15. Characterization of kink actuators as compared to traditional chevron shaped Bent-Beam electrothermal actuators

    KAUST Repository

    Rawashdeh, E.; Karam, A.; Foulds, Ian G.

    2012-01-01

    This paper compares the design and performance of kink actuators, a modified version of the bent-beam thermal actuator, to the standard chevron-shaped designs. A variety of kink and chevron actuator designs were fabricated from polysilicon. While the actuators were electrically probed, these designs were tested using a probe station connected to a National Instruments (NI) controller that uses LabVIEW to extract the displacement results via image processing. The displacement results were then used to validate the thermal-electric-structural simulations produced by COMSOL. These results, in turn, were used to extract the stiffness for both actuator types. The data extracted show that chevron actuators can have larger stiffness values with increasing offsets, but at the cost of lower amplification factors. In contrast, kink actuators showed a constant stiffness value equivalent to the chevron actuator with the highest amplification factor. The kink actuator also had larger amplification factors than chevrons at all designs tested. Therefore, kink actuators are capable of longer throws at lower power levels than the standard chevron designs.

  16. Characterization of kink actuators as compared to traditional chevron shaped Bent-Beam electrothermal actuators

    KAUST Repository

    Rawashdeh, E.

    2012-07-06

    This paper compares the design and performance of kink actuators, a modified version of the bent-beam thermal actuator, to the standard chevron-shaped designs. A variety of kink and chevron actuator designs were fabricated from polysilicon. While the actuators were electrically probed, these designs were tested using a probe station connected to a National Instruments (NI) controller that uses LabVIEW to extract the displacement results via image processing. The displacement results were then used to validate the thermal-electric-structural simulations produced by COMSOL. These results, in turn, were used to extract the stiffness for both actuator types. The data extracted show that chevron actuators can have larger stiffness values with increasing offsets, but at the cost of lower amplification factors. In contrast, kink actuators showed a constant stiffness value equivalent to the chevron actuator with the highest amplification factor. The kink actuator also had larger amplification factors than chevrons at all designs tested. Therefore, kink actuators are capable of longer throws at lower power levels than the standard chevron designs.

  17. The shape memory alloy actuator controlled by the Sun’s radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riad, Amine; Alhamany, Abdelilah; Benzohra, Mouna

    2017-07-01

    Shape memory alloys (SMAs) have many thermo-mechanical characteristics which can return to their original value once exposed to a specific temperature. These materials are able to change their mechanical features such as shape, displacement or frequency in response to stress or heating; this may be useful for actuators in many fields such as aircraft, robotics and microsystems. In order to know the effect of the Sun’s radiation on SMAs we have conducted a numerical study that simulates a SMA actuator.

  18. An experimental study of icing control using DBD plasma actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Jinsheng; Tian, Yongqiang; Meng, Xuanshi; Han, Xuzhao; Zhang, Duo; Hu, Haiyang

    2017-08-01

    Ice accretion on aircraft or wind turbine has been widely recognized as a big safety threat in the past decades. This study aims to develop a new approach for icing control using an AC-DBD plasma actuator. The experiments of icing control (i.e., anti-/de-icing) on a cylinder model were conducted in an icing wind tunnel with controlled wind speed (i.e., 15 m/s) and temperature (i.e., -10°C). A digital camera was used to record the dynamic processes of plasma anti-icing and de-icing whilst an infrared imaging system was utilized to map the surface temperature variations during the anti-/de-icing processes. It was found that the AC-DBD plasma actuator is very effective in both anti-icing and de-icing operations. While no ice formation was observed when the plasma actuator served as an anti-icing device, a complete removal of the ice layer with a thickness of 5 mm was achieved by activating the plasma actuator for ˜150 s. Such information demonstrated the feasibility of plasma anti-/de-icing, which could potentially provide more effective and safer icing mitigation strategies.

  19. A new design concept for offshore nuclear power plants with enhanced safety features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kihwan; Lee, Kang-Heon; Lee, Jeong Ik; Jeong, Yong Hoon; Lee, Phill-Seung

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A new design concept for offshore nuclear power plants is proposed. ► The total general arrangement for the concept is suggested. ► A new emergency passive containment cooling system (EPCCS) is proposed. ► A new emergency passive reactor-vessel cooling system (EPRVCS) is proposed. ► Safety features against earthquakes, tsunamis, and storms are discussed. - Abstract: In this paper, we present a new concept for offshore nuclear power plants (ONPP) with enhanced safety features. The design concept of a nuclear power plant (NPP) mounted on gravity-based structures (GBSs), which are widely used offshore structures, is proposed first. To demonstrate the feasibility of the concept, a large-scale land-based nuclear power plant model APR1400, which is the most recent NPP model in the Republic of Korea, is mounted on a GBS while minimizing modification to the original features of APR1400. A new total general arrangement (GA) and basic design principles are proposed and can be directly applied to any existing land based large scale NPPs. The proposed concept will enhance the safety of a NPP due to several aspects. A new emergency passive containment cooling system (EPCCS) and emergency passive reactor-vessel cooling system (EPRVCS) are proposed; their features of using seawater as coolant and safety features against earthquakes, Tsunamis, storms, and marine collisions are also described. We believe that the proposed offshore nuclear power plant is more robust than conventional land-based nuclear power plants and it has strong potential to provide great opportunities in nuclear power industries by decoupling the site of construction and that of installation.

  20. Multi-Axis Independent Electromechanical Load Control for Docking System Actuation Development and Verification Using dSPACE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oesch, Christopher; Dick, Brandon; Rupp, Timothy

    2015-01-01

    The development of highly complex and advanced actuation systems to meet customer demands has accelerated as the use of real-time testing technology expands into multiple markets at Moog. Systems developed for the autonomous docking of human rated spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), envelope multi-operational characteristics which place unique constraints on an actuation system. Real-time testing hardware has been used as a platform for incremental testing and development for the linear actuation system which controls initial capture and docking for vehicles visiting the ISS. This presentation will outline the role of dSPACE hardware as a platform for rapid control-algorithm prototyping as well as an Electromechanical Actuator (EMA) system dynamic loading simulator, both conducted at Moog to develop the safety critical Linear Actuator System (LAS) of the NASA Docking System (NDS).

  1. Cyber Security Risk Assessment for the KNICS Safety Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, C. K.; Park, G. Y.; Lee, Y. J.; Choi, J. G.; Kim, D. H.; Lee, D. Y.; Kwon, K. C.

    2008-01-01

    In the Korea Nuclear I and C Systems Development (KNICS) project the platforms for plant protection systems are developed, which function as a reactor shutdown, actuation of engineered safety features and a control of the related equipment. Those are fully digitalized through the use of safety-grade programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and communication networks. In 2006 the Regulatory Guide 1.152 (Rev. 02) was published by the U.S. NRC and it describes the application of a cyber security to the safety systems in the Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Therefore it is required that the new requirements are incorporated into the developed platforms to apply to NPP, and a cyber security risk assessment is performed. The results of the assessment were input for establishing the cyber security policies and planning the work breakdown to incorporate them

  2. Characteristic Evaluation of a Shrouded Propeller Mechanism for a Magnetic Actuated Microrobot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiang Fu

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Medical microrobots have been widely used in clinical applications, particularly the spiral type locomotion mechanism, which was recently considered one of the main self-propelling mechanisms for the next medical microrobot to perform tasks such as capsule endoscopy and drug delivery. However, limits in clinical applications still exist. The spiral action of the microrobot while being used for diagnosis may lead to pain or even damage to the intestinal wall due to the exposed mechanisms. Therefore, a new locomotive mechanism, named the shrouded propeller mechanism, was proposed to achieve a high level of medical safety as well as effective propulsive performance in our study. The shrouded propeller mechanism consists of a bare spiral propeller and a non-rotating nozzle. To obtain a high effective propulsive performance, two types of screw grooves with different shapes including the cylindrical screw groove and the rectangular screw groove with different parameters were analyzed using the shrouded model. Two types of magnetic actuated microrobots with different driving modes, the electromagnetic (three-pole rotor actuated microrobot and the permanent magnet (O-ring type magnet actuated microrobot were designed to evaluate the performance of the electromagnetic actuation system. Based on experimental results, the propulsive force of the proposed magnetic actuated microrobot with a shrouded propeller was larger than the magnetic actuated microrobot with a bare spiral propeller under the same parameters. Additionally, the shrouded propeller mechanism as an actuator can be used for other medical microrobots for flexible locomotion.

  3. Experimental characterization of a binary actuated parallel manipulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giuseppe, Carbone

    2016-05-01

    This paper describes the BAPAMAN (Binary Actuated Parallel MANipulator) series of parallel manipulators that has been conceived at Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics (LARM). Basic common characteristics of BAPAMAN series are described. In particular, it is outlined the use of a reduced number of active degrees of freedom, the use of design solutions with flexural joints and Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators for achieving miniaturization, cost reduction and easy operation features. Given the peculiarities of BAPAMAN architecture, specific experimental tests have been proposed and carried out with the aim to validate the proposed design and to evaluate the practical operation performance and the characteristics of a built prototype, in particular, in terms of operation and workspace characteristics.

  4. A novel magnetorheological actuator for micro-motion control: identification of actuating characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaluvan, Suresh; Kim, Soomin; Choi, Seung-Bok; Thirumavalavan, Vinopraba

    2015-01-01

    A novel actuator using magnetorheological (MR) fluid sandwiched between two electrode type coils is proposed in this research work. The key enabling concept of the proposed actuator is to enhance the force due to the magnetic field produced by the electrode coil using the magnetorheological fluid. The direction and amount of current input to the top and bottom electrode coils decide the characteristics such as contraction, extension and the force generated by the actuator, respectively. To obtain the required displacement and actuation force, the viscosity of the MR fluid sandwiched between the two electrode coils is precisely varied by the input current. In this work, the MR fluid is operated in one of the most powerful modes, called squeeze mode, and hence the designed magnetorheological actuator is more powerful and precise. The experimental results shown in this paper show that it has a great advantage in micron-level displacement and vibration control applications. The main contribution of this innovative magnetorheological actuator design is that it can also behave like a damper. This technology will lead to a new dimension in the design of self-actuation and damping devices. In addition, the proposed magnetorheological actuator has additional advantages such as cost effectiveness and easy implementation. (paper)

  5. Dynamics and inherent safety features of small modular high temperature gas-cooled reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harrington, R.M.; Ball, S.J.; Cleveland, J.C.

    1986-01-01

    Investigations were made at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to characterize the dynamics and inherent safety features of various modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) designs. This work was sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's HTGR Safety Research program. The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Gas Cooled Reactor Associates (GCRA) have sponsored studies of several modular HTGR concepts, each having it own unique advantageous economic and inherent safety features. The DOE design team has recently choses a 350-MW(t) annular core with prismatic, graphite matrix fuel for its reference plant. The various safety features of this plant and of the pebble-bed core designs similar to those currently being developed and operated in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) are described. A varity of postulated accident sequences involving combinations of loss of forced circulation of the helium primary coolant, loss of primary coolant pressurization, and loss of normal and backup heat sinks were studied and are discussed. Results demonstrate that each concept can withstand an uncontrolled heatup accident without reaching excessive peak fuel temperatures. Comparisons of calculated and measured response for a loss of forced circulation test on the FRG reactor, AVR, are also presented. 10 refs

  6. Annexes to the lecture on reactor protection system including engineered features actuation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palmaers, W.

    1982-01-01

    The present paper deals with the fundamentals for a reactor protection system and discusses the following topics: - System lay-out - Analog measured data acquisition - Analog measured data processing - Limit value generation and logical gating - Procesing of the reactor protection actuation signals - Decoupling of the reactor protection system - Mechanical lay-out - Monitoring system and - Emergency control station. (orig./RW)

  7. Self-Latching Piezocomposite Actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkie, William K. (Inventor); Bryant, Robert G. (Inventor); Lynch, Christopher S. (Inventor)

    2017-01-01

    A self-latching piezocomposite actuator includes a plurality of shape memory ceramic fibers. The actuator can be latched by applying an electrical field to the shape memory ceramic fibers. The actuator remains in a latched state/shape after the electrical field is no longer present. A reverse polarity electric field may be applied to reset the actuator to its unlatched state/shape. Applied electric fields may be utilized to provide a plurality of latch states between the latched and unlatched states of the actuator. The self-latching piezocomposite actuator can be used for active/adaptive airfoils having variable camber, trim tabs, active/deformable engine inlets, adaptive or adjustable vortex generators, active optical components such as mirrors that change shapes, and other morphing structures.

  8. Safety aspects of core power distribution surveillance and control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beraha, D.; Grumbach, R.; Hoeld, A.; Werner, W.

    1978-01-01

    The incentives for improved core surveillance and core control systems are outlined. An efficient code for evaluating the power distribution is indispensable for designing and testing such a system. The characteristics of the core simulator QUABOX/CUBBOX and the features required for off-line and on-line applications are described. The important role of the simulator for the safety assessment of a digital core control system is underlined. With regard to the safety aspects of core control, possible disturbances are classified. Simulation results are given concerning the failure of a control actuator. It is shown that means can be devised to prevent unstable behaviour of the control system and, furthermore, to contribute to a safe reactor operation by accounting for process disturbances. (author)

  9. CARAPACE:A novel composite advanced robotic actuator powering assistive compliant exoskeleton preliminary design

    OpenAIRE

    Masia, Lorenzo; Cappello, Leonardo; Morasso, Pietro; Lachenal, Xavier; Pirrera, Alberto; Weaver, Paul; Mattioni, Filippo

    2013-01-01

    A novel actuator is introduced that combines an elastically compliant composite structure with conventional electromechanical elements. The proposed design is analogous to that used in Series Elastic Actuators, its distinctive feature being that the compliant composite part offers different stable configurations. In other words, its elastic potential presents points of local minima that correspond to robust stable positions (multistability). This potential is known a priori as a function of t...

  10. Robust tracking control of an IPMC actuator using nonsingular terminal sliding mode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khawwaf, Jasim; Zheng, Jinchuan; Lu, Renquan; Al-Ghanimi, Ali; Kazem, Bahaa I.; Man, Zhihong

    2017-09-01

    Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) is a highly innovative material that has recently gained attention in many fields such as medical, biomimetic, and micro/nano underwater applications. The main characteristic of IPMC lies in its ability to achieve a large deflection under a fairly low driving voltage. Moreover, its agile, light weight, noiseless and flexible features render it well suited for certain specific applications. Like other smart materials, such as piezoelectric ceramics, IPMC could be used in actuators or sensors. In this paper, we study the application of IPMC as an actuator for underwater use. The goal is to develop a robust feedback controller for the IPMC actuator to track a desired reference whilst dealing with the uncertainties due to the inherent actuator nonlinearity, external disturbance or the variations of working environment. To this end, we first present a nominal model of the IPMC actuator through experimental identification. Next, a nonsingular terminal sliding mode controller is proposed. Lastly, experimental studies are conducted to verify the tracking accuracy and robustness of the designed controller.

  11. Cyber Security Penetration Test for Digital Safety I and C Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, C. K.; Kim, D. H.; Kwon, K. C.; Joo, H. K.; Song, J. S.

    2010-01-01

    In the Korea Nuclear I and C Systems Development project the platforms for plant protection systems are developed, which function as a reactor shutdown, actuation of engineered safety features and a control of the related equipment. Those are fully digitalized through the use of safety-grade programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and few types of communication network. However the Regulatory Guide 1.152 (Rev. 02) was published by the U.S. NRC in 2006 and it recommended the application of a cyber security to the safety systems in the Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Therefore to incorporate the new licensing requirement, a cyber security risk assessment is performed for the platforms. Then the vulnerabilities identified by the risk assessment are validated by penetration test. This paper summarizes test scenario, test results and their incorporation into system design

  12. Porous polycarbene-bearing membrane actuator for ultrasensitive weak-acid detection and real-time chemical reaction monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Jian-Ke; Zhang, Weiyi; Guterman, Ryan; Lin, Hui-Juan; Yuan, Jiayin

    2018-04-30

    Soft actuators with integration of ultrasensitivity and capability of simultaneous interaction with multiple stimuli through an entire event ask for a high level of structure complexity, adaptability, and/or multi-responsiveness, which is a great challenge. Here, we develop a porous polycarbene-bearing membrane actuator built up from ionic complexation between a poly(ionic liquid) and trimesic acid (TA). The actuator features two concurrent structure gradients, i.e., an electrostatic complexation (EC) degree and a density distribution of a carbene-NH 3 adduct (CNA) along the membrane cross-section. The membrane actuator performs the highest sensitivity among the state-of-the-art soft proton actuators toward acetic acid at 10 -6  mol L -1 (M) level in aqueous media. Through competing actuation of the two gradients, it is capable of monitoring an entire process of proton-involved chemical reactions that comprise multiple stimuli and operational steps. The present achievement constitutes a significant step toward real-life application of soft actuators in chemical sensing and reaction technology.

  13. Nuclear safety and regulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hho Jung

    2000-03-01

    This book contains 12 chapters, which are atom and radiation, nuclear reactor and kinds of nuclear power plant, safeguard actuation system and stability evaluation for rock foundation of nuclear power plant, nuclear safety and principle, safety analysis and classification of incident, probabilistic safety assessment and major incident, nuclear safety regulation, system of nuclear safety regulation, main function and subject of safety regulation in nuclear facilities, regulation of fuel cycle and a nuclear dump site, protection of radiation and, safety supervision and, safety supervision and measurement of environmental radioactivity.

  14. Reactor protection system including engineered features actuation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palmaers, W.

    1982-01-01

    The safety concept requires to ensure that - the reactor protection system - the active engineered safeguard - and the necessary auxiliary systems are so designed and interfaced in respect of design and mode of action that, in the event of single component failure reliable control of the consequences of accidents remains ensured at all times and that the availability of the power plant is not limited unnecessarily. In order to satisfy these requirements due, importance was attached to a consistent spacial separation of the mutually redundant subsystems of the active safety equipment. The design and layout of the reactor protection system, of the power supply (emergency power supply), and of the auxiliary systems important from the safety engineering point of view, are such that their subsystems also largely satisfy the requirements of independence and spacial separation. (orig./RW)

  15. Design of an Active Bumper with a Series Elastic Actuator for Pedestrian Protection of Small Unmanned Vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terumasa, Narukawa; Tomoki, Tsuge; Hiroshi, Yamamoto; Takahiro, Suzuki

    2016-09-01

    When autonomous unmanned vehicles are operated on sidewalks, the vehicles must have high safety standards such as avoiding injury when they come in contact with pedestrians. In this study, we established a design for preventing serious injury when such collisions occur. We designed an active bumper with a series elastic actuator, with the goal of avoiding serious injury to a pedestrian in a collision with a small unmanned vehicle. The series elastic actuator comprised an elastic element in series with a table driven by a ball screw and servo motor. The active bumper was used to control the contact force between a vehicle and a pedestrian. The optimal force for minimizing the deflection of the object of the collision was derived, and the actuator controlled to apply this optimal force. Numerical simulations showed that the active bumper was successful in improving the collision safety of small unmanned vehicles.

  16. Fast electrochemical actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uvarov, I V; Postnikov, A V; Svetovoy, V B

    2016-01-01

    Lack of fast and strong microactuators is a well-recognized problem in MEMS community. Electrochemical actuators can develop high pressure but they are notoriously slow. Water electrolysis produced by short voltage pulses of alternating polarity can overcome the problem of slow gas termination. Here we demonstrate an actuation regime, for which the gas pressure is relaxed just for 10 μs or so. The actuator consists of a microchamber filled with the electrolyte and covered with a flexible membrane. The membrane bends outward when the pressure in the chamber increases. Fast termination of gas and high pressure developed in the chamber are related to a high density of nanobubbles in the chamber. The physical processes happening in the chamber are discussed so as problems that have to be resolved for practical applications of this actuation regime. The actuator can be used as a driving engine for microfluidics. (paper)

  17. Electro-actuation characteristics of Cl2 and SF6 plasma-treated IPMC actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saher, Saim; Kim, Woojin; Moon, Sungwon; Jin Kim, H; Kim, Yong Hyup

    2010-01-01

    This paper describes plasma treatments that improve the actuation properties by modifying the surface morphology of ionic polymer metal composites (IPMC). The proposed Cl 2 and SF 6 plasmas change the surface appearance of the electroactive polymer, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the plasma-treated surfaces reveals the development of round and cone-shaped microstructures. After electroless chemical metal plating, these microstructures significantly alter the characteristics of the IPMC electrode. In plasma-treated IPMCs, the densely packed platinum nanoparticles have produced a relatively thick electrode layer. This configuration has led to the improvement in the electrical properties of the IPMC: surface resistance is noticeably decreased, whereas electrical capacitance is increased. These changes in the electrical properties have considerably enhanced the actuation parameters: displacement, force and operational life are increased by more than three times relative to the conventional IPMC. Our experimental data suggest a relationship between the IPMC actuator's electrical properties and actuation parameters: actuators with lower surface resistance generate large deflection and actuators with higher capacitance generate large actuation force. The actuation tests including coin lifting suggests the potential of the modified IPMC for artificial muscle applications

  18. The safety feature of hydraulic driving system of control rod for 200 MW nuclear heating reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chi Zongbo; Wu Yuanqiang

    1997-01-01

    The hydraulic driving system of control rod is used as control rod drive mechanism in 200 MW nuclear heating reactor. Design of this system is based on passive system, integrating drive and guide of control rod. The author analyzes the inherent safety and the design safety of this system, with mechanism of control rod not ejecting when the pressure of pressure vessel is lost, and calculating result of core not exposing when the amount of coolant is drained by broken pipe. The results indicate that this system has good safety feature, and assures reactor safety under any accident conditions, providing important technology support for 200 MW nuclear heating reactor with inherent safety feature

  19. Digital Actuator Technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ken Thomas; Ted Quinn; Jerry Mauck; Richard Bockhorst

    2014-09-01

    There are significant developments underway in new types of actuators for power plant active components. Many of these make use of digital technology to provide a wide array of benefits in performance of the actuators and in reduced burden to maintain them. These new product offerings have gained considerable acceptance in use in process plants. In addition, they have been used in conventional power generation very successfully. This technology has been proven to deliver the benefits promised and substantiate the claims of improved performance. The nuclear industry has been reluctant to incorporate digital actuator technology into nuclear plant designs due to concerns due to a number of concerns. These could be summarized as cost, regulatory uncertainty, and a certain comfort factor with legacy analog technology. The replacement opportunity for these types of components represents a decision point for whether to invest in more modern technology that would provide superior operational and maintenance benefits. Yet, the application of digital technology has been problematic for the nuclear industry, due to qualification and regulatory issues. With some notable exceptions, the result has been a continuing reluctance to undertake the risks and uncertainties of implementing digital actuator technology when replacement opportunities present themselves. Rather, utilities would typically prefer to accept the performance limitations of the legacy analog actuator technologies to avoid impacts to project costs and schedules. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate that the benefits of digital actuator technology can be significant in terms of plant performance and that it is worthwhile to address the barriers currently holding back the widespread development and use of this technology. It addresses two important objectives in pursuit of the beneficial use of digital actuator technology for nuclear power plants: 1. To demonstrate the benefits of digital actuator

  20. Simulation of wind turbine wakes using the actuator line technique

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Jens Nørkær; Mikkelsen, Robert Flemming; Henningson, Dan S.

    2015-01-01

    The actuator line technique was introduced as a numerical tool to be employed in combination with large eddy simulations to enable the study of wakes and wake interaction in wind farms. The technique is today largely used for studying basic features of wakes as well as for making performance...... predictions of wind farms. In this paper, we give a short introduction to the wake problem and the actuator line methodology and present a study in which the technique is employed to determine the near-wake properties of wind turbines. The presented results include a comparison of experimental results...

  1. Reactor limitation system improves the safety and availability of the Angra 2 nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souza Mendes, J.E. de

    1987-01-01

    Beyond the classic Reactor Protection System and Reactor Control System, nuclear plant Angra 2 has a third system called Reactor Limitation System which combines the intelligence features of the control systems with the high reliability of the protection systems. In determined events, which are not controlled by the control system (e.g.: load rejection, failure of one main reactor coolant pump), the Reactor Limitation System actuates automatically in order to lead the plant to a safe operating condition and so it avoids the actuation of the Reactor Protection System and consequently the reactor trip. This increases safety and availability of the plant and reduces component stresses. After the safe operating condition is reached, the process guidance automatically returns to the control systems. (Author) [pt

  2. Cylindrical Piezoelectric Fiber Composite Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, Sidney G.; Shams, Qamar A.; Fox, Robert L.

    2008-01-01

    The use of piezoelectric devices has become widespread since Pierre and Jacques Curie discovered the piezoelectric effect in 1880. Examples of current applications of piezoelectric devices include ultrasonic transducers, micro-positioning devices, buzzers, strain sensors, and clocks. The invention of such lightweight, relatively inexpensive piezoceramic-fiber-composite actuators as macro fiber composite (MFC) actuators has made it possible to obtain strains and displacements greater than those that could be generated by prior actuators based on monolithic piezoceramic sheet materials. MFC actuators are flat, flexible actuators designed for bonding to structures to apply or detect strains. Bonding multiple layers of MFC actuators together could increase force capability, but not strain or displacement capability. Cylindrical piezoelectric fiber composite (CPFC) actuators have been invented as alternatives to MFC actuators for applications in which greater forces and/or strains or displacements may be required. In essence, a CPFC actuator is an MFC or other piezoceramic fiber composite actuator fabricated in a cylindrical instead of its conventional flat shape. Cylindrical is used here in the general sense, encompassing shapes that can have circular, elliptical, rectangular or other cross-sectional shapes in the planes perpendicular to their longitudinal axes.

  3. Actuators for smart applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Paternoster, Alexandre; de Boer, Andries; Loendersloot, Richard; Akkerman, Remko; D. Brei,; M. Frecker,

    2010-01-01

    Actuator manufacturers are developing promising technologies which meet high requirements in performance, weight and power consumption. Conventionally, actuators are characterized by their displacement and load performance. This hides the dynamic aspects of those actuation solutions. Work per weight

  4. Micro-patterning of resin-bonded NdFeB magnet for a fully integrated electromagnetic actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Kai; Wu, Jin; Kottapalli, Ajay Giri Prakash; Chen, Di; Yang, Zhuoqing; Ding, Guifu; Lye, Sun Woh; Miao, Jianmin

    2017-12-01

    This paper reports a fully-integrated, batch-fabricated electromagnetic actuator which features micro-patterned NdFeB magnets. The entire actuator is fabricated through MEMS-compatible laminated surface micromachining technology, eliminating the requirement for further component assembly processes. The fabrication strategy allowed the entire volume of the actuator to be reduced to a small size of 2.5 × 2.5 × 2 mm3, which is one of the smallest NdFeB-based electromagnetic actuators demonstrated to date. The magnetic properties of NdFeB thin films are further investigated and optimized using different types of lithographically-defined micromolds. By altering the direction of the input current, actuating displacements of approximately ±10 μm are achieved during both the attraction and the repulsion operations. This work demonstrates the viability and compatibility of using polymer-bonded magnets for magnetic MEMS applications.

  5. Dynamic actuation of a novel laser-processed NiTi linear actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pequegnat, A; Daly, M; Wang, J; Zhou, Y; Khan, M I

    2012-01-01

    A novel laser processing technique, capable of locally modifying the shape memory effect, was applied to enhance the functionality of a NiTi linear actuator. By altering local transformation temperatures, an additional memory was imparted into a monolithic NiTi wire to enable dynamic actuation via controlled resistive heating. Characterizations of the actuator load, displacement and cyclic properties were conducted using a custom-built spring-biased test set-up. Monotonic tensile testing was also implemented to characterize the deformation behaviour of the martensite phase. Observed differences in the deformation behaviour of laser-processed material were found to affect the magnitude of the active strain. Furthermore, residual strain during cyclic actuation testing was found to stabilize after 150 cycles while the recoverable strain remained constant. This laser-processed actuator will allow for the realization of new applications and improved control methods for shape memory alloys. (paper)

  6. Fabrication and actuation of electro-active polymer actuator based on PSMI-incorporated PVDF

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jun; Kim, Sang-Gyun; Lee, Sunwoo; Oh, Il-Kwon

    2008-08-01

    In this study, an ionic networking membrane (INM) of poly(styrene-alt-maleimide) (PSMI)-incorporated poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was applied to fabricate electro-active polymer. Based on the same original membrane of PSMI-incorporated PVDF, various samples of INM actuator were prepared for different reduction times with the electroless-plating technique. The as-prepared INM actuators were tested in terms of surface resistance, platinum morphology, resonance frequency, tip displacement, current and blocked force, and their performances were compared to those of the widely used traditional Nafion actuator. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that much smaller and more uniform platinum particles were formed on the surfaces of the INM actuators as well as within their polymer matrix. Although excellent harmonic responses were observed for the newly developed INM actuators, they were found to be sensitive to the applied reduction times during the fabrication. The mechanical displacement of the INM actuator fabricated after the optimum reduction times was much larger than that of its Nafion counterpart of comparable thickness under the stimulus of constant and alternating current voltage. The PSMI-incorporated PVDF actuator can become a promising smart material to be used in the fields of biomimetic robots, biomedical devices, sensors and actuator, haptic interfaces, energy harvesting and so on.

  7. Fabrication and actuation of electro-active polymer actuator based on PSMI-incorporated PVDF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Jun; Oh, Il-Kwon; Kim, Sang-Gyun; Lee, Sunwoo

    2008-01-01

    In this study, an ionic networking membrane (INM) of poly(styrene-alt-maleimide) (PSMI)-incorporated poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was applied to fabricate electro-active polymer. Based on the same original membrane of PSMI-incorporated PVDF, various samples of INM actuator were prepared for different reduction times with the electroless-plating technique. The as-prepared INM actuators were tested in terms of surface resistance, platinum morphology, resonance frequency, tip displacement, current and blocked force, and their performances were compared to those of the widely used traditional Nafion actuator. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that much smaller and more uniform platinum particles were formed on the surfaces of the INM actuators as well as within their polymer matrix. Although excellent harmonic responses were observed for the newly developed INM actuators, they were found to be sensitive to the applied reduction times during the fabrication. The mechanical displacement of the INM actuator fabricated after the optimum reduction times was much larger than that of its Nafion counterpart of comparable thickness under the stimulus of constant and alternating current voltage. The PSMI-incorporated PVDF actuator can become a promising smart material to be used in the fields of biomimetic robots, biomedical devices, sensors and actuator, haptic interfaces, energy harvesting and so on

  8. Safety Analysis for Key Design Features of KALIMER-600 Design Concept

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Yong Bum; Kwon, Y. M.; Kim, E. K.; Suk, S. D.; Chang, W. P.; Jeong, H. Y.; Ha, K. S

    2007-02-15

    This report contains the safety analyses of the KALIMER-600 conceptual design which KAERI has been developing under the Long-term Nuclear R and D Program. The analyses have been performed reflecting the design developments during the second year of the 4th design phase in the program. The specific presentations are the key design features with the safety principles for achieving the safety objectives, the event categorization and safety criteria, and results on the safety analyses for the DBAs and ATWS events, the containment performance, and the channel blockages. The safety analyses for both the DBAs and ATWS events have been performed using SSC-K version 1.3., and the results have shown the fulfillment of the safety criteria for DBAs with conservative assumptions. The safety margins as well as the inherent safety also have been confirmed for the ATWS events. For the containment performance analysis, ORIGEN-2.1 and CONTAIN-LMR have been used. In results, the structural integrity has been acceptable and the evaluated exposure dose rate has been complied with 10 CFR 100 and PAG limits. The analysis results for flow blockages of 6-subchannels, 24-subchannels, and 54- subchannels with the MATRA-LMR-FB code, have assured the integrity of subassemblies.

  9. Cryogenic actuator testing for the SAFARI ground calibration setup

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jonge, C.; Eggens, M.; Nieuwenhuizen, A. C. T.; Detrain, A.; Smit, H.; Dieleman, P.

    2012-09-01

    For the on-ground calibration setup of the SAFARI instrument cryogenic mechanisms are being developed at SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, including a filter wheel, XYZ-scanner and a flipmirror mechanism. Due to the extremely low background radiation requirement of the SAFARI instrument, all of these mechanisms will have to perform their work at 4.5 Kelvin and low-dissipative cryogenic actuators are required to drive these mechanisms. In this paper, the performance of stepper motors, piezoelectric actuators and brushless DC-motors as cryogenic actuators are compared. We tested stepper motor mechanical performance and electrical dissipation at 4K. The actuator requirements, test setup and test results are presented. Furthermore, design considerations and early performance tests of the flipmirror mechanism are discussed. This flipmirror features a 102 x 72 mm aluminum mirror that can be rotated 45°. A Phytron stepper motor with reduction gearbox has been chosen to drive the flipmirror. Testing showed that this motor has a dissipation of 49mW at 4K with a torque of 60Nmm at 100rpm. Thermal modeling of the flipmirror mechanism predicts that with proper thermal strapping the peak temperature of the flipmirror after a single action will be within the background level requirements of the SAFARI instrument. Early tests confirm this result. For low-duty cycle operations commercial stepper motors appear suitable as actuators for test equipment in the SAFARI on ground calibration setup.

  10. Devising Mobile Sensing and Actuation Infrastructure with Drones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mungyu Bae

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Vast applications and services have been enabled as the number of mobile or sensing devices with communication capabilities has grown. However, managing the devices, integrating networks or combining services across different networks has become a new problem since each network is not directly connected via back-end core networks or servers. The issue is and has been discussed especially in wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSAN. In such systems, sensors and actuators are tightly coupled, so when an independent WSAN needs to collaborate with other networks, it is difficult to adequately combine them into an integrated infrastructure. In this paper, we propose drone-as-a-gateway (DaaG, which uses drones as mobile gateways to interconnect isolated networks or combine independent services. Our system contains features that focus on the service being provided in the order of importance, different from an adaptive simple mobile sink system or delay-tolerant system. Our simulation results have shown that the proposed system is able to activate actuators in the order of importance of the service, which uses separate sensors’ data, and it consumes almost the same time in comparison with other path-planning algorithms. Moreover, we have implemented DaaG and presented results in a field test to show that it can enable large-scale on-demand deployment of sensing and actuation infrastructure or the Internet of Things (IoT.

  11. Devising Mobile Sensing and Actuation Infrastructure with Drones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jongtack; Park, Seongjoon; Kim, Kangho; Lee, Joon Yeop

    2018-01-01

    Vast applications and services have been enabled as the number of mobile or sensing devices with communication capabilities has grown. However, managing the devices, integrating networks or combining services across different networks has become a new problem since each network is not directly connected via back-end core networks or servers. The issue is and has been discussed especially in wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSAN). In such systems, sensors and actuators are tightly coupled, so when an independent WSAN needs to collaborate with other networks, it is difficult to adequately combine them into an integrated infrastructure. In this paper, we propose drone-as-a-gateway (DaaG), which uses drones as mobile gateways to interconnect isolated networks or combine independent services. Our system contains features that focus on the service being provided in the order of importance, different from an adaptive simple mobile sink system or delay-tolerant system. Our simulation results have shown that the proposed system is able to activate actuators in the order of importance of the service, which uses separate sensors’ data, and it consumes almost the same time in comparison with other path-planning algorithms. Moreover, we have implemented DaaG and presented results in a field test to show that it can enable large-scale on-demand deployment of sensing and actuation infrastructure or the Internet of Things (IoT). PMID:29463064

  12. Devising Mobile Sensing and Actuation Infrastructure with Drones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bae, Mungyu; Yoo, Seungho; Jung, Jongtack; Park, Seongjoon; Kim, Kangho; Kim, Joon Yeop Lee; Kim, Hwangnam

    2018-02-19

    Vast applications and services have been enabled as the number of mobile or sensing devices with communication capabilities has grown. However, managing the devices, integrating networks or combining services across different networks has become a new problem since each network is not directly connected via back-end core networks or servers. The issue is and has been discussed especially in wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSAN). In such systems, sensors and actuators are tightly coupled, so when an independent WSAN needs to collaborate with other networks, it is difficult to adequately combine them into an integrated infrastructure. In this paper, we propose drone-as-a-gateway (DaaG), which uses drones as mobile gateways to interconnect isolated networks or combine independent services. Our system contains features that focus on the service being provided in the order of importance, different from an adaptive simple mobile sink system or delay-tolerant system. Our simulation results have shown that the proposed system is able to activate actuators in the order of importance of the service, which uses separate sensors' data, and it consumes almost the same time in comparison with other path-planning algorithms. Moreover, we have implemented DaaG and presented results in a field test to show that it can enable large-scale on-demand deployment of sensing and actuation infrastructure or the Internet of Things (IoT).

  13. The safety implications of control systems program at ORNL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, O.L.

    1987-01-01

    Simulations of two pressurized water reactors (PWRs) point to several conclusions that bear on the principle interests of Unresolved Safety Issue A-47: (1) the simulated control systems of both plants exhibit considerable ability to respond to the investigated classes of off-normal disturbances; (2) overfill of the steam generators usually produced only minor cooling of the primary side; (3) despite protective features, substantial amounts of water could be injected into the steam lines because of low steam quality or high water level, but further analysis is needed to determine whether this creates the potential for water-hammer damage or other mass or momentum effects; and (4) potential core-uncovery scenarios explored steam generator tube rupture and other small breaks that might lead to loss of primary inventory without actuation of high pressure injection. The results indicated situations in which automatic actuation of high pressure injection would terminate the leak and others in which operator intervention appeared necessary

  14. The safety implications of control systems program at ORNL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, O.L.

    1987-01-01

    Simulations of two pressurized water reactors (PWRs) point to several conclusions that bear on the principle interests of Unresolved Safety Issue A-47: the simulated control systems of both plants exhibit considerable ability to respond to the investigated classes of off-normal disturbances; overfill of the steam generators usually produced only minor cooling of the primary side; despite protective features, substantial amounts of water could be injected into the steam lines because of low steam quality or high water level, but further analysis is needed to determine whether this creates the potential for water-hammer damage or other mass or momentum effects; and potential core-uncovery scenarios explored steam generator tube rupture and other small breaks that might lead to loss of primary inventory without actuation of high pressure injection. The results indicated situations in which automatic actuation of high pressure injection would terminate the leak and others in which operator intervention appeared necessary

  15. Multilayer laminated piezoelectric bending actuators: design and manufacturing for optimum power density and efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jafferis, Noah T; Lok, Mario; Wei, Gu-Yeon; Wood, Robert J; Winey, Nastasia

    2016-01-01

    In previous work we presented design and manufacturing rules for optimizing the energy density of piezoelectric bimorph actuators through the use of laser-induced melting, insulating edge coating, and features for rigid ground attachments to maximize force output, as well as a pre-stacked technique to enable mass customization. Here we adapt these techniques to bending actuators with four active layers, which utilize thinner material layers. This allows the use of lower operating voltages, which is important for overall power usage optimization, as typical small-scale power supplies are low-voltage and the efficiency of boost-converter and drive circuitry increases with decreasing output voltage. We show that this optimization results in a 24%–47% reduction in the weight of the required power supply (depending on the type of drive circuit used). We also present scaling arguments to determine when multi-layer actuator are preferable to thinner actuators, and show that our techniques are capable of scaling down to sub-mg weight actuators. (paper)

  16. Variable gearing in a biologically inspired pneumatic actuator array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azizi, Emanuel; Roberts, Thomas J

    2013-01-01

    A fundamental feature of pennate muscles is that muscle fibers are oriented at an angle to the line of action and rotate as they shorten, becoming more oblique throughout a contraction. This change in fiber orientation (pennation angle) can amplify the shortening velocity of a fiber and increase output velocity of the muscle. The velocity advantage resulting from dynamic changes in pennation angle can be characterized as a gear ratio (muscle velocity/fiber velocity). A recent study has shown that a pennate muscle's gear ratio varies automatically depending on the load such that a muscle operates with a high gear during rapid contractions and low gear during forceful contractions. We examined whether this variable gearing behavior can be replicated in a pennate array of artificial muscles. We used McKibben type pneumatic actuators, which shorten in tension when filled with compressed gas. Similar to muscle fibers, the actuators expand radially during shortening, a feature thought to be a critical part of the variable gearing mechanism in pennate muscles. We arranged McKibben actuators in an array oriented to mimic a pennate muscle, and quantified the system's gear ratio during contraction against a range of loads. Video was used to measure the gear ratio during each contraction. We find that similar to pennate muscles, the gear ratio decreases significantly with increasing load and that variable gearing results from load-dependent variation in the amount of actuator rotation. These results support the idea that variable gearing in pennate muscles is mediated by difference is fiber rotation and the direction of muscle bulging. The behavior of our artificial muscle array also highlights the potential benefits of bio-inspired architectures in artificial muscle arrays, including the ability to vary force and speed automatically in response to variable loading conditions. (paper)

  17. Variable gearing in a biologically inspired pneumatic actuator array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azizi, Emanuel; Roberts, Thomas J

    2013-06-01

    A fundamental feature of pennate muscles is that muscle fibers are oriented at an angle to the line of action and rotate as they shorten, becoming more oblique throughout a contraction. This change in fiber orientation (pennation angle) can amplify the shortening velocity of a fiber and increase output velocity of the muscle. The velocity advantage resulting from dynamic changes in pennation angle can be characterized as a gear ratio (muscle velocity/fiber velocity). A recent study has shown that a pennate muscle's gear ratio varies automatically depending on the load such that a muscle operates with a high gear during rapid contractions and low gear during forceful contractions. We examined whether this variable gearing behavior can be replicated in a pennate array of artificial muscles. We used McKibben type pneumatic actuators, which shorten in tension when filled with compressed gas. Similar to muscle fibers, the actuators expand radially during shortening, a feature thought to be a critical part of the variable gearing mechanism in pennate muscles. We arranged McKibben actuators in an array oriented to mimic a pennate muscle, and quantified the system's gear ratio during contraction against a range of loads. Video was used to measure the gear ratio during each contraction. We find that similar to pennate muscles, the gear ratio decreases significantly with increasing load and that variable gearing results from load-dependent variation in the amount of actuator rotation. These results support the idea that variable gearing in pennate muscles is mediated by difference is fiber rotation and the direction of muscle bulging. The behavior of our artificial muscle array also highlights the potential benefits of bio-inspired architectures in artificial muscle arrays, including the ability to vary force and speed automatically in response to variable loading conditions.

  18. VARIABLE GEARING IN A BIOLOGICALLY-INSPIRED PNEUMATIC ACTUATOR ARRAY

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azizi, Emanuel; Roberts, Thomas J.

    2013-01-01

    A fundamental feature of pennate muscles is that muscle fibers are oriented at an angle to the line of action and rotate as they shorten, becoming more oblique throughout a contraction. This change in fiber orientation (pennation angle) can amplify the shortening velocity of a fiber and increase output velocity of the muscle. The velocity advantage resulting from dynamic changes in pennation angle can be characterized as a gear ratio (muscle velocity/fiber velocity). A recent study has shown that a pennate muscle’s gear ratio varies automatically depending on the load such that a muscle operates with a high gear during rapid contractions and low gear during forceful contractions. We examined whether this variable gearing behavior can be replicated in a pennate array of artificial muscles. We used McKibben type pneumatic actuators, which shorten in tension when filled with compressed gas. Similar to muscle fibers, the actuators expand radially during shortening, a feature thought to be a critical part of the variable gearing mechanism in pennate muscles. We arranged McKibben actuators in an array oriented to mimic a pennate muscle, and quantified the system’s gear ratio during contraction against a range of loads. Video was used to measure the gear ratio during each contraction. We find that similar to pennate muscles, the gear ratio decreases significantly with increasing load and that variable gearing results from load-dependent variation in the amount of actuator rotation. These results support the idea that variable gearing in pennate muscles is mediated by difference is fiber rotation and the direction of muscle bulging. The behavior of our artificial muscle array also highlights the potential benefits of bio-inspired architectures in artificial muscle arrays, including the ability to vary force and speed automatically in response to variable loading conditions. PMID:23462288

  19. Cost reduction and safety design features of ABWR-II. Annex 5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koh, F.; Moriya, K.; Anegawa, T.

    2002-01-01

    The ABWR-II, which is aimed to be the next generation reactor following the latest BWR: Advanced Boiling Reactor (ABWR), is now under development jointly by the Japanese BWR utilities, General Electric Company, Hitachi Limited, and Toshiba Corporation. The key objectives of ABWR-II development include improvement in economics and further sophistication in safety for commercialization in the late 2010's and after. This paper summarizes the current status of ABWR-II development focusing on economics and safety. Plant power rating, fuel size, CRD rationalization and outage period are discussed from a cost reduction perspective. In terms of safety, the features such as diversification in emergency power sources and passive system application against severe accidents are being introduced. (author)

  20. V-stack piezoelectric actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ardelean, Emil V.; Clark, Robert L.

    2001-07-01

    Aeroelastic control of wings by means of a distributed, trailing-edge control surface is of interest with regards to maneuvers, gust alleviation, and flutter suppression. The use of high energy density, piezoelectric materials as motors provides an appealing solution to this problem. A comparative analysis of the state of the art actuators is currently being conducted. A new piezoelectric actuator design is presented. This actuator meets the requirements for trailing edge flap actuation in both stroke and force. It is compact, simple, sturdy, and leverages stroke geometrically with minimum force penalties while displaying linearity over a wide range of stroke. The V-Stack Piezoelectric Actuator, consists of a base, a lever, two piezoelectric stacks, and a pre-tensioning element. The work is performed alternately by the two stacks, placed on both sides of the lever. Pre-tensioning can be readily applied using a torque wrench, obviating the need for elastic elements and this is for the benefit of the stiffness of the actuator. The characteristics of the actuator are easily modified by changing the base or the stacks. A prototype was constructed and tested experimentally to validate the theoretical model.

  1. Design of control and safety rod and its drive mechanism of PFBR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rajan Babu, V.; Govindarajan, S.; Chetal, S.C.

    1997-01-01

    Control and Safety Rod (CSR) is one of the two types of absorber rods in shutdown systems of PFBR. Control and Safety Rod Drive Mechanism (CSRDM) actuates CSR to have vertical translatory motion in reactor core. The dual responsibilities entrusted on CSR to control reactor power during normal operating condition and to shutdown the reactor by scram action during abnormal condition, necessitate highly reliable design, analysis, testing and surveillance of CSR and CSRDM. The paper discusses on the salient features of CSR and CSRDM and design and analysis of individual sub-assemblies, viz., gripper, scram-release electromagnet, hydraulic dash pot, seals. Also it discusses on the developmental activities proposed and surveillance test requirements. (author)

  2. Extended DNA Tile Actuators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristiansen, Martin; Kryger, Mille; Zhang, Zhao

    2012-01-01

    A dynamic linear DNA tile actuator is expanded to three new structures of higher complexity. The original DNA actuator was constructed from a central roller strand which hybridizes with two piston strands by forming two half-crossover junctions. A linear expansion of the actuator is obtained...

  3. An Axiomatic Design Approach of Nanofluid-Engineered Nuclear Safety Features for Generation III+ React

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bang, In Cheol; Heo, Gyun Young; Jeong, Yong Hoon; Heo, Sun

    2009-01-01

    A variety of Generation III/III+ reactor designs featuring enhanced safety and improved economics are being proposed by nuclear power industries around the world to solve the future energy supply shortfall. Nanofluid coolants showing an improved thermal performance are being considered as a new key technology to secure nuclear safety and economics. However, it should be noted that there is a lack of comprehensible design works to apply nanofluids to Generation III+ reactor designs. In this work, the review of accident scenarios that consider expected nanofluid mechanisms is carried out to seek detailed application spots. The Axiomatic Design (AD) theory is then applied to systemize the design of nanofluid-engineered nuclear safety systems such as Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) and External Reactor Vessel Cooling System (ERVCS). The various couplings between Gen-III/III+ nuclear safety features and nanofluids are investigated and they try to be reduced from the perspective of the AD in terms of prevention/mitigation of severe accidents. This study contributes to the establishment of a standard communication protocol in the design of nanofluid-engineered nuclear safety systems

  4. Theoretical and experimental studies of a magnetically actuated valveless micropump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashouri, Majid; Shafii, Mohammad Behshad; Moosavi, Ali

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents the prototype design, fabrication, and characterization of a magnetically actuated micropump. The pump body consists of three nozzle/diffuser elements and two pumping chambers connected to the ends of a flat-wall pumping cylinder. A cylindrical permanent magnet placed inside the pumping cylinder acts as a piston which reciprocates by using an external magnetic actuator driven by a motor. The magnetic piston is covered by a ferrofluid to provide self-sealing capability. A prototype composed of three bonded layers of polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) has been fabricated. Water has been successfully pumped at pressures of up to 750 Pa and flow rates of up to 700 µ l min −1 while working at the piston actuation frequency of 4 and 5 Hz, respectively. 3D numerical simulations are also carried out to study the performance of the pump. The best experimental and numerical volumetric efficiency of the pump are about 7 and 8%, respectively, at the piston speed of 0.03 m s −1 . The contactless external actuation feature of the design enables integration of the pump with other PMMA-based microfluidic systems with low cost and disposability. (paper)

  5. The manipulation of an unstarting supersonic flow by plasma actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Im, S; Cappelli, M A; Do, H

    2012-01-01

    The manipulation of an unstarting supersonic flow is demonstrated using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). Experiments are carried out in a Mach 4.7 model inlet flow. Flow features, such as boundary layers and shockwaves at low freestream static pressure (1 kPa) and temperature (60 K) are visualized with Rayleigh scattering from condensed CO 2 particles. Flow unstart, initiated by mass injection, is studied for three model inlet flow configurations, distinguished by the initial conditions (untripped or tripped, plasma actuated or not) of the boundary layers. Unstart in the presence of thick, tripped boundary layers is characterized by the formation of an oblique unstart shock just upstream of a separating and propagating boundary layer. The presence of plasma actuation of this tripped boundary layer seems to arrest the boundary layer separation and leads to the formation of a quasi-stationary pseudo-shock, delaying unstart. The flow generated with DBD actuation is more characteristic of what is seen when unstart is generated in a model flow in which thin boundary layers grow naturally. Planar laser Rayleigh scattering visualizations suggest that the DBD actuation thins the tripped boundary layer over the exposed electrode region.

  6. Electrostatically Driven Nanoballoon Actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barzegar, Hamid Reza; Yan, Aiming; Coh, Sinisa; Gracia-Espino, Eduardo; Dunn, Gabriel; Wågberg, Thomas; Louie, Steven G; Cohen, Marvin L; Zettl, Alex

    2016-11-09

    We demonstrate an inflatable nanoballoon actuator based on geometrical transitions between the inflated (cylindrical) and collapsed (flattened) forms of a carbon nanotube. In situ transmission electron microscopy experiments employing a nanoelectromechanical manipulator show that a collapsed carbon nanotube can be reinflated by electrically charging the nanotube, thus realizing an electrostatically driven nanoballoon actuator. We find that the tube actuator can be reliably cycled with only modest control voltages (few volts) with no apparent wear or fatigue. A complementary theoretical analysis identifies critical parameters for nanotube nanoballoon actuation.

  7. Experimental/analytical determination of optimal piezoelectric actuator locations on complex structures based on the actuator power factor

    OpenAIRE

    Bhargava, Adesh

    1995-01-01

    The actuator power factor is defined as the ratio of the total dissipative mechanical power of a PZT actuator to the total supplied electrical power to the PZT actuator. If measured experimentally, it can be used to optinlize the actuator location and configuration for complex structures. The concept of actuator power factor is based on the ability of an integrated induced strain actuator such as a PZT actuator to transfer supplied electrical energy into structural mechanical energy. For a gi...

  8. A road to practical dielectric elastomer actuators based robotics and mechatronics: discrete actuation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plante, Jean-Sébastien; Devita, Lauren M.; Dubowsky, Steven

    2007-04-01

    Fundamental studies of Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) using viscoelastic materials such as VHB 4905/4910 from 3M showed significant advantages at high stretch rates. The film's viscous forces increase actuator life and the short power-on times minimize energy losses through current leakage. This paper presents a design paradigm that exploits these fundamental properties of DEAs called discrete actuation. Discrete actuation uses DEAs at high stretch rates to change the states of robotic or mechatronic systems in discrete steps. Each state of the system is stable and can be maintained without actuator power. Discrete actuation can be used in robotic and mechatronic applications such as manipulation and locomotion. The resolution of such systems increases with the number of discrete states, 10 to 100 being sufficient for many applications. An MRI-guided needle positioning device for cancer treatments and a space exploration robot using hopping for locomotion are presented as examples of this concept.

  9. Features of Running Brush Motors in Dry Nitrogen Environment When Using in Electrohydraulic Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. A. Petrov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The work concerns the constructive characteristics optimization of brushless D.C. (direct current motors used in electromechanical spacecraft drives.The spacecraft electromechanical drives and units use rather widely the brushless D.C. motors in which a motor commutator is replaced with more reliable semiconductor commutator controlled by the rotor position sensors. However, these motors are of low power.Electrohydraulic actuators (EHA use simple permanent-magnet motors (PMM of rather high power and commutator motors with graphite brush variable contacts.High reliability of brush motors, and, therefore a reliability of EHA in general, substantially depends on the quality of motor commutator operation. There are different reasons for a possible impact on the normal motor commutator operation. One of them is brush wear. Sparking brushes and burning commutator bars are possible in case brushes are poorly grinded to fit, brushes cannot freely move true in the brush holder box, and in case an incorrect force to clamp brushes to the commutator is chosen.It is established that drive wear resistance and operability depends on the gas environment composition being under sealed motor housing. In dry nitrogen environment brush wear suddenly raises because of the changing tribological performances of the commutator thus leading to essentially falling isolation resistance and no motor start.It is recommended to fill a space under sealed motor housing with air. Positive experience of operating spacecraft device containers with mobile electromechanical couples allowed us to find that in this case a dew point of filled air must be minus 20˚C.The paper offers an electromechanical alternative of design to the electrohydraulic actuators, with a ball-screw gear of the actuation mechanism, possessing a number of advantages.

  10. Active joint mechanism driven by multiple actuators made of flexible bags: a proposal of dual structural actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, Hitoshi; Matsuzaki, Takuya; Kataoka, Mokutaro; Inou, Norio

    2013-01-01

    An actuator is required to change its speed and force depending on the situation. Using multiple actuators for one driving axis is one of the possible solutions; however, there is an associated problem of output power matching. This study proposes a new active joint mechanism using multiple actuators. Because the actuator is made of a flexible bag, it does not interfere with other actuators when it is depressurized. The proposed joint achieved coordinated motion of multiple actuators. This report also discusses a new actuator which has dual cylindrical structure. The cylinders are composed of flexible bags with different diameters. The joint torque is estimated based on the following factors: empirical formula for the flexible actuator torque, geometric relationship between the joint and the actuator, and the principle of virtual work. The prototype joint mechanism achieves coordinated motion of multiple actuators for one axis. With this motion, small inner actuator contributes high speed motion, whereas large outer actuator generates high torque. The performance of the prototype joint is examined by speed and torque measurements. The joint showed about 30% efficiency at 2.0 Nm load torque under 0.15 MPa air input.

  11. Torsional actuation with extension-torsion composite coupling and a magnetostrictive actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bothwell, Christopher M.; Chandra, Ramesh; Chopra, Inderjit

    1995-04-01

    An analytical-experimental study of using magnetostrictive actuators in conjunction with an extension-torsion coupled composite tube to actuate a rotor blade trailing-edge flap to actively control helicopter vibration is presented. Thin walled beam analysis based on Vlasov theory was used to predict the induced twist and extension in a composite tube with magnetostrictive actuation. The study achieved good correlation between theory and experiment. The Kevlar-epoxy systems showed good correlation between measured and predicted twist values.

  12. Refillable and magnetically actuated drug delivery system using pear-shaped viscoelastic membrane

    KAUST Repository

    So, Hongyun; Seo, Young Ho; Pisano, Albert P.

    2014-01-01

    We report a refillable and valveless drug delivery device actuated by an external magnetic field for on-demand drug release to treat localized diseases. The device features a pear-shaped viscoelastic magnetic membrane inducing asymmetrical

  13. Electrical actuation of dielectric droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumari, N; Bahadur, V; Garimella, S V

    2008-01-01

    Electrical actuation of liquid droplets at the microscale offers promising applications in the fields of microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip devices. Much prior research has targeted the electrical actuation of electrically conducting liquid droplets; however, the actuation of dielectric droplets has remained relatively unexplored, despite the advantages associated with the use of a dielectric droplet. This paper presents modeling and experimental results on the electrical actuation of dielectric droplets between two flat plates. A first-order analytical model, based on the energy-minimization principle, is developed to estimate the electrical actuation force on a dielectric droplet as it moves between two flat plates. Two versions of this analytical model are benchmarked for their suitability and accuracy against a detailed numerical model. The actuation force prediction is then combined with available semi-analytical expressions for predicting the forces opposing droplet motion to develop a model that predicts transient droplet motion under electrical actuation. Electrical actuation of dielectric droplets is experimentally demonstrated by moving transformer oil droplets between two flat plates under the influence of an actuation voltage. Droplet velocities and their dependence on the plate spacing and the applied voltage are experimentally measured and showed reasonable agreement with predictions from the models developed

  14. Telescoping cylindrical piezoelectric fiber composite actuator assemblies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, Sidney G. (Inventor); Shams, Qamar A. (Inventor); Fox, Robert L. (Inventor); Fox, legal representative, Christopher L. (Inventor); Fox Chattin, legal representative, Melanie L. (Inventor)

    2010-01-01

    A telescoping actuator assembly includes a plurality of cylindrical actuators in a concentric arrangement. Each cylindrical actuator is at least one piezoelectric fiber composite actuator having a plurality of piezoelectric fibers extending parallel to one another and to the concentric arrangement's longitudinal axis. Each cylindrical actuator is coupled to concentrically-adjacent ones of the cylindrical actuators such that the plurality of cylindrical actuators can experience telescopic movement. An electrical energy source coupled to the cylindrical actuators applies actuation energy thereto to generate the telescopic movement.

  15. Actuation mechanisms of carbon nanotube-based architectures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geier, Sebastian; Mahrholz, Thorsten; Wierach, Peter; Sinapius, Michael

    2016-04-01

    State of the art smart materials such as piezo ceramics or electroactive polymers cannot feature both, mechanical stiffness and high active strain. Moreover, properties like low density, high mechanical stiffness and high strain at the same time driven by low energy play an increasingly important role for their future application. Carbon nanotubes (CNT), show this behavior. Their active behavior was observed 1999 the first time using paper-like mats made of CNT. Therefore the CNT-papers are electrical charged within an electrolyte thus forming a double- layer. The measured deflection of CNT material is based on the interaction between the charged high surface area formed by carbon nanotubes and ions provided by the electrolyte. Although CNT-papers have been extensively analyzed as well at the macro-scale as nano-scale there is still no generally accepted theory for the actuation mechanism. This paper focuses on investigations of the actuation mechanisms of CNT-papers in comparison to vertically aligned CNT-arrays. One reason of divergent results found in literature might be attributed to different types of CNT samples. While CNT-papers represent architectures of short CNTs which need to bridge each other to form the dimensions of the sample, the continuous CNTs of the array feature a length of almost 3 mm, along which the experiments are carried out. Both sample types are tested within an actuated tensile test set-up under different conditions. While the CNT-papers are tested in water-based electrolytes with comparably small redox-windows the hydrophobic CNT-arrays are tested in ionic liquids with comparatively larger redox-ranges. Furthermore an in-situ micro tensile test within an SEM is carried out to prove the optimized orientation of the MWCNTs as result of external load. It was found that the performance of CNT-papers strongly depends on the test conditions. However, the CNT-arrays are almost unaffected by the conditions showing active response at negative

  16. A rotary pneumatic actuator for the actuation of the exoskeleton knee joint

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jobin Varghese

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Rotary pneumatic actuators that are made out of linear one are always best suited for exoskeleton joint actuation due to its inherent power to weight ratio. This work is a modified version of knee actuation system that has already been developed and major modifications are made in order to make it more suitable for human wearing and also to reduce its bulkiness and complexity. The considered actuator system is a rotary actuator where a pulley converts the linear motion of the standard pneumatic piston into the rotary motion. To prove the capability of the actuator, its performance characteristics such as torque and power produced are compared to the required torque and power at the knee joint of the exoskeleton in swing phase and are found to be excellent. The two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA is performed to find the effect of the throat area valve on knee angle. The ANOVA shows the significant effect of the throat area variation on the knee angle flexion made by the proposed actuator. A relationship between the throat area of flow control valve, that is connected to the exit port of the direction control valve, and angular displacement of the knee joint has been formulated. This relationship can be used to design a control system to regulate the mass flow rate of air at the exit and hence the angular velocity of the knee joint can be controlled. Keywords: Driven pulley, Flow control valve, Rotary, Pneumatic cylinder

  17. Modeling and control of precision actuators

    CERN Document Server

    Kiong, Tan Kok

    2013-01-01

    IntroductionGrowing Interest in Precise ActuatorsTypes of Precise ActuatorsApplications of Precise ActuatorsNonlinear Dynamics and ModelingHysteresisCreepFrictionForce RipplesIdentification and Compensation of Preisach Hysteresis in Piezoelectric ActuatorsSVD-Based Identification and Compensation of Preisach HysteresisHigh-Bandwidth Identification and Compensation of Hysteretic Dynamics in Piezoelectric ActuatorsConcluding RemarksIdentification and Compensation of Frict

  18. Self-actuated rate of change of pressure scram device for nuclear reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noyes, R.C.; Zaman, S.U.; Stuteville, D.W.

    1979-01-01

    A sensor chamber having one cavity containing coolant separated by a diaphragm from another cavity containing a fixed mass of inert gas is located within a safety assembly of a liquid metal-cooled nuclear reactor. The liquid cavity is in fluid communication with the coolant outside the chamber through a flow limiting orifice. An actuating bellows in fluid communication with the gas cavity is in contact with coolant outside the chamber and is connected to a push rod, which serves as a trigger for a poison bundle relase mechanism. During slow changes in reactor coolant pressure experienced under normal operation, the diaphragm moves to equalize the gas cavity and liquid cavity pressures with the coolant pressure outside the chamber. The actuating bellows does not move because it is biased so that a threshold pressure difference is required before it will expand. Under a more rapid drop in coolant pressure, such as is associated with a loss of forced flow, the threshold is overcome and the actuating bellows will also move, thereby triggering the release mechanism to shut down the reactor. The actuating bellows may be connected to the liquid cavity rather than to the gas cavity

  19. On the status of the EFR Euro-Breeder and its passive safety features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marth, W.

    1992-01-01

    The Project of the EFR, the European Fast Reactor, is characterized by close European cooperation among power utilities, plant vendors, and research centers. In the present phase up until 1993 a consistent design of the nuclear part of the plant is being elaborated with the inclusion of a site-independent safety report. The most important design features, especially those in the field of passive safety, must be backed up by reliable R and D findings. These findings will enable the ad hoc Safety Club, a body of European safety experts, to pass its vote on the general licensability of the plant concept. (orig.) [de

  20. Design of a New MR Compatible Haptic Interface with Six Actuated Degrees of Freedom

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ergin, Mehmet Alper; Kühne, Markus; Thielscher, Axel

    2014-01-01

    Functional magnetic resonance imaging is an often adopted tool to study human motor control mechanisms. Highly controlled experiments as required by this form of analysis can be realized with haptic interfaces. Their design is challenging because of strong safety and MR compatibility requirements....... Existing MR-compatible haptic interfaces are restricted to maximum three actuated degrees of freedom. We propose an MR-compatible haptic interface with six actuated degrees of freedom to be able to study human brain mechanisms of natural pick-and-place movements including arm transport. In this work, we...... present its mechanical design, kinematic and dynamic model, as well as report on its model-based characterization. A novel hybrid control scheme for the employed ultrasonic motors is introduced. Preliminary MR compatibility tests based on one complete actuator-sensor module are performed. No measurable...

  1. Preliminary safety analysis for key design features of KALIMER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hahn, D. H.; Kwon, Y. M.; Chang, W. P.; Suk, S. D.; Lee, S. O.; Lee, Y. B.; Jeong, K. S

    2000-07-01

    KAERI is currently developing the conceptual design of a liquid metal reactor, KALIMER(Korea Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor) under the long-term nuclear R and D program. In this report, descriptions of the KALIMER safety design features and safety analyses results for selected ATWS accidents are presented. First, the basic approach to achieve the safety goal is introduced in chapter 1, and the safety evaluation procedure for the KALIMER design is described in chapter 2. It includes event selection, event categorization, description of design basis events, and beyond design basis events. In chapter 3, results of inherent safety evaluations for the KALIMER conceptual design are presented. The KALIMER core and plant system are designed to assure design performance during a selected set of events without either reactor control or protection system intervention. Safety analyses for the postulated anticipated transient without scram(ATWS) have been performed to investigate the KALIMER system response to the events. They are categorized as bounding events(BEs) because of their low probability of occurrence. In chapter 4, the design of the KALIMER containment dome and the results of its performance analysis are presented. The designs of the existing LMR containment and the KALIMER containment dome have been compared in this chapter. Procedure of the containment performance analysis and the analysis results are described along with the accident scenario and source terms. Finally, a simple methodology is introduced to investigate the core kinetics and hydraulic behavior during HCDA in chapter 5. Mathematical formulations have been developed in the framework of the modified bethe-tait method, and scoping analyses have been performed for the KALIMER core behavior during super-prompt critical excursions.

  2. Clean room actuators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Higuchi, Toshiro

    1987-06-01

    This report explains on the present status of the clean room actuators including the author's research results. In a clean room, there exists a possibility of dust generation, even when a direct human work is eliminated by the use of robots or automatic machines, from the machines themselves. For this, it is important to develop such clean robots and transfer/positioning mechanism that do not generate dusts, and to develop an actuator and its control technique. Topics described in the report are as follows: 1. Prevention of dust diffusion by means of sealing. 2. Elimination of mechanical contact (Linear induction motor and pneumatic float, linear motor and magnetic attraction float, linear motor and air bearing, and magnetic bearing). 3. Contactless actuator having a positioning mechanism (Use of linear step motor and rotary contactless actuator). (15 figs, 11 refs)

  3. High-temperature gas-cooled reactor steam-cycle/cogeneration lead plant. Plant Protection and Instrumentation System design description

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-01-01

    The Plant Protection and Instrumentation System provides plant safety system sense and command features, actuation of plant safety system execute features, preventive features which maintain safety system integrity, and safety-related instrumentation which monitors the plant and its safety systems. The primary function of the Plant Protection and Instrumentation system is to sense plant process variables to detect abnormal plant conditions and to provide input to actuation devices directly controlling equipment required to mitigate the consequences of design basis events to protect the public health and safety. The secondary functions of the Plant Protection and Instrumentation System are to provide plant preventive features, sybsystems that monitor plant safety systems status, subsystems that monitor the plant under normal operating and accident conditions, safety-related controls which allow control of reactor shutdown and cooling from a remote shutdown area

  4. Time Based Workload Analysis Method for Safety-Related Operator Actions in Safety Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Yun Goo; Oh, Eung Se [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    During the design basis event, the safety system performs safety functions to mitigate the event. The most of safety system is actuated by automatic system however, there are operator manual actions that are needed for the plant safety. These operator actions are classified as important human actions in human factors engineering design. The human factors engineering analysis and evaluation is needed for these important human actions to assure that operator successfully perform their tasks for plant safety and operational goals. The work load analysis is one of the required analysis for the important human actions.

  5. Time Based Workload Analysis Method for Safety-Related Operator Actions in Safety Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yun Goo; Oh, Eung Se

    2016-01-01

    During the design basis event, the safety system performs safety functions to mitigate the event. The most of safety system is actuated by automatic system however, there are operator manual actions that are needed for the plant safety. These operator actions are classified as important human actions in human factors engineering design. The human factors engineering analysis and evaluation is needed for these important human actions to assure that operator successfully perform their tasks for plant safety and operational goals. The work load analysis is one of the required analysis for the important human actions.

  6. Bistable (latching) solenoid actuated propellant isolation valve

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wichmann, H.; Deboi, H. H.

    1979-01-01

    The design, fabrication, assembly and test of a development configuration bistable (latching) solenoid actuated propellant isolation valve suitable for the control hydrazine and liquid fluorine to an 800 pound thrust rocket engine is described. The valve features a balanced poppet, utilizing metal bellows, a hard poppet/seat interface and a flexure support system for the internal moving components. This support system eliminates sliding surfaces, thereby rendering the valve free of self generated particles.

  7. Actuator technology and market outlook: where does the actuator move

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksanin Sergei Andreevich

    2013-11-01

    There are made conclusions about the "migration" of demand from hydraulic and pneumatic solutions to electromechanical actuators in the aerospace and manufacturing industries. Identify advantages of electromechanics over more traditional actuators in terms of energy efficiency and reliability. Also identify the most promising areas of the drive technological development.

  8. Electrothermal modeling, fabrication and analysis of low-power consumption thermal actuator with buckling arm

    KAUST Repository

    So, Hongyun

    2013-10-31

    © 2013, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. This paper reports on a novel thermal actuator with sub-micron metallic structures and a buckling arm to operate with low voltages and to generate very large deflections, respectively. A lumped electrothermal model and analysis were also developed to validate the mechanical design and easily predict the temperature distribution along arms of the sub-micron actuator. The actuator was fabricated via the combination of electron beam lithography to form actuator arms with a minimum feature size of 200 nm and lift-off process to deposit a high aspect ratio nickel structure. Reproducible displacements of up to 1.9 μm at the tip were observed up to 250 mV under confocal microscope. The experimentally measured deflection values and theoretically calculated temperature distribution by the developed model were compared with finite element analysis results and they were in good agreement. This study shows a promising approach to develop more sophisticated nano actuators required larger deflections for manipulation of sub-micron scale objects with low-power consumption.

  9. Cruise and turning performance of an improved fish robot actuated by piezoceramic actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Quang Sang; Heo, Seok; Park, Hoon Cheol; Goo, Nam Seo; Byun, Doyoung

    2009-03-01

    The purpose of this study is improvement of a fish robot actuated by four light-weight piezocomposite actuators (LIPCAs). In the fish robot, we developed a new actuation mechanism working without any gear and thus the actuation mechanism was simple in fabrication. By using the new actuation mechanism, cross section of the fish robot became 30% smaller than that of the previous model. Performance tests of the fish robot in water were carried out to measure tail-beat angle, thrust force, swimming speed and turning radius for tail-beat frequencies from 1Hz to 5Hz. The maximum swimming speed of the fish robot was 7.7 cm/s at 3.9Hz tail-beat frequency. Turning experiment showed that swimming direction of the fish robot could be controlled with 0.41 m turning radius by controlling tail-beat angle.

  10. Recent developments on SMA actuators: predicting the actuation fatigue life for variable loading schemes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wheeler, Robert W.; Lagoudas, Dimitris C.

    2017-04-01

    Shape memory alloys (SMAs), due to their ability to repeatably recover substantial deformations under applied mechanical loading, have the potential to impact the aerospace, automotive, biomedical, and energy industries as weight and volume saving replacements for conventional actuators. While numerous applications of SMA actuators have been flight tested and can be found in industrial applications, these actuators are generally limited to non-critical components, are not widely implemented and frequently one-off designs, and are generally overdesigned due to a lack of understanding of the effect of the loading path on the fatigue life and the lack of an accurate method for predicting actuator lifetimes. In recent years, multiple research efforts have increased our understanding of the actuation fatigue process of SMAs. These advances can be utilized to predict the fatigue lives and failure loads in SMA actuators. Additionally, these prediction methods can be implemented in order to intelligently design actuators in accordance with their fatigue and failure limits. In the following paper, both simple and complex thermomechanical loading paths have been considered. Experimental data was utilized from two material systems: equiatomic Nickel-Titanium and Nickelrich Nickel-Titanium.

  11. Improved safety features in the design of Alto Lazio NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bava, G.; Cianciolo, T.; Del Nero, G.

    1988-01-01

    The ALTO LAZIO Nuclear Power Plant, two 1000Mwe units, is a BWR 6/MARK III located about 100 km north of Rome, on the Tyrrhenian Sea Coasts. The construction of the plant started in 1978, but it has recently been stopped by a Government decision following a national referendum, when the units were about 70% completed. This paper is mainly intended to illustrate the major safety features which have been implemented as result of specific requirements issued by the safety authority (ENEA DISP) during the construction permit stage or the subsequent licensing process. One of the tools used to identify the need for design modifications has been a comprehensive reliability analysis of safety system: in the paper the methods used and the major results obtained by this study are briefly presented. Also, the approach used in the investigation of severe accidents and major applications in the area of plant design and emergency procedures are briefly discussed; furthermore the trend toward a simpler mitigation concept is described

  12. Actuation Characteristics of 0.15mm Diameter Flexinol® and Biometal ® Wire Actuators for Robotic Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jawaid Daudpoto

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper the actuation properties of two NiTi (Nickel Titanium SMA (Shape Memory Alloy actuators available under the commercial names of Flexinol ® and Biometal ® are investigated and compared with each other. Both actuators have diameter of 0.15mm and transformation temperature of 70 o C. The diameter of 0.15mm is selected because of best combination of force and cooling time. An experimental test rig specially designed and developed by the first author was used to conduct tests on the actuators. Both actuators were tested by supplying actuation voltages of 5 and 5.5V. Actuators were thermomechanically loaded for 100 cycles and their strains were recorded. The results of the tests show that 5.5V actuation resulted in greater strain. It was found from the test results that Biometal ® actuators produced more strain as compared to Flexinol ® actuators for both the actuation voltages. However, the drift results showed that higher strains in Biometal ® are due the permanent deformation of the same. This shows that Flexinol ® actuators possess better actuation characteristics as compared to Biometal ® actuators.

  13. Design of a Compact Actuation and Control System for Flexible Medical Robots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morimoto, Tania K; Hawkes, Elliot Wright; Okamura, Allison M

    2017-07-01

    Flexible medical robots can improve surgical procedures by decreasing invasiveness and increasing accessibility within the body. Using preoperative images, these robots can be designed to optimize a procedure for a particular patient. To minimize invasiveness and maximize biocompatibility, the actuation units of flexible medical robots should be placed fully outside the patient's body. In this letter, we present a novel, compact, lightweight, modular actuation, and control system for driving a class of these flexible robots, known as concentric tube robots. A key feature of the design is the use of three-dimensional printed waffle gears to enable compact control of two degrees of freedom within each module. We measure the precision and accuracy of a single actuation module and demonstrate the ability of an integrated set of three actuation modules to control six degrees of freedom. The integrated system drives a three-tube concentric tube robot to reach a final tip position that is on average less than 2 mm from a given target. In addition, we show a handheld manifestation of the device and present its potential applications.

  14. Identification and characterization of passive safety system and inherent safety feature building blocks for advanced light-water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forsberg, C.W.

    1989-01-01

    Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is investigating passive and inherent safety options for Advanced Light-Water Reactors (ALWRs). A major activity in 1989 includes identification and characterization of passive safety system and inherent safety feature building blocks, both existing and proposed, for ALWRs. Preliminary results of this work are reported herein. This activity is part of a larger effort by the US Department of Energy, reactor vendors, utilities, and others in the United States to develop improved LWRs. The Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) program and the Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor (APWR) program have as goals improved, commercially available LWRs in the early 1990s. The Advanced Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ASBWR) program and the AP-600 program are developing more advanced reactors with increased use of passive safety systems. It is planned that these reactors will become commercially available in the mid 1990s. The ORNL program is an exploratory research program for LWRs beyond the year 2000. Desired long-term goals for such reactors include: (1) use of only passive and inherent safety, (2) foolproof against operator errors, (3) malevolence resistance against internal sabotage and external assault and (4) walkaway safety. The acronym ''PRIME'' [Passive safety, Resilient operation, Inherent safety, Malevolence resistance, and Extended (walkaway) safety] is used to summarize these desired characteristics. Existing passive and inherent safety options are discussed in this document

  15. Compact electrostatic comb actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodgers, M. Steven; Burg, Michael S.; Jensen, Brian D.; Miller, Samuel L.; Barnes, Stephen M.

    2000-01-01

    A compact electrostatic comb actuator is disclosed for microelectromechanical (MEM) applications. The actuator is based upon a plurality of meshed electrostatic combs, some of which are stationary and others of which are moveable. One or more restoring springs are fabricated within an outline of the electrostatic combs (i.e. superposed with the moveable electrostatic combs) to considerably reduce the space required for the actuator. Additionally, a truss structure is provided to support the moveable electrostatic combs and prevent bending or distortion of these combs due to unbalanced electrostatic forces or external loading. The truss structure formed about the moveable electrostatic combs allows the spacing between the interdigitated fingers of the combs to be reduced to about one micron or less, thereby substantially increasing the number of active fingers which can be provided in a given area. Finally, electrostatic shields can be used in the actuator to substantially reduce unwanted electrostatic fields to further improve performance of the device. As a result, the compact electrostatic comb actuator of the present invention occupies only a fraction of the space required for conventional electrostatic comb actuators, while providing a substantial increase in the available drive force (up to one-hundred times).

  16. Commercial grade item (CGI) dedication of MDR relays for nuclear safety related applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Ranjit K.; Julka, Anil; Modi, Govind

    1994-08-01

    MDR relays manufactured by Potter & Brumfield (P&B) have been used in various safety related applications in commercial nuclear power plants. These include emergency safety features (ESF) actuation systems, emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) actuation, and reactor protection systems. The MDR relays manufactured prior to May 1990 showed signs of generic failure due to corrosion and outgassing of coil varnish. P&B has made design changes to correct these problems in relays manufactured after May 1990. However, P&B does not manufacture the relays under any 10CFR50 Appendix B quality assurance (QA) program. They manufacture the relays under their commercial QA program and supply these as commercial grade items. This necessitates CGI Dedication of these relays for use in nuclear-safety-related applications. This paper presents a CGI dedication program that has been used to dedicate the MDR relays manufactured after been used to dedicate the MDR relays manufactured after May 1990. The program is in compliance with current Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) guidelines and applicable industry standards; it specifies the critical characteristics of the relays, provides the tests and analysis required to verify the critical characteristics, the acceptance criteria for the test results, performs source verification to quality P&B for its control of the critical characteristics, and provides documentation. The program provides reasonable assurance that the new MDR relays will perform their intended safety functions.

  17. Fault-tolerant rotary actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tesar, Delbert

    2006-10-17

    A fault-tolerant actuator module, in a single containment shell, containing two actuator subsystems that are either asymmetrically or symmetrically laid out is provided. Fault tolerance in the actuators of the present invention is achieved by the employment of dual sets of equal resources. Dual resources are integrated into single modules, with each having the external appearance and functionality of a single set of resources.

  18. Experimental characterization of self-sensing SMA actuators under controlled convective cooling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewis, N; York, A; Seelecke, S

    2013-01-01

    Shape memory alloy (SMA) wires are attractive for actuation systems due to their high energy density, light weight and silent operation. In addition, they feature self-sensing capabilities by relating electrical resistance measurements to strain changes. In real world applications SMAs typically operate in non-ambient air and it is imperative to understand an actuator’s behavior under varying convective cooling conditions, especially for smaller diameter wires, where convective effects are amplified. This paper shows that the multi-functionality of SMA actuators can be further extended by related heating power to convective air speed. It investigates the relationship between the normalized excess power needed and corresponding airspeed under controlled, laminar airflow patterns in a small-scale wind tunnel. For each experiment, airflow through the wind tunnel, strain in the SMA wire, and power supplied to the SMA wire were controlled, while the stress and resistance of the wire were measured. The ability to understand and predict an SMA wire’s behavior under various external airflows will aid in the design and understanding of future SMA actuated structures, such as micro-air vehicles, and shows that SMAs can function as self-sensing actuators and airspeed sensors. (paper)

  19. Design and manufacturing rules for maximizing the performance of polycrystalline piezoelectric bending actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jafferis, Noah T; Smith, Michael J; Wood, Robert J

    2015-01-01

    Increasing the energy and power density of piezoelectric actuators is very important for any weight-sensitive application, and is especially crucial for enabling autonomy in micro/milli-scale robots and devices utilizing this technology. This is achieved by maximizing the mechanical flexural strength and electrical dielectric strength through the use of laser-induced melting or polishing, insulating edge coating, and crack-arresting features, combined with features for rigid ground attachments to maximize force output. Manufacturing techniques have also been developed to enable mass customization, in which sheets of material are pre-stacked to form a laminate from which nearly arbitrary planar actuator designs can be fabricated using only laser cutting. These techniques have led to a 70% increase in energy density and an increase in mean lifetime of at least 15× compared to prior manufacturing methods. In addition, measurements have revealed a doubling of the piezoelectric coefficient when operating at the high fields necessary to achieve maximal energy densities, along with an increase in the Young’s modulus at the high compressive strains encountered—these two effects help to explain the higher performance of our actuators as compared to that predicted by linear models. (paper)

  20. Characterization of a pneumatic balloon actuator for use in refreshable Braille displays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Richard E; Feinman, Adam M; Wottawa, Christopher; King, Chih-Hung; Franco, Miguel L; Dutson, Erik P; Grundfest, Warren S; Culjat, Martin O

    2009-01-01

    Many existing refreshable Braille display technologies are costly or lack robust performance. A process has been developed to fabricate consistent and reliable pneumatic balloon actuators at low material cost, using a novel manufacturing process. This technique has been adapted for use in refreshable Braille displays that feature low power consumption, ease of manufacture and small form factor. A prototype refreshable cell, conforming to American Braille standards, was developed and tested. The cell was fabricated from molded PDMS to form balloon actuators with a spin-coated silicone film, and fast pneumatic driving elements and an electronic control system were developed to drive the Braille dots. Perceptual testing was performed to determine the feasibility of the approach using a single blind human subject. The subject was able to detect randomized Braille letters rapidly generated by the actuator with 100% character detection accuracy.

  1. Actuating movement in refined wearables

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Toeters, M.J.; Feijs, L.M.G.

    2014-01-01

    Nowadays it is quite possible to deploy textiles as sensors and avoid traditional hard sensors. Actuation (movement) turns out more difficult. It is advantageous to combine sensing and actuation, similar to ecological perception theory. Although several actuators are known: SMA, voice coil, motors,

  2. Bucky gel actuator displacement: experiment and model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghamsari, A K; Zegeye, E; Woldesenbet, E; Jin, Y

    2013-01-01

    Bucky gel actuator (BGA) is a dry electroactive nanocomposite which is driven with a few volts. BGA’s remarkable features make this tri-layered actuator a potential candidate for morphing applications. However, most of these applications would require a better understanding of the effective parameters that influence the BGA displacement. In this study, various sets of experiments were designed to investigate the effect of several parameters on the maximum lateral displacement of BGA. Two input parameters, voltage and frequency, and three material/design parameters, carbon nanotube type, thickness, and weight fraction of constituents were selected. A new thickness ratio term was also introduced to study the role of individual layers on BGA displacement. A model was established to predict BGA maximum displacement based on the effect of these parameters. This model showed good agreement with reported results from the literature. In addition, an important factor in the design of BGA-based devices, lifetime, was investigated. (paper)

  3. Conjugated Polymers as Actuators: Modes of Actuation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skaarup, Steen

    2004-01-01

    The physical and chemical properties of conjugated polymers often depend very strongly on the degree of doping with anions or cations. The movement of ions in and out of the polymer matrix as it is redox cycled is also accompanied by mechanical changes. Both the volume and the stiffness can exhibit...... significant differences between the oxidized and reduced states. These effects form the basis of the use of conjugated polymers as actuators (or “artificial muscles”) controllable by a small (1-10 V) voltage. Three basic modes of actuation (bending, linear extension and stiffness change) have been proposed...

  4. Conjugated polymers as actuators: modes of actuation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skaarup, Steen

    2007-01-01

    The physical and chemical properties of conjugated polymers often depend very strongly on the degree of doping with anions or cations. The movement of ions in and out of the polymer matrix as it is redox cycled is also accompanied by mechanical changes. Both the volume and the stiffness can exhibit...... significant differences between the oxidized and reduced states. These effects form the basis of the use of conjugated polymers as actuators (or “artificial muscles”) controllable by a small (1-10 V) voltage. Three basic modes of actuation (bending, linear extension and stiffness change) have been proposed...

  5. Stiffness Control of Variable Serial Elastic Actuators: Energy Efficiency through Exploitation of Natural Dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philipp Beckerle

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Variable elastic actuators are very promising for applications in physical human–robot interaction. Besides enabling human safety, such actuators can support energy efficiency, especially if the natural behavior of the system is exploited. In this paper, the power and energy consumption of variable stiffness actuators with serial elasticity is investigated analytically and experimentally. Besides the fundamental mechanics, the influence of friction and electrical losses is discussed. A simple but effective stiffness control method is used to exploit the corresponding knowledge of natural dynamics by tuning the system to antiresonance operation. Despite nonlinear friction effects and additional electrical dynamics, the consideration of the ideal mechanical dynamics is completely sufficient for stiffness control. Simulations and experiments show that this yields a distinct reduction in power and energy consumption, which underlines the suitability of the control strategy.

  6. Shape memory alloy actuation for a variable area fan nozzle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rey, Nancy; Tillman, Gregory; Miller, Robin M.; Wynosky, Thomas; Larkin, Michael J.; Flamm, Jeffrey D.; Bangert, Linda S.

    2001-06-01

    The ability to control fan nozzle exit area is an enabling technology for next generation high-bypass-ratio turbofan engines. Performance benefits for such designs are estimated at up to 9% in thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC) relative to current fixed-geometry engines. Conventionally actuated variable area fan nozzle (VAN) concepts tend to be heavy and complicated, with significant aircraft integration, reliability and packaging issues. The goal of this effort was to eliminate these undesirable features and formulate a design that meets or exceeds leakage, durability, reliability, maintenance and manufacturing cost goals. A Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) bundled cable actuator acting to move an array of flaps around the fan nozzle annulus is a concept that meets these requirements. The SMA bundled cable actuator developed by the United Technologies Corporation (Patents Pending) provides significant work output (greater than 2200 in-lb per flap, through the range of motion) in a compact package and minimizes system complexity. Results of a detailed design study indicate substantial engine performance, weight, and range benefits. The SMA- based actuation system is roughly two times lighter than a conventional mechanical system, with significant aircraft direct operating cost savings (2-3%) and range improvements (5-6%) relative to a fixed-geometry nozzle geared turbofan. A full-scale sector model of this VAN system was built and then tested at the Jet Exit Test Facility at NASA Langley to demonstrate the system's ability to achieve 20% area variation of the nozzle under full scale aerodynamic loads. The actuator exceeded requirements, achieving repeated actuation against full-scale loads representative of typical cruise as well as greater than worst-case (ultimate) aerodynamic conditions. Based on these encouraging results, work is continuing with the goal of a flight test on a C-17 transport aircraft.

  7. Performance evaluation of an improved fish robot actuated by piezoceramic actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen, Q S; Heo, S; Park, H C; Byun, D

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents an improved fish robot actuated by four lightweight piezocomposite actuators. Our newly developed actuation mechanism is simple to fabricate because it works without gears. With the new actuation mechanism, the fish robot has a 30% smaller cross section than our previous model. Performance tests of the fish robot in water were carried out to measure the tail-beat angle, the thrust force, the swimming speed for various tail-beat frequencies from 1 to 5 Hz and the turning radius at the optimal frequency. The maximum swimming speed of the fish robot is 7.7 cm s −1 at a tail-beat frequency of 3.9 Hz. A turning experiment shows that the swimming direction of the fish robot can be controlled by changing the duty ratio of the driving voltage; the fish robot has a turning radius of 0.41 m for a left turn and 0.68 m for a right turn

  8. Performance evaluation of an improved fish robot actuated by piezoceramic actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Q. S.; Heo, S.; Park, H. C.; Byun, D.

    2010-03-01

    This paper presents an improved fish robot actuated by four lightweight piezocomposite actuators. Our newly developed actuation mechanism is simple to fabricate because it works without gears. With the new actuation mechanism, the fish robot has a 30% smaller cross section than our previous model. Performance tests of the fish robot in water were carried out to measure the tail-beat angle, the thrust force, the swimming speed for various tail-beat frequencies from 1 to 5 Hz and the turning radius at the optimal frequency. The maximum swimming speed of the fish robot is 7.7 cm s - 1 at a tail-beat frequency of 3.9 Hz. A turning experiment shows that the swimming direction of the fish robot can be controlled by changing the duty ratio of the driving voltage; the fish robot has a turning radius of 0.41 m for a left turn and 0.68 m for a right turn.

  9. Electromechanical actuator with controllable motion, fast response rate, and high-frequency resonance based on graphene and polydiacetylene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Jiajie; Huang, Lu; Li, Na; Huang, Yi; Wu, Yingpeng; Fang, Shaoli; Oh, Jiyoung; Kozlov, Mikhail; Ma, Yanfeng; Li, Feifei; Baughman, Ray; Chen, Yongsheng

    2012-05-22

    Although widely investigated, novel electromechanical actuators with high overall actuation performance are still in urgent need for various practical and scientific applications, such as robots, prosthetic devices, sensor switches, and sonar projectors. In this work, combining the properties of unique environmental perturbations-actuated deformational isomerization of polydiacetylene (PDA) and the outstanding intrinsic features of graphene together for the first time, we design and fabricate an electromechanical bimorph actuator composed of a layer of PDA crystal and a layer of flexible graphene paper through a simple yet versatile solution approach. Under low applied direct current (dc), the graphene-PDA bimorph actuator with strong mechanical strength can generate large actuation motion (curvature is about 0.37 cm(-1) under a current density of 0.74 A/mm(2)) and produce high actuation stress (more than 160 MPa/g under an applied dc of only 0.29 A/mm(2)). When applying alternating current (ac), this actuator can display reversible swing behavior with long cycle life under high frequencies even up to 200 Hz; significantly, while the frequency and the value of applied ac and the state of the actuators reach an appropriate value, the graphene-PDA actuator can produce a strong resonance and the swing amplitude will jump to a peak value. Moreover, this stable graphene-PDA actuator also demonstrates rapidly and partially reversible electrochromatic phenomenon when applying an ac. Two mechanisms-the dominant one, electric-induced deformation, and a secondary one, thermal-induced expansion of PDA-are proposed to contribute to these interesting actuation performances of the graphene-PDA actuators. On the basis of these results, a mini-robot with controllable direction of motion based on the graphene-PDA actuator is designed to illustrate the great potential of our discoveries for practical use. Combining the unique actuation mechanism and many outstanding properties of

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Fu

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available 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.

  11. Actuator disc edge singularity. The key to a revised actuator disc concept and momentum theory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuik, G.A.M. van (The Wind Energy Group of the Technical University Eindhoven (NL))

    1989-01-01

    Since the beginning of rotor aerodynamics the actuator disc momentum theory occupies a prominant place in almost any textbook on this subject. Specially in axial flow the theory provides an easy and rather accurate performance prediction. The results first obtained by Lanchester for the induced power of a hovering rotor and the maximum power of a wind turbine are still used as guidelines for complicated calculations. On the other hand, experimental results for propellers are known to deviate systematically (some 10%) from the momentum theory results. This is commonly attributed to the differences between a real rotor and an actuator disc. However, some actuator disc- and actuator strip (the 2-dimensional version) experiments are described in literature, showing the same deviations from momentum theory results. Therefore, apart from the question how representative an actuator disc is for a real rotor, the actuator disc concept itself may be inadequate. This problem is the subject of the work describe here. It will be shown that the classical actuator disc concept ignores discrete forces resulting from a flow singularity at the edge of the disc. The (extended) momentum theory, applied to this actuator strip model, shows a shift of the results towards the experimental data, and for the static case (hover) even a quantitative agreement is obtained. (author) 12 refs.

  12. A Statistical Methodology for Determination of Safety Systems Actuation Setpoints Based on Extreme Value Statistics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. R. Novog

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper provides a novel and robust methodology for determination of nuclear reactor trip setpoints which accounts for uncertainties in input parameters and models, as well as accounting for the variations in operating states that periodically occur. Further it demonstrates that in performing best estimate and uncertainty calculations, it is critical to consider the impact of all fuel channels and instrumentation in the integration of these uncertainties in setpoint determination. This methodology is based on the concept of a true trip setpoint, which is the reactor setpoint that would be required in an ideal situation where all key inputs and plant responses were known, such that during the accident sequence a reactor shutdown will occur which just prevents the acceptance criteria from being exceeded. Since this true value cannot be established, the uncertainties in plant simulations and plant measurements as well as operational variations which lead to time changes in the true value of initial conditions must be considered. This paper presents the general concept used to determine the actuation setpoints considering the uncertainties and changes in initial conditions, and allowing for safety systems instrumentation redundancy. The results demonstrate unique statistical behavior with respect to both fuel and instrumentation uncertainties which has not previously been investigated.

  13. Computational Actuator Disc Models for Wind and Tidal Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Johnson

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper details a computational fluid dynamic (CFD study of a constantly loaded actuator disc model featuring different boundary conditions; these boundary conditions were defined to represent a channel and a duct flow. The simulations were carried out using the commercially available CFD software ANSYS-CFX. The data produced were compared to the one-dimensional (1D momentum equation as well as previous numerical and experimental studies featuring porous discs in a channel flow. The actuator disc was modelled as a momentum loss using a resistance coefficient related to the thrust coefficient (CT. The model showed good agreement with the 1D momentum theory in terms of the velocity and pressure profiles. Less agreement was demonstrated when compared to previous numerical and empirical data in terms of velocity and turbulence characteristics in the far field. These models predicted a far larger velocity deficit and a turbulence peak further downstream. This study therefore demonstrates the usefulness of the duct boundary condition (for computational ease for representing open channel flow when simulating far field effects as well as the importance of turbulence definition at the inlet.

  14. Magnetic actuators and sensors

    CERN Document Server

    Brauer, John R

    2014-01-01

    An accessible, comprehensive guide on magnetic actuators and sensors, this fully updated second edition of Magnetic Actuators and Sensors includes the latest advances, numerous worked calculations, illustrations, and real-life applications. Covering magnetics, actuators, sensors, and systems, with updates of new technologies and techniques, this exemplary learning tool emphasizes computer-aided design techniques, especially magnetic finite element analysis, commonly used by today's engineers. Detailed calculations, numerous illustrations, and discussions of discrepancies make this text an inva

  15. Stability region of closed-loop pilot-vehicle system for fly-by-wire aircraft with limited actuator rate

    OpenAIRE

    Ying-hui, Li; Liang, Qu; Hao-jun, Xu; Qi-meng, Cao

    2017-01-01

    The category-II PIO (Pilot Induced Oscillations) caused by actuator rate limitation of fly-by-wire airplanes will badly threaten the flight safety. The stability regions of closed-loop pilot-vehicle (CLPV) system with rate limited actuator were studied in this paper to assess stability of such CLPV system. The augmented state  variables were introduced to segregate the rate limited element from the primary  system in order to build the saturation nonlinear model of CLPV system. To get the max...

  16. Magnetic fish-robot based on multi-motion control of a flexible magnetic actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sung Hoon; Shin, Kyoosik; Hashi, Shuichiro; Ishiyama, Kazushi

    2012-09-01

    This paper presents a biologically inspired fish-robot driven by a single flexible magnetic actuator with a rotating magnetic field in a three-axis Helmholtz coil. Generally, magnetic fish-robots are powered by alternating and gradient magnetic fields, which provide a single motion such as bending the fish-robot's fins. On the other hand, a flexible magnetic actuator driven by an external rotating magnetic field can create several gaits such as the bending vibration, the twisting vibration, and their combination. Most magnetic fish-like micro-robots do not have pectoral fins on the side and are simply propelled by the tail fin. The proposed robot can swim and perform a variety of maneuvers with the addition of pectoral fins and control of the magnetic torque direction. In this paper, we find that the robot's dynamic actuation correlates with the magnetic actuator and the rotating magnetic field. The proposed robot is also equipped with new features, such as a total of six degrees of freedom, a new control method that stabilizes posture, three-dimensional swimming, a new velocity control, and new turning abilities.

  17. Magnetic fish-robot based on multi-motion control of a flexible magnetic actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sung Hoon; Hashi, Shuichiro; Ishiyama, Kazushi; Shin, Kyoosik

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a biologically inspired fish-robot driven by a single flexible magnetic actuator with a rotating magnetic field in a three-axis Helmholtz coil. Generally, magnetic fish-robots are powered by alternating and gradient magnetic fields, which provide a single motion such as bending the fish-robot's fins. On the other hand, a flexible magnetic actuator driven by an external rotating magnetic field can create several gaits such as the bending vibration, the twisting vibration, and their combination. Most magnetic fish-like micro-robots do not have pectoral fins on the side and are simply propelled by the tail fin. The proposed robot can swim and perform a variety of maneuvers with the addition of pectoral fins and control of the magnetic torque direction. In this paper, we find that the robot's dynamic actuation correlates with the magnetic actuator and the rotating magnetic field. The proposed robot is also equipped with new features, such as a total of six degrees of freedom, a new control method that stabilizes posture, three-dimensional swimming, a new velocity control, and new turning abilities. (paper)

  18. Lifetime of piezoceramic multilayer actuators : interplay of material properties and actuator design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ende, D.A. van den; Bos, B.; Groen, W.A.; Dortmans, L.M.J.G.

    2009-01-01

    We report an investigation into factors limiting the functional lifetime of multilayer piezoceramic actuators. The study consists of a combination of lifetime experiments by means of an accelerated lifetime test, inspection of the actuator microstructure at different stages of the accelerated

  19. Bistable microelectromechanical actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleming, James G.

    1999-01-01

    A bistable microelectromechanical (MEM) actuator is formed on a substrate and includes a stressed membrane of generally rectangular shape that upon release assumes a curvilinear cross-sectional shape due to attachment at a midpoint to a resilient member and at opposing edges to a pair of elongate supports. The stressed membrane can be electrostatically switched between a pair of mechanical states having mirror-image symmetry, with the MEM actuator remaining in a quiescent state after a programming voltage is removed. The bistable MEM actuator according to various embodiments of the present invention can be used to form a nonvolatile memory element, an optical modulator (with a pair of mirrors supported above the membrane and moving in synchronism as the membrane is switched), a switchable mirror (with a single mirror supported above the membrane at the midpoint thereof) and a latching relay (with a pair of contacts that open and close as the membrane is switched). Arrays of bistable MEM actuators can be formed for applications including nonvolatile memories, optical displays and optical computing.

  20. Design and demonstration of a fish robot actuated by a SMA-driven actuation system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Chan H.; Nguyen, Quang S.; Park, Hoon C.

    2010-04-01

    This paper presents a concept of a fish robot actuated by an SMA-based actuator. The bending-type actuator system is composed of a 0.1mm diameter SMA wire and a 0.5mm thick glass/epoxy strip. The SMA wire is installed to the bent composite strip. The actuator can produce about 200gf of blocking force and 3.5mm displacement at the center of the glass/epoxy strip. The bending motion of the actuator is converted into the tail-beat motion of a fish robot through a linkage system. The fish robot is evaluated by measuring the tail-beat angle, swimming speed and thrust produced by the fish robot. The tail-beat angle is about 20° and the maximum swimming speed is about 1.6cm/s. The measured thrust is about 0.4gf when the fish robot is operated at 0.9Hz.

  1. Safety implications of high-field MRI: actuation of endogenous magnetic iron oxides in the human body.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jon Dobson

    Full Text Available Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanners have become ubiquitous in hospitals and high-field systems (greater than 3 Tesla are becoming increasingly common. In light of recent European Union moves to limit high-field exposure for those working with MRI scanners, we have evaluated the potential for detrimental cellular effects via nanomagnetic actuation of endogenous iron oxides in the body.Theoretical models and experimental data on the composition and magnetic properties of endogenous iron oxides in human tissue were used to analyze the forces on iron oxide particles.Results show that, even at 9.4 Tesla, forces on these particles are unlikely to disrupt normal cellular function via nanomagnetic actuation.

  2. Demonstration of inherent safety features of HTGRs using the HTTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tachibana, Yukio; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Nakazawa, Toshio; Iyoku, Tatsuo

    2004-01-01

    Safety demonstration tests using the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) are conducted for the purpose of demonstrating inherent safety features of High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) quantitatively as well as providing the core and plant transient data for validation of HTGR analysis codes for safety evaluation. The safety demonstration test are divided to the first phase and second phase tests. In the first phase tests, simulation tests of anticipated operational occurrences and anticipated transients without scram (ATWS) are conducted. The second phase tests will simulate accidents such as a depressurization accident (loss of coolant accident). The first phase test simulating reactivity insertion events and coolant flow reduction events stared in FY 2002. Post-test analyses have been conducted to reproduced the test results by using the core and plant dynamics analysis code, ACCORD and Monte Carlo code, MVP. The analysis results agreed fairly well with the test results of a control rod withdrawal test simulating reactivity insertion, and gas circulators trip test simulating coolant flow reduction, at power levels of 50% and 30% of the rated power, respectively. It is shown that improvement of the ACCORD code by taking into consideration vertical and horizontal temperature distribution gives better analysis results in the control rod withdrawal test. The fist phase safety demonstration tests will continue until FY 2005, and the second phase tests are planned to be started in FY 2006. (author)

  3. Modeling crash injury severity by road feature to improve safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penmetsa, Praveena; Pulugurtha, Srinivas S

    2018-01-02

    The objective of this research is 2-fold: to (a) model and identify critical road features (or locations) based on crash injury severity and compare it with crash frequency and (b) model and identify drivers who are more likely to contribute to crashes by road feature. Crash data from 2011 to 2013 were obtained from the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) for the state of North Carolina. Twenty-three different road features were considered, analyzed, and compared with each other as well as no road feature. A multinomial logit (MNL) model was developed and odds ratios were estimated to investigate the effect of road features on crash injury severity. Among the many road features, underpass, end or beginning of a divided highway, and on-ramp terminal on crossroad are the top 3 critical road features. Intersection crashes are frequent but are not highly likely to result in severe injuries compared to critical road features. Roundabouts are least likely to result in both severe and moderate injuries. Female drivers are more likely to be involved in crashes at intersections (4-way and T) compared to male drivers. Adult drivers are more likely to be involved in crashes at underpasses. Older drivers are 1.6 times more likely to be involved in a crash at the end or beginning of a divided highway. The findings from this research help to identify critical road features that need to be given priority. As an example, additional advanced warning signs and providing enlarged or highly retroreflective signs that grab the attention of older drivers may help in making locations such as end or beginning of a divided highway much safer. Educating drivers about the necessary skill sets required at critical road features in addition to engineering solutions may further help them adopt safe driving behaviors on the road.

  4. Development of Draft Regulatory Guide on Accident Analysis for Nuclear Power Plants with New Safety Design Features

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bang, Young Seok; Woo, Sweng Woong; Hwang, Tae Suk [KINS, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Sim, Suk K; Hwang, Min Jeong [Environment and Energy Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    The present paper discusses the development process of the draft version of regulatory guide (DRG) on accident analysis of the NPP having the NSFD and its result. Based on the consideration on the lesson learned from the previous licensing review, a draft regulatory guide (DRG) on accident analysis for NPP with new safety design features (NSDF) was developed. New safety design features (NSDF) have been introduced to the new constructing nuclear power plants (NPP) since the early 2000 and the issuance of construction permit of SKN Units 3 and 4. Typical examples of the new safety features includes Fluidic Device (FD) within Safety Injection Tanks (SIT), Passive Auxiliary Feedwater System (PAFS), ECCS Core Barrel Duct (ECBD) which were adopted in APR1400 design and/or APR+ design to improve the safety margin of the plants for the postulated accidents of interest. Also several studies of new concept of the safety system such as Hybrid ECCS design have been reported. General and/or specific guideline of accident analysis considering the NSDF has been requested. Realistic evaluation of the impact of NSDF on accident with uncertainty and separated accident analysis accounting the NSDF impact were specified in the DRG. Per the developmental process, identification of key issues, demonstration of the DRG with specific accident with specific NSDF, and improvement of DGR for the key issues and their resolution will be conducted.

  5. 3D printed soft parallel actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zolfagharian, Ali; Kouzani, Abbas Z.; Khoo, Sui Yang; Noshadi, Amin; Kaynak, Akif

    2018-04-01

    This paper presents a 3-dimensional (3D) printed soft parallel contactless actuator for the first time. The actuator involves an electro-responsive parallel mechanism made of two segments namely active chain and passive chain both 3D printed. The active chain is attached to the ground from one end and constitutes two actuator links made of responsive hydrogel. The passive chain, on the other hand, is attached to the active chain from one end and consists of two rigid links made of polymer. The actuator links are printed using an extrusion-based 3D-Bioplotter with polyelectrolyte hydrogel as printer ink. The rigid links are also printed by a 3D fused deposition modelling (FDM) printer with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) as print material. The kinematics model of the soft parallel actuator is derived via transformation matrices notations to simulate and determine the workspace of the actuator. The printed soft parallel actuator is then immersed into NaOH solution with specific voltage applied to it via two contactless electrodes. The experimental data is then collected and used to develop a parametric model to estimate the end-effector position and regulate kinematics model in response to specific input voltage over time. It is observed that the electroactive actuator demonstrates expected behaviour according to the simulation of its kinematics model. The use of 3D printing for the fabrication of parallel soft actuators opens a new chapter in manufacturing sophisticated soft actuators with high dexterity and mechanical robustness for biomedical applications such as cell manipulation and drug release.

  6. Technical features of ABWR safety systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugisaki, Toshihiko; Tominaga, Kenji; Horiuchi, Tetsuo

    1986-01-01

    The engineering safety facilities of ABWRs have been disigned so as to have many excellent characteristics such as safety, reliability and economy, reflecting the merit of adopting new technology such as internal pumps and new control rod driving mechanism, and coupled with the safety peculiar to BWRs. In this paper, about ECCS, containment vessels and others which compose the engineering safety facilities of ABWRs, the characteristics related to the safety owing to the adoption of internal pumps and others, and the evaluation of the performance at the time of various accidents are discussed. As the results of safety evaluation, it was clarified that due to the safety peculiar to ABWRs and the characteristics of the safety facilities, the large increases of safety, reliability and economy have been planned in the ABWRs, and for example, core flooding can be maintained even at the time of a hypothetical loss of coolant accident. BWRs have the simple system constitution, good self controllability, large natural circulation ability, simple operation control method and excellent ability of confining heat and radioactivity. BWRs have three safety functions to stop reactors, to remove heat from reactors, and to confine radioactive substances. These functions of ABWRs were evaluated, and very high safety was confirmed. (Kako, I.)

  7. Biomimetic photo-actuation: sensing, control and actuation in sun-tracking plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dicker, M P M; Bond, I P; Weaver, P M; Rossiter, J M

    2014-01-01

    Although the actuation mechanisms that drive plant movement have been investigated from a biomimetic perspective, few studies have looked at the wider sensing and control systems that regulate this motion. This paper examines photo-actuation—actuation induced by, and controlled with light—through a review of the sun-tracking functions of the Cornish Mallow. The sun-tracking movement of the Cornish Mallow leaf results from an extraordinarily complex—yet extremely elegant—process of signal perception, generation, filtering and control. Inspired by this process, a concept for a simplified biomimetic analogue of this leaf is proposed: a multifunctional structure employing chemical sensing, signal transmission, and control of composite hydrogel actuators. We present this multifunctional structure, and show that the success of the concept will require improved selection of materials and structural design. This device has application in the solar-tracking of photovoltaic panels for increased energy yield. More broadly it is envisaged that the concept of chemical sensing and control can be expanded beyond photo-actuation to many other stimuli, resulting in new classes of robust solid-state devices. (paper)

  8. Summary view on demonstration reactor safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satoh, Kazuziro; Kotake, Shoji; Tsukui, Yutaka; Inagaki, Tatsutoshi; Miura, Masanori

    1991-01-01

    This work presents a summary view on safety design approaches for the demonstration fast breeder reactor (DFBR). The safety objective of DFBR is to be at lea as safe as a LWR. Major safety issues discussed in this paper are; reduction of sodium void reactivity worth, adoption of self-actuated mechanism in the backup shutdown system, use of the direct reactor auxiliary cooling system (DRACS), provision of the containment system. (author)

  9. Slit Tubes for Semisoft Pneumatic Actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belding, Lee; Baytekin, Bilge; Baytekin, Hasan Tarik; Rothemund, Philipp; Verma, Mohit S; Nemiroski, Alex; Sameoto, Dan; Grzybowski, Bartosz A; Whitesides, George M

    2018-03-01

    This article describes a new principle for designing soft or 'semisoft' pneumatic actuators: SLiT (for SLit-in-Tube) actuators. Inflating an elastomeric balloon, when enclosed by an external shell (a material with higher Young's modulus) containing slits of different directions and lengths, produces a variety of motions, including bending, twisting, contraction, and elongation. The requisite pressure for actuation depends on the length of the slits, and this dependence allows sequential actuation by controlling the applied pressure. Different actuators can also be controlled using external "sliders" that act as reprogrammable "on-off" switches. A pneumatic arm and a walker constructed from SLiT actuators demonstrate their ease of fabrication and the range of motions they can achieve. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. A concept of JAERI passive safety light water reactor system (JPSR)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murao, Y.; Araya, F.; Iwamura, T. [Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai-mura (Japan)

    1995-09-01

    The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) proposed a passive safety reactor system concept, JPSR, which was developed for reducing manpower in operation and maintenance and influence of human errors on reactor safety. In the concept the system was extremely simplified. The inherent matching nature of core generation and heat removal rate within a small volume change of the primary coolant is introduced by eliminating chemical shim and adopting in-vessel control rod drive mechanism units, a low power density core and once-through steam generators. In order to simplify the system, a large pressurizer, canned pumps, passive engineered-safety-features-system (residual heat removal system and coolant injection system) are adopted and the total system can be significantly simplified. The residual heat removal system is completely passively actuated in non-LOCAs and is also used for depressurization of the primary coolant system to actuate accumulators in small break LOCAs and reactor shutdown cooling system in normal operation. All of systems for nuclear steam supply system are built in the containment except for the air coolers as a the final heat sink of the passive residual heat removal system. Accordingly the reliability of the safety system and the normal operation system is improved, since most of residual heat removal system is always working and a heat sink for normal operation system is {open_quotes}safety class{close_quotes}. In the passive coolant injection system, depressurization of the primary cooling system by residual heat removal system initiates injection from accumulators designed for the MS-600 in medium pressure and initiates injection from the gravity driven coolant injection pool at low pressure. Analysis with RETRAN-02/MOD3 code demonstrated the capability of passive load-following, self-power-controllability, cooling and depressurization.

  11. Analysis of the sweeped actuator line method

    OpenAIRE

    Nathan Jörn; Masson Christian; Dufresne Louis; Churchfield Matthew

    2015-01-01

    The actuator line method made it possible to describe the near wake of a wind turbine more accurately than with the actuator disk method. Whereas the actuator line generates the helicoidal vortex system shed from the tip blades, the actuator disk method sheds a vortex sheet from the edge of the rotor plane. But with the actuator line come also temporal and spatial constraints, such as the need for a much smaller time step than with actuator disk. While the latter one only has to obey the Cour...

  12. Plasma actuators for bluff body flow control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozlov, Alexey V.

    The aerodynamic plasma actuators have shown to be efficient flow control devices in various applications. In this study the results of flow control experiments utilizing single dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators to control flow separation and unsteady vortex shedding from a circular cylinder in cross-flow are reported. This work is motivated by the need to reduce landing gear noise for commercial transport aircraft via an effective streamlining created by the actuators. The experiments are performed at Re D = 20,000...164,000. Circular cylinders in cross-flow are chosen for study since they represent a generic flow geometry that is similar in all essential aspects to a landing gear oleo or strut. The minimization of the unsteady flow separation from the models and associated large-scale wake vorticity by using actuators reduces the radiated aerodynamic noise. Using either steady or unsteady actuation at ReD = 25,000, Karman shedding is totally eliminated, turbulence levels in the wake decrease significantly and near-field sound pressure levels are reduced by 13.3 dB. Unsteady actuation at an excitation frequency of St D = 1 is found to be most effective. The unsteady actuation also has the advantage that total suppression of shedding is achieved for a duty cycle of only 25%. However, since unsteady actuation is associated with an unsteady body force and produces a tone at the actuation frequency, steady actuation is more suitable for noise control applications. Two actuation strategies are used at ReD = 82,000: spanwise and streamwise oriented actuators. Near field microphone measurements in an anechoic wind tunnel and detailed study of the near wake using LDA are presented in the study. Both spanwise and streamwise actuators give nearly the same noise reduction level of 11.2 dB and 14.2 dB, respectively, and similar changes in the wake velocity profiles. The contribution of the actuator induced noise is found to be small compared to the natural shedding

  13. Pulse coded safety logic for PFBR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anwer, Md. Najam; Satheesh, N.; Nagaraj, C.P.; Krishnakumar, B.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Reactor safety logic is designed to initiate safety action against design basis events. The reactor is shutdown by de-energizing electromagnets and dropping the absorber rods under gravity. In prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR), shutdown is affected by two independent shutdown systems, viz., control and safety rod drive mechanism (CSRDM) and diverse safety rod drive mechanism (DSRDM). Two separate safety logics are proposed for CSRDM and DSRDM, i.e. solid state logic with on-line fine impulse test (FIT) for CSRDM and pulse coded safety logic (PCSL) for DSRDM. The PCSL primarily utilizes the fact that the vast majority of faults in the logic circuitry result in static conditions at the output. It is arranged such that the presence of pulses are required to hold the shutdown actuators and any DC logic state, either logic 0 or logic 1 releases them. It is a dynamic, self-testing logic and used in a number of reactors. This paper describes the principle of operation of PCSL, its advantages, the concept of guard line logic (GLL), detection of stuck at 0 and stuck at 1 faults, fail safe and diversity features. The implementation of PCSL using Altera Max+Plus II software for PFBR trip signals and the results of simulation are discussed. This paper also describes a test jig using 80186 based system for testing PCSL for various input parameter's combinations and monitoring the outputs

  14. Carbon nanotube array actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geier, S; Mahrholz, T; Wierach, P; Sinapius, M

    2013-01-01

    Experimental investigations of highly vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs), also known as CNT-arrays, are the main focus of this paper. The free strain as result of an active material behavior is analyzed via a novel experimental setup. Previous test experiences of papers made of randomly oriented CNTs, also called Bucky-papers, reveal comparably low free strain. The anisotropy of aligned CNTs promises better performance. Via synthesis techniques like chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD), highly aligned arrays of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are synthesized. Two different types of CNT-arrays are analyzed, morphologically first, and optically tested for their active characteristics afterwards. One type of the analyzed arrays features tube lengths of 750–2000 μm with a large variety of diameters between 20 and 50 nm and a wave-like CNT-shape. The second type features a maximum, almost uniform, length of 12 μm and a constant diameter of 50 nm. Different CNT-lengths and array types are tested due to their active behavior. As result of the presented tests, it is reported that the quality of orientation is the most decisive property for excellent active behavior. Due to their alignment, CNT-arrays feature the opportunity to clarify the actuation mechanism of architectures made of CNTs. (paper)

  15. Micro-mechanics of ionic electroactive polymer actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Punning, Andres; Põldsalu, Inga; Kaasik, Friedrich; Vunder, Veiko; Aabloo, Alvo

    2015-04-01

    Commonly, modeling of the bending behavior of the ionic electroactive polymer (IEAP) actuators is based on the classical mechanics of cantilever beam. It is acknowledged, that the actuation of the ionic electroactive polymer (IEAP) actuators is symmetric about the centroid - the convex side of the actuator is expanding and the concave side is contracting for exactly the same amount, while the thickness of the actuator remains invariant. Actuating the IEAP actuators and sensors under scanning electron microscope (SEM), in situ, reveals that for some types of them this approach is incorrect. Comparison of the SEM micrographs using the Digital Image Correction (DIC) method results with the precise strain distribution of the IEAP actuators in two directions: in the axial direction, and in the direction of thickness. This information, in turn, points to the physical processes taking place within the electrodes as well as membrane of the trilayer laminate of sub-millimeter thickness. Comparison of the EAP materials, engaged as an actuator as well as a sensor, reveals considerable differences between the micro-mechanics of the two modes.

  16. Application of a permanent magnet biased E-Core reluctance actuator in a magnetically suspended ceiling actuator

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Overboom, T.T.; Jansen, J.W.; Lomonova, E.

    2010-01-01

    In the paper a novel actuator is presented for a magnetically suspended ceiling actuator. The actuator consists of several stator segments which contain the coils and the magnets. The armature, therefore, has a totally passive design. Because of its salient structure, a translational force can be

  17. High-displacement spiral piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadi, F.; Kholkin, A. L.; Jadidian, B.; Safari, A.

    1999-10-01

    A high-displacement piezoelectric actuator, employing spiral geometry of a curved piezoelectric strip is described. The monolithic actuators are fabricated using a layered manufacturing technique, fused deposition of ceramics, which is capable of prototyping electroceramic components with complex shapes. The spiral actuators (2-3 cm in diameter) consisted of 4-5 turns of a lead zirconate titanate ceramic strip with an effective length up to 28 cm. The width was varied from 0.9 to 1.75 mm with a height of 3 mm. When driven by the electric field applied across the width of the spiral wall, the tip of the actuator was found to displace in both radial and tangential directions. The tangential displacement of the tip was about 210 μm under the field of 5 kV/cm. Both the displacement and resonant frequency of the spirals could be tailored by changing the effective length and wall width. The blocking force of the actuator in tangential direction was about 1 N under the field of 5 kV/cm. These properties are advantageous for high-displacement low-force applications where bimorph or monomorph actuators are currently employed.

  18. LEAD-FREE BNKT PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Moosavi

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available An actuator is a device that converts input energy into mechanical energy. According to various types of input energy, various actuators have been advanced. Displacement in the electromagnetic, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators achieve by moving a piston via electromagnetic force or pressure, however the piezoelectric actuator (piezoceramic plates displace directly. Therefore, accuracy and speed in the piezoelectric device are higher than other types of actuators. In the present work, the high-field electromechanical response of high-quality (1−x(Bi 0.5Na0.5TiO3–x(Bi0.5K0.5TiO3 samples abbreviated to BNKTx with x = 0.18, 0.20, 0.22 and 0.24 ceramic materials across its MPB was investigated. The piezoelectrics and actuation characteristics were characterized. Ourresults indicate that x = 0.20, indeed, constitutes the best choice for the MPB composition in the system. Maximum of remanent polarization (37.5 μC cm−2 was obtained for x=0.20. High-field electromechanical responses were also obtained for BNKT0.20 samples. This material exhibited giant field induced strains of 0.13% under 1 kV mm -1 at room temperature.

  19. Nature-inspired microfluidic manipulation using magnetic actuators

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Khaderi, S. N.; Ioan, D.; den Toonder, J.M.J.; Onck, P. R.; LaVan, D.; Spearing, M.; Vengallatore, S.; DaSilva, M.

    2008-01-01

    Magnetically actuated micro-actuators are proposed to propel and manipulate fluid in micro-channels. As the fluid flows at low Reynolds number in such systems, the actuator should move in an asymmetric manner. The proposed actuators are polymer films with embedded magnetic particles, which are

  20. An Advanced Actuator Line Method for Wind Energy Applications and Beyond

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Churchfield, Matthew J.; Schreck, Scott; Martinez-Tossas, Luis A.; Meneveau, Charles; Spalart, Philippe R.

    2017-01-09

    The actuator line method to represent rotor aerodynamics within computational fluid dynamics has been in use for over a decade. This method applies a body force to the flow field along rotating lines corresponding to the individual rotor blades and employs tabular airfoil data to compute the force distribution. The actuator line method is attractive because compared to blade-resolved simulations, the required mesh is much simpler and the computational cost is lower. This work proposes a higher fidelity variant of the actuator line method meant to fill the space between current actuator line and blade-resolved simulations. It contains modifications in two key areas. The first is that of freestream velocity vector estimation along the line, which is necessary to compute the lift and drag along the line using tabular airfoil data. Most current methods rely on point sampling in which the location of sampling is ambiguous. Here we test a velocity sampling method that uses a properly weighted integral over space, removing this ambiguity. The second area of improvement is the function used to project the one-dimensional actuator line force onto the three-dimensional fluid mesh as a body force. We propose and test a projection function that spreads the force over a region that looks something like a real blade with the hope that it will produce the blade local and near wake flow features with more accuracy and higher fidelity. Our goal is that between these two improvements, not only will the flow field predictions be enhanced, but also the spanwise loading will be made more accurate. We refer to this combination of improvements as the advanced actuator line method. We apply these improvements to two different wind turbine cases. Although there is a strong wind energy motivation in our work, there is no reason these advanced actuator line ideas cannot be used in other applications, such as helicopter rotors.

  1. Assistive acting movement therapy devices with pneumatic rotary-type soft actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkening, André; Baiden, David; Ivlev, Oleg

    2012-12-01

    Inherent compliance and assistive behavior are assumed to be essential properties for safe human-robot interaction. Rehabilitation robots demand the highest standards in this respect because the machine interacts directly with weak persons who are often sensitive to pain. Using novel soft fluidic actuators with rotary elastic chambers (REC actuators), compact, lightweight, and cost-effective therapeutic devices can be developed. This article describes modular design and control strategies for new assistive acting robotic devices for upper and lower extremities. Due to the inherent compliance and natural back-drivability of pneumatic REC actuators, these movement therapy devices provide gentle treatment, whereby the interaction forces between humans and the therapy device are estimated without the use of expensive force/torque sensors. An active model-based gravity compensation based on separated models of the robot and of the individual patient's extremity provides the basis for effective assistive control. The utilization of pneumatic actuators demands a special safety concept, which is merged with control algorithms to provide a sufficient level of safeness and to catch any possible system errors and/or emergency situations. A self-explanatory user interface allows for easy, intuitive handling. Prototypes are very comfortable for use due to several control routines that work in the background. Assistive devices have been tested extensively with several healthy persons; the knee/hip movement therapy device is now under clinical trials at the Clinic for Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery at the Klinikum Stuttgart.

  2. Frequency-dependent electrostatic actuation in microfluidic MEMS.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zavadil, Kevin Robert; Michalske, Terry A.; Sounart, Thomas L.

    2003-09-01

    Electrostatic actuators exhibit fast response times and are easily integrated into microsystems because they can be fabricated with standard IC micromachining processes and materials. Although electrostatic actuators have been used extensively in 'dry' MEMS, they have received less attention in microfluidic systems probably because of challenges such as electrolysis, anodization, and electrode polarization. Here we demonstrate that ac drive signals can be used to prevent electrode polarization, and thus enable electrostatic actuation in many liquids, at potentials low enough to avoid electrochemistry. We measure the frequency response of an interdigitated silicon comb-drive actuator in liquids spanning a decade of dielectric permittivities and four decades of conductivity, and present a simple theory that predicts the characteristic actuation frequency. The analysis demonstrates the importance of the native oxide on silicon actuator response, and suggests that the actuation frequency can be shifted by controlling the thickness of the oxide. For native silicon devices, actuation is predicted at frequencies less than 10 MHz, in electrolytes of ionic strength up to 100 mmol/L, and thus electrostatic actuation may be feasible in many bioMEMS and other microfluidic applications.

  3. Graphene-nanoplatelet-based photomechanical actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loomis, James; King, Ben; Burkhead, Tom; Xu Peng; Bessler, Nathan; Panchapakesan, Balaji; Terentjev, Eugene

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports large light-induced reversible and elastic responses of graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) polymer composites. Homogeneous mixtures of GNP/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites (0.1–5 wt%) were prepared and their infrared (IR) mechanical responses studied with increasing pre-strains. Using IR illumination, a photomechanically induced change in stress of four orders of magnitude as compared to pristine PDMS polymer was measured. The actuation responses of the graphene polymer composites depended on the applied pre-strains. At low levels of pre-strain (3–9%) the actuators showed reversible expansion while at high levels (15–40%) the actuators exhibited reversible contraction. The GNP/PDMS composites exhibited higher actuation stresses compared to other forms of nanostructured carbon/PDMS composites, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), for the same fabrication method. An extraordinary optical-to-mechanical energy conversion factor (η M ) of 7–9 MPa W −1 for GNP-based polymer composite actuators is reported. (paper)

  4. Levitating Micro-Actuators: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirill V. Poletkin

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Through remote forces, levitating micro-actuators completely eliminate mechanical attachment between the stationary and moving parts of a micro-actuator, thus providing a fundamental solution to overcoming the domination of friction over inertial forces at the micro-scale. Eliminating the usual mechanical constraints promises micro-actuators with increased operational capabilities and low dissipation energy. Further reduction of friction and hence dissipation by means of vacuum leads to dramatic increases of performance when compared to mechanically tethered counterparts. In order to efficiently employ the benefits provided by levitation, micro-actuators are classified according to their physical principles as well as by their combinations. Different operating principles, structures, materials and fabrication methods are considered. A detailed analysis of the significant achievements in the technology of micro-optics, micro-magnets and micro-coil fabrication, along with the development of new magnetic materials during recent decades, which has driven the creation of new application domains for levitating micro-actuators is performed.

  5. Safety of 5 MW district heating reactor (DHR) and hydraulic dynamic pressure drive control rods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Yuanqiang; Wang Dazhong

    1991-11-01

    The principles and movement characteristic of the hydraulic dynamic pressure drive for control rods in 5 MW district heating reactor are described with stress on analysis of its effects on reactor safety features. The drive is different from electric-magnetic drive for PWR or hydraulic drive for BWR. The drive cylinder is driven by dynamic pressure. In the new drive system, the reactor coolant (water) used as actuating medium is pressed by pump, then injected into a step cylinder which is set in the reactor core. The cylinder will move step by step by controlling flow, then the cylinder drives the neutron absorber and controls nuclear reaction. The drive is characterized by simplicity in structure, high reliability, inherent safety, reduction in reactor height, economy, etc

  6. Piezoelectric Actuator/Sensor Technology at Rockwell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neurgaonkar, Ratnakar R.

    1996-01-01

    We describe the state-of-the art of piezoelectric materials based on perovskite and tungsten bronze families for sensor, actuator and smart structure applications. The microstructural defects in these materials have been eliminated to a large extent and the resulting materials exhibit exceedingly high performance for various applications. The performance of Rockwell actuators/sensors is at least 3 times better than commercially available products. These high performance actuators are being incorporated into various applications including, DOD, NASA and commercial. The multilayer actuator stacks fabricated from our piezoceramics are advantageous for sensing and high capacitance applications. In this presentation, we will describe the use of our high performance piezo-ceramics for actuators and sensors, including multilayer stacks and composite structures.

  7. Nanostructured carbon materials based electrothermal air pump actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Qing; Liu, Luqi; Kuang, Jun; Dai, Zhaohe; Han, Jinhua; Zhang, Zhong

    2014-05-01

    Actuator materials can directly convert different types of energy into mechanical energy. In this work, we designed and fabricated electrothermal air pump-type actuators by utilization of various nanostructured carbon materials, including single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), reduced graphene oxide (r-GO), and graphene oxide (GO)/SWCNT hybrid films as heating elements to transfer electrical stimulus into thermal energy, and finally convert it into mechanical energy. Both the actuation displacement and working temperature of the actuator films show the monotonically increasing trend with increasing driving voltage within the actuation process. Compared with common polymer nanocomposites based electrothermal actuators, our actuators exhibited better actuation performances with a low driving voltage (film actuator due to the intrinsic gas-impermeability nature of graphene platelets. In addition, the high modulus of the r-GO and GO/SWCNT films also guaranteed the large generated stress and high work density. Specifically, the generated stress and gravimetric work density of the GO/SWCNT hybrid film actuator could reach up to more than 50 MPa and 30 J kg-1, respectively, under a driving voltage of 10 V. The resulting stress value is at least two orders of magnitude higher than that of natural muscles (~0.4 MPa).Actuator materials can directly convert different types of energy into mechanical energy. In this work, we designed and fabricated electrothermal air pump-type actuators by utilization of various nanostructured carbon materials, including single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), reduced graphene oxide (r-GO), and graphene oxide (GO)/SWCNT hybrid films as heating elements to transfer electrical stimulus into thermal energy, and finally convert it into mechanical energy. Both the actuation displacement and working temperature of the actuator films show the monotonically increasing trend with increasing driving voltage within the actuation process. Compared with

  8. Two-stage actuation system using DC motors and piezoelectric actuators for controllable industrial and automotive brakes and clutches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neelakantan, Vijay A.; Washington, Gregory N.; Bucknor, Norman K.

    2005-05-01

    High bandwidth actuation systems that are capable of simultaneously producing relatively large forces and displacements are required for use in automobiles and other industrial applications. Conventional hydraulic actuation mechanisms used in automotive brakes and clutches are complex, inefficient and have poor control robustness. These lead to reduced fuel economy, controllability issues and other disadvantages. This paper involves the design, development, testing and control of a two-stage hybrid actuation mechanism by combining classical actuators like DC motors and advanced smart material actuators like piezoelectric actuators. The paper also discusses the development of a robust control methodology using the Internal Model Control (IMC) principle and emphasizes the robustness property of this control methodology by comparing and studying simulation and experimental results.

  9. Study of In-Pile test facility for fast reactor safety research: performance requirements and design features

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nonaka, N.; Kawatta, N.; Niwa, H.; Kondo, S.; Maeda, K

    1996-12-31

    This paper describes a program and the main design features of a new in-pile safety facility SERAPH planned for future fast reactor safety research. The current status of R and D on technical developments in relation to the research objectives and performance requirements to the facility design is given.

  10. RELAP5/MOD3.3 Analysis of the Loss of External Power Event with Safety Injection Actuation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrej Prošek

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The code assessment typically comprises basic tests cases, separate effects test, and integral effects tests. On the other hand, the thermal hydraulic system codes like RELAP5/MOD3.3 are primarily intended for simulation of transients and accidents in light water reactors. The plant measured data come mostly from startup tests and operational events. Also, for operational events the measured plant data may not be sufficient to explain all details of the event. The purpose of this study was therefore besides code assessment to demonstrate that simulations can be very beneficial for deep understanding of the plant response and further corrective measures. The abnormal event with reactor trip and safety injection signal actuation was simulated with the latest RELAP5/MOD3.3 Patch 05 best-estimate thermal hydraulic computer code. The measured and simulated data agree well considering the major plant system responses and operator actions. This suggests that the RELAP5 code simulation is good representative of the plant response and can complement not available information from plant measured data. In such a way, an event can be better understood.

  11. Design criteria for the electrical system in advanced passive reactors. Special features of the AP-600 Reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moraleda Lopez, A.

    1997-01-01

    The design of the electrical system of an Passive Advanced Reactor is determined by the concept of passive actuation of safety systems, simplification of process systems and optimisation of equipment performance. The system that results from these criteria is very different to those designed for present plants. The main differences are: No class 1E alternating current systems No emergency diesel generators Fewer safety and non-safety class electricity consumers System for continuous monitoring of battery status Use of electronic speed regulators for reactor feedwater pump motors Outsite battery backup safety power supply Motor-operated valves are the only safety electrical actuators Portable power supply for post 72 hour equipment This paper develops these concepts and applies them to the AP-600 project and describes the electrical system of this type of plant. (Author)

  12. A New Concept of a Drug Delivery System with Improved Precision and Patient Safety Features

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florian Thoma

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel dosing concept for drug delivery based on a peristaltic piezo-electrically actuated micro membrane pump. The design of the silicon micropump itself is straight-forward, using two piezoelectrically actuated membrane valves as inlet and outlet, and a pump chamber with a piezoelectrically actuated pump membrane in-between. To achieve a precise dosing, this micropump is used to fill a metering unit placed at its outlet. In the final design this metering unit will be made from a piezoelectrically actuated inlet valve, a storage chamber with an elastic cover membrane and a piezoelectrically actuated outlet valve, which are connected in series. During a dosing cycle the metering unit is used to adjust the drug volume to be dispensed before delivery and to control the actually dispensed volume. To simulate the new drug delivery concept, a lumped parameter model has been developed to find the decisive design parameters. With the knowledge taken from the model a drug delivery system is designed that includes a silicon micro pump and, in a first step, a silicon chip with the storage chamber and two commercial microvalves as a metering unit. The lumped parameter model is capable to simulate the maximum flow, the frequency response created by the micropump, and also the delivered volume of the drug delivery system.

  13. A two-stage approach for managing actuators redundancy and its application to fault tolerant flight control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhong Lunlong

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available In safety-critical systems such as transportation aircraft, redundancy of actuators is introduced to improve fault tolerance. How to make the best use of remaining actuators to allow the system to continue achieving a desired operation in the presence of some actuators failures is the main subject of this paper. Considering that many dynamical systems, including flight dynamics of a transportation aircraft, can be expressed as an input affine nonlinear system, a new state representation is adopted here where the output dynamics are related with virtual inputs associated with the intended operation. This representation, as well as the distribution matrix associated with the effectiveness of the remaining operational actuators, allows us to define different levels of fault tolerant governability with respect to actuators’ failures. Then, a two-stage control approach is developed, leading first to the inversion of the output dynamics to get nominal values for the virtual inputs and then to the solution of a linear quadratic (LQ problem to compute the solicitation of each operational actuator. The proposed approach is applied to the control of a transportation aircraft which performs a stabilized roll maneuver while a partial failure appears. Two fault scenarios are considered and the resulting performance of the proposed approach is displayed and discussed.

  14. Microwave Power for Smart Membrane Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Sang H.; Song, Kyo D.; Golembiewski, Walter T.; Chu, Sang-Hyon; King, Glen C.

    2002-01-01

    The concept of microwave-driven smart membrane actuators is envisioned as the best option to alleviate the complexity associated with hard-wired control circuitry. A large, ultra-light space structure, such as solar sails and Gossamer spacecrafts, requires a distribution of power into individual membrane actuators to control them in an effective way. A patch rectenna array with a high voltage output was developed to drive smart membrane actuators. Networked patch rectenna array receives and converts microwave power into a DC power for an array of smart actuators. To use microwave power effectively, the concept of a power allocation and distribution (PAD) circuit is developed and tested for networking a rectenna/actuator patch array. For the future development, the PAD circuit could be imbedded into a single embodiment of rectenna and actuator array with the thin-film microcircuit embodiment. Preliminary design and fabrication of PAD circuitry that consists of a sixteen nodal elements were made for laboratory testing.

  15. Development of a dry actuation conducting polymer actuator for micro-optical zoom lenses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Baek-Chul; Kim, Hyunseok; Nguyen, H. C.; Cho, M. S.; Lee, Y.; Nam, Jae-Do; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol; Koo, J. C.; Jeong, H.-S.

    2008-03-01

    The objective of the present work is to demonstrate the efficiency and feasibility of NBR (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) based conducting polymer actuator that is fabricated into a micro zoon lens driver. Unlike the traditional conducting polymer that normally operates in a liquid, the proposed actuator successfully provides fairly effective driving performance for the zoom lens system in a dry environment. And this paper is including the experiment results for an efficiency improvement. The result suggested by an experiment was efficient in micro optical zoom lens system. In addition, the developed design method of actuator was given consideration to design the system.

  16. Design and testing of shape memory alloy actuation mechanism for flapping wing micro unmanned aerial vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamaruzaman, N. F.; Abdullah, E. J.

    2017-12-01

    Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator offers great solution for aerospace applications with low weight being its most attractive feature. A SMA actuation mechanism for the flapping micro unmanned aerial vehicle (MAV) is proposed in this study, where SMA material is the primary system that provides the flapping motion to the wings. Based on several established design criteria, a design prototype has been fabricated to validate the design. As a proof of concept, an experiment is performed using an electrical circuit to power the SMA actuator to evaluate the flapping angle. During testing, several problems have been observed and their solutions for future development are proposed. Based on the experiment, the average recorded flapping wing angle is 14.33° for upward deflection and 12.12° for downward deflection. This meets the required design criteria and objective set forth for this design. The results prove the feasibility of employing SMA actuators in flapping wing MAV.

  17. Fabrication and characterization of a micromachined swirl-shaped ionic polymer metal composite actuator with electrodes exhibiting asymmetric resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Guo-Hua; Liu, Kim-Min

    2014-05-12

    This paper presents a swirl-shaped microfeatured ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuator. A novel micromachining process was developed to fabricate an array of IPMC actuators on a glass substrate and to ensure that no shortcircuits occur between the electrodes of the actuator. We demonstrated a microfluidic scheme in which surface tension was used to construct swirl-shaped planar IPMC devices of microfeature size and investigated the flow velocity of Nafion solutions, which formed the backbone polymer of the actuator, within the microchannel. The unique fabrication process yielded top and bottom electrodes that exhibited asymmetric surface resistance. A tool for measuring surface resistance was developed and used to characterize the resistances of the electrodes for the fabricated IPMC device. The actuator, which featured asymmetric electrode resistance, caused a nonzero-bias current when the device was driven using a zero-bias square wave, and we propose a circuit model to describe this phenomenon. Moreover, we discovered and characterized a bending and rotating motion when the IPMC actuator was driven using a square wave. We observed a strain rate of 14.6% and a displacement of 700 μm in the direction perpendicular to the electrode surfaces during 4.5-V actuation.

  18. Soft actuators and soft actuating devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Dian; Whitesides, George M.

    2017-10-17

    A soft buckling linear actuator is described, including: a plurality of substantially parallel bucklable, elastic structural components each having its longest dimension along a first axis; and a plurality of secondary structural components each disposed between and bridging two adjacent bucklable, elastic structural components; wherein every two adjacent bucklable, elastic structural components and the secondary structural components in-between define a layer comprising a plurality of cells each capable of being connected with a fluid inflation or deflation source; the secondary structural components from two adjacent layers are not aligned along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis; and the secondary structural components are configured not to buckle, the bucklable, elastic structural components are configured to buckle along the second axis to generate a linear force, upon the inflation or deflation of the cells. Methods of actuation using the same are also described.

  19. Specific features of medicines safety and pharmacovigilance in Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pal, Shanthi N.; Olsson, Sten; Dodoo, Alexander; Bencheikh, Rachida Soulayami

    2012-01-01

    The thalidomide tragedy in the late 1950s and early 1960s served as a wakeup call and raised questions about the safety of medicinal products. The developed countries rose to the challenge putting in place systems to ensure the safety of medicines. However, this was not the case for low-resource settings because of prevailing factors inherent in them. This paper reviews some of these features and the current status of pharmacovigilance in Africa. The health systems in most of the 54 countries of Africa are essentially weak, lacking in basic infrastructure, personnel, equipment and facilities. The recent mass deployment of medicines to address diseases of public health significance in Africa poses additional challenges to the health system with notable safety concerns. Other safety issues of note include substandard and counterfeit medicines, medication errors and quality of medicinal products. The first national pharmacovigilance centres established in Africa with membership of the World Health Organization (WHO) international drug monitoring programme were in Morocco and South Africa in 1992. Of the 104 full member countries in the programme, there are now 24 African countries with a further nine countries as associate members. The pharmacovigilance systems operational in African countries are based essentially on spontaneous reporting facilitated by the introduction of the new tool Vigiflow. The individual case safety reports committed to the WHO global database (Vigibase) attest to the growth of pharmacovigilance in Africa with the number of reports rising from 2695 in 2000 to over 25,000 in 2010. There is need to engage the various identified challenges of the weak pharmacovigilance systems in the African setting and to focus efforts on how to provide resources, infrastructure and expertise. Raising the level of awareness among healthcare providers, developing training curricula for healthcare professionals, provisions for paediatric and geriatric

  20. Bi-stable optical actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holdener, Fred R.; Boyd, Robert D.

    2000-01-01

    The present invention is a bi-stable optical actuator device that is depowered in both stable positions. A bearing is used to transfer motion and smoothly transition from one state to another. The optical actuator device may be maintained in a stable position either by gravity or a restraining device.

  1. Identification of features of electronic prescribing systems to support quality and safety in primary care using a modified Delphi process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sweidan, Michelle; Williamson, Margaret; Reeve, James F; Harvey, Ken; O'Neill, Jennifer A; Schattner, Peter; Snowdon, Teri

    2010-04-15

    Electronic prescribing is increasingly being used in primary care and in hospitals. Studies on the effects of e-prescribing systems have found evidence for both benefit and harm. The aim of this study was to identify features of e-prescribing software systems that support patient safety and quality of care and that are useful to the clinician and the patient, with a focus on improving the quality use of medicines. Software features were identified by a literature review, key informants and an expert group. A modified Delphi process was used with a 12-member multidisciplinary expert group to reach consensus on the expected impact of the features in four domains: patient safety, quality of care, usefulness to the clinician and usefulness to the patient. The setting was electronic prescribing in general practice in Australia. A list of 114 software features was developed. Most of the features relate to the recording and use of patient data, the medication selection process, prescribing decision support, monitoring drug therapy and clinical reports. The expert group rated 78 of the features (68%) as likely to have a high positive impact in at least one domain, 36 features (32%) as medium impact, and none as low or negative impact. Twenty seven features were rated as high positive impact across 3 or 4 domains including patient safety and quality of care. Ten features were considered "aspirational" because of a lack of agreed standards and/or suitable knowledge bases. This study defines features of e-prescribing software systems that are expected to support safety and quality, especially in relation to prescribing and use of medicines in general practice. The features could be used to develop software standards, and could be adapted if necessary for use in other settings and countries.

  2. Magnetic suspension characteristics of electromagnetic actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Dantam K.; Dill, J.; Zorzi, E.

    1993-01-01

    Electromagnetic actuators that use a current-carrying coil (which is placed in a magnetic field) to generate mechanical force are conceptually attractive components for active control of rotating shafts. In one concept that is being tested in the laboratory, the control forces from such actuators are applied on the flexibly supported bearing housings of the rotor. Development of this concept into a practical reality requires a clear and thorough understanding of the role of electromechanical parameters of these actuators in delivering the right amount of control force at the right phase into the rotor. The electromechanical parameters of the actuators investigated are the mass of the armature, stiffness of its suspension, electrical resistance, and inductance of the coils. Improper selection of these parameters can result in degradation in their performance, leading to mistuning between the actuator and the rotor. Through a simple analysis, it is shown that use of such mistuned actuators could result in sharp fluctuations in the phase of the control force delivered into the rotor around the critical speeds. These sharp fluctuations in phase, called 'Phase Glitches', are undesirable. Hence, future designs of controllers should take into account the undesirable mistuning effects between the actuator and the rotor caused by the phase glitches.

  3. Smart film actuators using biomass plastic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoneyama, Satoshi; Tanaka, Nobuo

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a novel smart film actuator based on the use of a biomass plastic as a piezoelectric film. Conventional polymeric smart sensors and actuators have been based upon synthetic piezoelectric polymer films such as PVDF. Almost all synthetic polymers are made from nearly depleted oil resources. In addition combustion of their materials releases carbon dioxide, thereby contributing to global warming. Thus at least two important sustainability principles are violated when employing synthetic polymers: avoiding depletable resources and avoiding ecosystem destruction. To overcome such problems, industrial plastic products made from synthetic polymers were developed to replace oil-based plastics with biomass plastics. This paper applies a biomass plastic with piezoelectricity such as poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA). As a result, PLLA film becomes a distributed parameter actuator per se, hence an environmentally conscious smart film actuator is developed. Firstly, this paper overviews the fundamental properties of piezoelectric synthetic polymers and biopolymers. The concept of carbon neutrality using biopolymers is mentioned. Then a two-dimensional modal actuator for exciting a specific structural mode is proposed. Furthermore, a biomass plastic-based cantilever beam with the capability of modal actuation is developed, the validity of the proposed smart film actuator based upon a biomass plastic being analytically as well as experimentally verified

  4. Development of self-actuated shutdown system using curie point electromagnet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Tae Ryong; Park, Jin Ho

    1999-01-01

    An innovative concept for a passive reactor shutdown system, so called self-actuated shutdown system (SASS), is inevitably required for the inherent safety in liquid metal reactor, which is designed with the totally different concept from the usual reactor shutdown system in LWR. SASS using Curie point electromagnet (CPEM) was selected as the passive reactor shutdown system for KALIMER (Korea Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor). A mock-up of the SASS was designed, fabricated and tested. From the test it was confirmed that the mockup was self-actuated at the Curie point of the temperature sensing material used in the mockup. An articulated control rod was also fabricated and assembled with the CPEM to confirm that the control rod can be inserted into core even when the control rod guide tube is deformed due to earthquake. The operability of SASS in the actual sodium environment should be confirmed in the future. All the design and test data will be applied to the KALIMER design. (author)

  5. Experimental identification of piezo actuator characteristic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ľ. Miková

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with piezoelectric material, which can be used as actuator for conversion of electrical energy to mechanical work. Test equipment has been developed for experimental testing of the piezoactuators. Piezoactivity of this actuator has non-linear characteristic. This type of actuator is used for in-pipe mechanism design.

  6. CARAPACE: a novel composite advanced robotic actuator powering assistive compliant exoskeleton: preliminary design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masia, Lorenzo; Cappello, Leonardo; Morasso, Pietro; Lachenal, Xavier; Pirrera, Alberto; Weaver, Paul; Mattioni, Filippo

    2013-06-01

    A novel actuator is introduced that combines an elastically compliant composite structure with conventional electromechanical elements. The proposed design is analogous to that used in Series Elastic Actuators, its distinctive feature being that the compliant composite part offers different stable configurations. In other words, its elastic potential presents points of local minima that correspond to robust stable positions (multistability). This potential is known a priori as a function of the structural geometry, thus providing tremendous benefits in terms of control implementation. Such knowledge enables the complexities arising from the additional degrees of freedom associated with link deformations to be overcome and uncover challenges that extends beyond those posed by standard rigidlink robot dynamics. It is thought that integrating a multistable elastic element in a robotic transmission can provide new scenarios in the field of assistive robotics, as the system may help a subject to stand or carry a load without the need for an active control effort by the actuators.

  7. A lightweight shoulder prosthesis with antagonistic impact-absorbing hybrid actuation for bimanual activities of daily living

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masashi Sekine

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available In developing a shoulder prosthesis, in addition to appropriate payload and range of motion under the constraints of weight and shape, impact absorption is very important for safe use. Hybridization of two different actuators (pneumatic elastic actuators with the features of lightness and intrinsic visco-elasticity, and servo motors that have stable torque and a large range of motion in combination with an antagonistic mechanism was employed to achieve the development of the shoulder prosthesis. A two-link, two-degree-of-freedom arm was used to test the different hybridization configurations in order to investigate the impact absorption. A dynamic simulation platform based on four bimanual activities of daily living was established to obtain the required range of motion and torque for joints of a two-link, four-degree-of-freedom arm. The number of pneumatic elastic actuators required and the dimension of the antagonistic mechanism mechanical structures were optimized using the dynamic simulation platform. The best configuration of the two types of actuators was determined using the dynamic simulation based on the impact absorption results and other criteria. Moreover, a simplified prototype driven by hybrid actuation was made. It was shown that the pneumatic elastic actuator joint could improve impact absorption, and the actuator configuration of shoulder prostheses is activity of daily living dependent. The prototype could reproduce a certain activity of daily living motion, indicating its feasibility in daily living.

  8. 35 Hz shape memory alloy actuator with bending-twisting mode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Sung-Hyuk; Lee, Jang-Yeob; Rodrigue, Hugo; Choi, Ik-Seong; Kang, Yeon June; Ahn, Sung-Hoon

    2016-02-19

    Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) materials are widely used as an actuating source for bending actuators due to their high power density. However, due to the slow actuation speed of SMAs, there are limitations in their range of possible applications. This paper proposes a smart soft composite (SSC) actuator capable of fast bending actuation with large deformations. To increase the actuation speed of SMA actuator, multiple thin SMA wires are used to increase the heat dissipation for faster cooling. The actuation characteristics of the actuator at different frequencies are measured with different actuator lengths and results show that resonance can be used to realize large deformations up to 35 Hz. The actuation characteristics of the actuator can be modified by changing the design of the layered reinforcement structure embedded in the actuator, thus the natural frequency and length of an actuator can be optimized for a specific actuation speed. A model is used to compare with the experimental results of actuators with different layered reinforcement structure designs. Also, a bend-twist coupled motion using an anisotropic layered reinforcement structure at a speed of 10 Hz is also realized. By increasing their range of actuation characteristics, the proposed actuator extends the range of application of SMA bending actuators.

  9. The effects of additives on the actuating performances of a dielectric elastomer actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen, Huu Chuc; Doan, Vu Thuy; Park, JongKil; Koo, Ja Choon; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol; Lee, Youngkwan; Nam, Jae-do

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a comprehensive study of the effects of additives on the performance of a dielectric elastomer actuator. Previously, a new dielectric elastomer material, called 'synthetic elastomer', was presented for the means of actuation, which permits changes in the mechanical as well as the electrical properties in order to meet the requirements of certain applications. This work studies how the electromechanical properties of the synthetic elastomer can be adjusted by combining two additives, namely dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ). Experiments are carried out and the effects of each additive are compared to one another based on the actuation performances

  10. Inherent Safety Feature of Hybrid Low Power Research Reactor during Reactivity Induced Accident

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, DongHyun; Yum, Soo Been; Hong, Sung Teak; Lim, In-Cheol [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    Hybrid low power research reactor(H-LPRR) is the new design concept of low power research reactor for critical facility as well as education and training. In the case of typical low power research reactor, the purposes of utilization are the experiments for education of nuclear engineering students, Neutron Activation Analysis(NAA) and radio-isotope production for research purpose. H-LPRR is a light-water cooled and moderated research reactor that uses rod-type LEU UO{sub 2} fuels same as those for commercial power plants. The maximum core thermal power is 70kW and, the core is placed in the bottom of open pool. There are 1 control rod and 2 shutdown rods in the core. It is designed to cool the core by natural convection, retain negative feedback coefficient for entire fuel periods and operate for 20 years without refueling. Inherent safety in H-LPRR is achieved by passive design features such as negative temperature feedback coefficient and core cooling by natural convection during normal and emergency conditions. The purpose of this study is to find out that the inherent safety characteristics of H-LPRR is able to control the power and protect the reactor from the RIA(Reactivity induced accident). RIA analysis was performed to investigate the inherent safety feature of H-LPRR. As a result, it was found that the reactor controls its power without fuel damage in the event and that the reactor remains safe states inherently. Therefore, it is believed that high degree of safety inheres in H-LPRR.

  11. Actuators Using Piezoelectric Stacks and Displacement Enhancers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Sherrit, Stewart; Bao, Xiaoqi; Badescu, Mircea; Lee, Hyeong Jae; Walkenmeyer, Phillip; Lih, Shyh-Shiuh

    2015-01-01

    Actuators are used to drive all active mechanisms including machines, robots, and manipulators to name a few. The actuators are responsible for moving, manipulating, displacing, pushing and executing any action that is needed by the mechanism. There are many types and principles of actuation that are responsible for these movements ranging from electromagnetic, electroactive, thermo-mechanic, piezoelectric, electrostrictive etc. Actuators are readily available from commercial producers but there is a great need for reducing their size, increasing their efficiency and reducing their weight. Studies at JPL’s Non Destructive Evaluation and Advanced Actuators (NDEAA) Laboratory have been focused on the use of piezoelectric stacks and novel designs taking advantage of piezoelectric’s potential to provide high torque/force density actuation and high electromechanical conversion efficiency. The actuators/motors that have been developed and reviewed in this paper are operated by various horn configurations as well as the use of pre-stress flexures that make them thermally stable and increases their coupling efficiency. The use of monolithic designs that pre-stress the piezoelectric stack eliminates the use of compression stress bolt. These designs enable the embedding of developed solid-state motors/actuators in any structure with the only macroscopically moving parts are the rotor or the linear translator. Finite element modeling and design tools were used to determine the requirements and operation parameters and the results were used to simulate, design and fabricate novel actuators/motors. The developed actuators and performance will be described and discussed in this paper.

  12. An Advanced Actuator Line Method for Wind Energy Applications and Beyond: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Churchfield, Matthew; Schreck, Scott; Martinez-Tossas, Luis A.; Meneveau, Charles; Spalart, Philippe R.

    2017-03-24

    The actuator line method to represent rotor aerodynamics within computational fluid dynamics has been in use for over a decade. This method applies a body force to the flow field along rotating lines corresponding to the individual rotor blades and employs tabular airfoil data to compute the force distribution. The actuator line method is attractive because compared to blade-resolved simulations, the required mesh is much simpler and the computational cost is lower. This work proposes a higher fidelity variant of the actuator line method meant to fill the space between current actuator line and blade-resolved simulations. It contains modifications in two key areas. The first is that of freestream velocity vector estimation along the line, which is necessary to compute the lift and drag along the line using tabular airfoil data. Most current methods rely on point sampling in which the location of sampling is ambiguous. Here we test a velocity sampling method that uses a properly weighted integral over space, removing this ambiguity. The second area of improvement is the function used to project the one-dimensional actuator line force onto the three-dimensional fluid mesh as a body force. We propose and test a projection function that spreads the force over a region that looks something like a real blade with the hope that it will produce the blade local and near wake flow features with more accuracy and higher fidelity. Our goal is that between these two improvements, not only will the flow field predictions be enhanced, but also the spanwise loading will be made more accurate. We refer to this combination of improvements as the advanced actuator line method. We apply these improvements to two different wind turbine cases. Although there is a strong wind energy motivation in our work, there is no reason these advanced actuator line ideas cannot be used in other applications, such as helicopter rotors.

  13. Cost-benefit evaluation of containment related engineered safety features of Indian pressurized heavy water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bajaj, S.S.; Bhawal, R.N.; Rustagi, R.S.

    1984-01-01

    The typical containment system for a commercial nuclear reactor uses several engineered safety features to achieve its objective of limiting the release of radioactive fission products to the environment in the event of postulated accident conditions. The design of containment systems and associated features for Indian Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) has undergone progressive improvement in successive projects. In particular, the current design adopted for the Narora Atomic Power Project (NAPP) has seen several notable improvements. The paper reports on a cost-benefit study in respect of three containment related engineered safety features and subsystems of NAPP, viz. (i) secondary containment envelope, (ii) primary containment filtration and pump-back system, and (iii) secondary containment filtration, recirculation and purge system. The effect of each of these systems in reducing the environmental releases of radioactivity following a design basis accident is presented. The corresponding reduction in population exposure and the associated monetary value of this reduction in exposure are also given. The costs of the features and subsystem under consideration are then compared with the monetary value of the exposures saved, as well as other non-quantified benefits, to arrive at conclusions regarding the usefulness of each subsystem. This study clearly establishes for the secondary containment envelope the benefit in terms of reduction in public exposure giving a quantitative justification for the costs involved. In the case of the other two subsystems, which involve relatively low costs, while all benefits have not been quantified, their desirability is justified on qualitative considerations. It is concluded that the engineered safety features adopted in the current containment system design of Indian PHWRs contribute to reducing radiation exposures during accident conditions in accordance with the ALARA ('as low as reasonably achievable') principle

  14. Soft Pneumatic Actuators for Rehabilitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guido Belforte

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Pneumatic artificial muscles are pneumatic devices with practical and various applications as common actuators. They, as human muscles, work in agonistic-antagonistic way, giving a traction force only when supplied by compressed air. The state of the art of soft pneumatic actuators is here analyzed: different models of pneumatic muscles are considered and evolution lines are presented. Then, the use of Pneumatic Muscles (PAM in rehabilitation apparatus is described and the general characteristics required in different applications are considered, analyzing the use of proper soft actuators with various technical properties. Therefore, research activity carried out in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the field of soft and textile actuators is presented here. In particular, pneumatic textile muscles useful for active suits design are described. These components are made of a tubular structure, with an inner layer of latex coated with a deformable outer fabric sewn along the edge. In order to increase pneumatic muscles forces and contractions Braided Pneumatic Muscles are studied. In this paper, new prototypes are presented, based on a fabric construction and various kinds of geometry. Pressure-force-deformation tests results are carried out and analyzed. These actuators are useful for rehabilitation applications. In order to reproduce the whole upper limb movements, new kind of soft actuators are studied, based on the same principle of planar membranes deformation. As an example, the bellows muscle model and worm muscle model are developed and described. In both cases, wide deformations are expected. Another issue for soft actuators is the pressure therapy. Some textile sleeve prototypes developed for massage therapy on patients suffering of lymph edema are analyzed. Different types of fabric and assembly techniques have been tested. In general, these Pressure Soft Actuators are useful for upper/lower limbs treatments

  15. Magnetic Actuation of Biological Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauback, Stephanie D.

    Central to the advancement of many biomedical and nanotechnology capabilities is the capacity to precisely control the motion of micro and nanostructures. These applications range from single molecule experiments to cell isolation and separation, to drug delivery and nanomachine manipulation. This dissertation focuses on actuation of biological micro- and nano-entities through the use of weak external magnetic fields, superparamagnetic beads, and ferromagnetic thin films. The magnetic platform presents an excellent method for actuation of biological systems due to its ability to directly control the motion of an array of micro and nanostructures in real-time with calibrated picoNewton forces. The energy landscape of two ferromagnetic thin film patterns (disks and zigzag wires) is experimentally explored and compared to corresponding theoretical models to quantify the applied forces and trajectories of superparamagnetic beads due to the magnetic traps. A magnetic method to directly actuate DNA nanomachines in real-time with nanometer resolution and sub-second response times using micromagnetic control was implemented through the use of stiff DNA micro-levers which bridged the large length scale mismatch between the micro-actuator and the nanomachine. Compared to current alternative methods which are limited in the actuation speeds and the number of reconfiguration states of DNA constructs, this magnetic approach enables fast actuation (˜ milliseconds) and reconfigurable conformations achieved through a continuous range of finely tuned steps. The system was initially tested through actuation of the stiff arm tethered to the surface, and two prototype DNA nanomachines (rotor and hinge) were successfully actuated using the stiff mechanical lever. These results open new possibilities in the development of functional robotic systems at the molecular scale. In exploiting the use of DNA stiff levers, a new technique was also developed to investigate the emergence of the

  16. A bidirectional shape memory alloy folding actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paik, Jamie K; Wood, Robert J

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a low-profile bidirectional folding actuator based on annealed shape memory alloy sheets applicable for meso- and microscale systems. Despite the advantages of shape memory alloys—high strain, silent operation, and mechanical simplicity—their application is often limited to unidirectional operation. We present a bidirectional folding actuator that produces two opposing 180° motions. A laser-patterned nickel alloy (Inconel 600) heater localizes actuation to the folding sections. The actuator has a thin ( < 1 mm) profile, making it appropriate for use in robotic origami. Various design parameters and fabrication variants are described and experimentally explored in the actuator prototype. (paper)

  17. Reliable actuators for twin rotor MIMO system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Vidya S.; V. I, George; Kamath, Surekha; Shreesha, C.

    2017-11-01

    Twin Rotor MIMO System (TRMS) is a bench mark system to test flight control algorithms. One of the perturbations on TRMS which is likely to affect the control system is actuator failure. Therefore, there is a need for a reliable control system, which includes H infinity controller along with redundant actuators. Reliable control refers to the design of a control system to tolerate failures of a certain set of actuators or sensors while retaining desired control system properties. Output of reliable controller has to be transferred to the redundant actuator effectively to make the TRMS reliable even under actual actuator failure.

  18. Self-Sensing Ionic Polymer Actuators: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karl Kruusamäe

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Ionic electromechanically active polymers (IEAP are laminar composites that can be considered attractive candidates for soft actuators. Their outstanding properties such as low operating voltage, easy miniaturization, and noiseless operation are, however, marred by issues related to the repeatability in the production and operation of these materials. Implementing closed-loop control for IEAP actuators is a viable option for overcoming these issues. Since IEAP laminates also behave as mechanoelectrical sensors, it is advantageous to combine the actuating and sensing functionalities of a single device to create a so-called self-sensing actuator. This review article systematizes the state of the art in producing self-sensing ionic polymer actuators. The IEAPs discussed in this paper are conducting (or conjugated polymers actuators (CPA, ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC, and carbonaceous polymer laminates.

  19. Nonlinear vibration of an electrically actuated microresonator tuned by combined DC piezoelectric and electric actuations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zamanian, M; Khadem, S E

    2010-01-01

    This paper studies the nonlinear vibration of a clamped–clamped microresonator under combined electric and piezoelectric actuations. The electric actuation is induced by applying an AC–DC voltage between the microbeam and the electrode plate that lies on opposite sides of the microbeam, and the piezoelectric actuation is induced by applying the DC voltage between upper and lower sides of the piezoelectric layer deposited on the microbeam length. It is assumed that the neutral axis of bending is stretched when the microbeam is deflected. The equations of motion are derived using Newton's second law, and are solved using the multiple-scale perturbation method. It is shown that, depending on the value of DC electric and piezoelectric actuations, geometry and the bending stiffness of the system. A softening or hardening behavior may be realized. It demonstrates that nonlinear behavior of an electrically actuated microresonator may be tuned to a linear behavior by applying a convenient DC electric voltage to the piezoelectric layer, and so an undesirable shift of resonance frequency may be removed. If one lets the applied voltage to the piezoelectric layer be equal to zero, this paper would be an effort to tailor the linear and nonlinear stiffness coefficients of two layered electrically actuated microresonators without the assumption that the lengths of the two layers are equal

  20. Issues regarding Risk Effect Analysis of Digitalized Safety Systems and Main Risk Contributors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Hyun Gook; Jang, Seung-Cheol

    2008-01-01

    Risk factors of safety-critical digital systems affect overall plant risk. In order to assess this risk effect, a risk model of a digitalized safety system is required. This article aims to provide an overview of the issues when developing a risk model and demonstrate their effect on plant risk quantitatively. Research activities in Korea for addressing these various issues, such as the software failure probability and the fault coverage of self monitoring mechanism are also described. The main risk contributors related to the digitalized safety system were determined in a quantitative manner. Reactor protection system and engineered safety feature component control system designed as part of the Korean Nuclear I and C System project are used as example systems. Fault-tree models were developed to assess the failure probability of a system function which is designed to generate an automated signal for actuating both of the reactor trip and the complicated accident-mitigation actions. The developed fault trees were combined with a plant risk model to evaluate the effect of a digitalized system's failure on the plant risk. (authors)

  1. The smart Peano fluidic muscle: a low profile flexible orthosis actuator that feels pain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veale, Allan J.; Anderson, Iain A.; Xie, Shane Q.

    2015-03-01

    Robotic orthoses have the potential to provide effective rehabilitation while overcoming the availability and cost constraints of therapists. These orthoses must be characterized by the naturally safe, reliable, and controlled motion of a human therapist's muscles. Such characteristics are only possible in the natural kingdom through the pain sensing realized by the interaction of an intelligent nervous system and muscles' embedded sensing organs. McKibben fluidic muscles or pneumatic muscle actuators (PMAs) are a popular orthosis actuator because of their inherent compliance, high force, and muscle-like load-displacement characteristics. However, the circular cross-section of PMA increases their profile. PMA are also notoriously unreliable and difficult to control, lacking the intelligent pain sensing systems of their biological muscle counterparts. Here the Peano fluidic muscle, a new low profile yet high-force soft actuator is introduced. This muscle is smart, featuring bioinspired embedded pressure and soft capacitive strain sensors. Given this pressure and strain feedback, experimental validation shows that a lumped parameter model based on the muscle geometry and material parameters can be used to predict its force for quasistatic motion with an average error of 10 - 15N. Combining this with a force threshold pain sensing algorithm sets a precedent for flexible orthosis actuation that uses embedded sensors to prevent damage to the actuator and its environment.

  2. Highly-Integrated Hydraulic Smart Actuators and Smart Manifolds for High-Bandwidth Force Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victor Barasuol

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Hydraulic actuation is the most widely used alternative to electric motors for legged robots and manipulators. It is often selected for its high power density, robustness and high-bandwidth control performance that allows the implementation of force/impedance control. Force control is crucial for robots that are in contact with the environment, since it enables the implementation of active impedance and whole body control that can lead to a better performance in known and unknown environments. This paper presents the hydraulic Integrated Smart Actuator (ISA developed by Moog in collaboration with IIT, as well as smart manifolds for rotary hydraulic actuators. The ISA consists of an additive-manufactured body containing a hydraulic cylinder, servo valve, pressure/position/load/temperature sensing, overload protection and electronics for control and communication. The ISA v2 and ISA v5 have been specifically designed to fit into the legs of IIT’s hydraulic quadruped robots HyQ and HyQ-REAL, respectively. The key features of these components tackle 3 of today’s main challenges of hydraulic actuation for legged robots through: (1 built-in controllers running inside integrated electronics for high-performance control, (2 low-leakage servo valves for reduced energy losses, and (3 compactness thanks to metal additive manufacturing. The main contributions of this paper are the derivation of the representative dynamic models of these highly integrated hydraulic servo actuators, a control architecture that allows for high-bandwidth force control and their experimental validation with application-specific trajectories and tests. We believe that this is the first work that presents additive-manufactured, highly integrated hydraulic smart actuators for robotics.

  3. Hydraulically actuated artificial muscles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meller, M. A.; Tiwari, R.; Wajcs, K. B.; Moses, C.; Reveles, I.; Garcia, E.

    2012-04-01

    Hydraulic Artificial Muscles (HAMs) consisting of a polymer tube constrained by a nylon mesh are presented in this paper. Despite the actuation mechanism being similar to its popular counterpart, which are pneumatically actuated (PAM), HAMs have not been studied in depth. HAMs offer the advantage of compliance, large force to weight ratio, low maintenance, and low cost over traditional hydraulic cylinders. Muscle characterization for isometric and isobaric tests are discussed and compared to PAMs. A model incorporating the effect of mesh angle and friction have also been developed. In addition, differential swelling of the muscle on actuation has also been included in the model. An application of lab fabricated HAMs for a meso-scale robotic system is also presented.

  4. Force-deflection behavior of piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Ashok K.; Nagpal, Pawan

    2001-11-01

    In the present endeavour, force - deflection behavior of various piezoelectric actuator configurations has been analyzed for performance comparison. The response of stack actuator has been simulated using MATLAB Simulink, in a stack actuator-pendulum configuration. During simulation, stack actuator has been used in charge control feedback mode, because of the advantage of low hysteresis, and high linearity. The model incorporates three compensation blocks, viz 1) a PID position controller, 2) a PI piezoelectric current controller, and 3) a dynamic force feedback. A typical stack actuator, having 130 layers, 1.20x10-4 m thickness, 3.46x10-5m2 cross sectional area, of PZT-5H type, has been utilized for simulation. The response of the system has been tested by applying a sinusoidal input of frequency 500 Hz, and waveform amplitude of 1x10-3V.

  5. Shape-Memory-Alloy Actuator For Flight Controls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barret, Chris

    1995-01-01

    Report proposes use of shape-memory-alloy actuators, instead of hydraulic actuators, for aerodynamic flight-control surfaces. Actuator made of shape-memory alloy converts thermal energy into mechanical work by changing shape as it makes transitions between martensitic and austenitic crystalline phase states of alloy. Because both hot exhaust gases and cryogenic propellant liquids available aboard launch rockets, shape-memory-alloy actuators exceptionally suited for use aboard such rockets.

  6. Performance study of a hydrogen powered metal hydride actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhuiya, Md Mainul Hossain; Kim, Kwang J

    2016-01-01

    A thermally driven hydrogen powered actuator integrating metal hydride hydrogen storage reactor, which is compact, noiseless, and able to generate smooth actuation, is presented in this article. To test the plausibility of a thermally driven actuator, a conventional piston type actuator was integrated with LaNi 5 based hydrogen storage system. Copper encapsulation followed by compaction of particles into pellets, were adopted to improve overall thermal conductivity of the reactor. The operation of the actuator was thoroughly investigated for an array of operating temperature ranges. Temperature swing of the hydride reactor triggering smooth and noiseless actuation over several operating temperature ranges were monitored for quantification of actuator efficiency. Overall, the actuator generated smooth and consistent strokes during repeated cycles of operation. The efficiency of the actuator was found to be as high as 13.36% for operating a temperature range of 20 °C–50 °C. Stress–strain characteristics, actuation hysteresis etc were studied experimentally. Comparison of stress–strain characteristics of the proposed actuator with traditional actuators, artificial muscles and so on was made. The study suggests that design modification and use of high pressure hydride may enhance the performance and broaden the application horizon of the proposed actuator in future. (paper)

  7. Cyclic degradation of antagonistic shape memory actuated structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sofla, A Y N; Elzey, D M; Wadley, H N G

    2008-01-01

    Antagonistic shape memory actuated structures exploit opposing pairs of one-way shape memory alloy (SMA) linear actuators to create devices capable of a fully reversible response. Unlike many conventional reversible SMA devices they do not require bias force components (springs) to return them to their pre-actuated configuration. However, the repeated use of SMA antagonistic devices results in the accumulation of plastic strain in the actuators which can diminish their actuation stroke. We have investigated this phenomenon and the effect of shape memory alloy pre-strain upon it for near equi-atomic NiTi actuators. We find that the degradation eventually stabilizes during cycling. A thermomechanical treatment has been found to significantly reduce degradation in cyclic response of the actuators

  8. Thermally Actuated Hydraulic Pumps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Jack; Ross, Ronald; Chao, Yi

    2008-01-01

    Thermally actuated hydraulic pumps have been proposed for diverse applications in which direct electrical or mechanical actuation is undesirable and the relative slowness of thermal actuation can be tolerated. The proposed pumps would not contain any sliding (wearing) parts in their compressors and, hence, could have long operational lifetimes. The basic principle of a pump according to the proposal is to utilize the thermal expansion and contraction of a wax or other phase-change material in contact with a hydraulic fluid in a rigid chamber. Heating the chamber and its contents from below to above the melting temperature of the phase-change material would cause the material to expand significantly, thus causing a substantial increase in hydraulic pressure and/or a substantial displacement of hydraulic fluid out of the chamber. Similarly, cooling the chamber and its contents from above to below the melting temperature of the phase-change material would cause the material to contract significantly, thus causing a substantial decrease in hydraulic pressure and/or a substantial displacement of hydraulic fluid into the chamber. The displacement of the hydraulic fluid could be used to drive a piston. The figure illustrates a simple example of a hydraulic jack driven by a thermally actuated hydraulic pump. The pump chamber would be a cylinder containing encapsulated wax pellets and containing radial fins to facilitate transfer of heat to and from the wax. The plastic encapsulation would serve as an oil/wax barrier and the remaining interior space could be filled with hydraulic oil. A filter would retain the encapsulated wax particles in the pump chamber while allowing the hydraulic oil to flow into and out of the chamber. In one important class of potential applications, thermally actuated hydraulic pumps, exploiting vertical ocean temperature gradients for heating and cooling as needed, would be used to vary hydraulic pressures to control buoyancy in undersea research

  9. Towards quantitative determination of the spring constant of a scanning force microscope cantilever with a microelectromechanical nano-force actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Sai; Herrmann, Konrad; Zhang, Zhikai; Wu, Yong

    2010-01-01

    The calibration of the performance of an SFM (scanning force microscope) cantilever has gained more and more interest in the past years, particularly due to increasing applications of SFMs for the determination of the mechanical properties of materials, such as biological structures and organic molecules. In this paper, a MEMS-based nano-force actuator with a force resolution up to nN (10 −9 N) is presented to quantitatively determine the stiffness of an SFM cantilever. The principle, structure design and realization of the nano-force actuator are detailed. Preliminary experiments demonstrate that the long-term self-calibration stability of the actuator is better than 3.7 × 10 −3 N m −1 (1σ) over 1 h. With careful calibration of the stiffness of the actuator, the MEMS actuator has the capability to determine the stiffness of various types of cantilevers (from 100 N m −1 down to 0.1 N m −1 ) with high accuracy. In addition, thanks to the large displacement and force range (up to 8 µm and 1 mN, respectively) of the actuator, the calibration procedure with our MEMS nano-force actuator features simple and active operation, and therefore applicability for different types of quantitative SFMs

  10. A self-adaption compensation control for hysteresis nonlinearity in piezo-actuated stages based on Pi-sigma fuzzy neural network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Rui; Zhou, Miaolei

    2018-04-01

    Piezo-actuated stages are widely applied in the high-precision positioning field nowadays. However, the inherent hysteresis nonlinearity in piezo-actuated stages greatly deteriorates the positioning accuracy of piezo-actuated stages. This paper first utilizes a nonlinear autoregressive moving average with exogenous inputs (NARMAX) model based on the Pi-sigma fuzzy neural network (PSFNN) to construct an online rate-dependent hysteresis model for describing the hysteresis nonlinearity in piezo-actuated stages. In order to improve the convergence rate of PSFNN and modeling precision, we adopt the gradient descent algorithm featuring three different learning factors to update the model parameters. The convergence of the NARMAX model based on the PSFNN is analyzed effectively. To ensure that the parameters can converge to the true values, the persistent excitation condition is considered. Then, a self-adaption compensation controller is designed for eliminating the hysteresis nonlinearity in piezo-actuated stages. A merit of the proposed controller is that it can directly eliminate the complex hysteresis nonlinearity in piezo-actuated stages without any inverse dynamic models. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and control methods, a set of comparative experiments are performed on piezo-actuated stages. Experimental results show that the proposed modeling and control methods have excellent performance.

  11. Characterization of piezoelectric macrofiber composite actuated winglets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guha, T K; Oates, W S; Kumar, R

    2015-01-01

    The present study primarily focuses on the design, development, and structural characterization of an oscillating winglet actuated using a piezoelectric macrofiber composite (MFC). The primary objective is to study the effect of controlled wingtip oscillations on the evolution of wingtip vortices, with a goal of weakening these potentially harmful tip vortices by introducing controlled instabilities through both spatial and temporal perturbations producible through winglet oscillations. MFC-actuated winglets have been characterized under different input excitation and pressure-loading conditions. The winglet oscillations show bimodal behavior for both structural and actuation modes of resonance. The oscillatory amplitude at these actuation modes increases linearly with the magnitude of excitation. During wind-tunnel tests, fluid-structure interactions led to structural vibrations of the wing. The effect of these vibrations on the overall winglet oscillations decreased when the strength of actuation increased. At high input excitation, the actuated winglet was capable of generating controlled oscillations. As a proof of concept, the current study has demonstrated that microfiber composite-actuated winglets produce sufficient displacements to alter the development of the wingtip vortex. (paper)

  12. Passive safety features for next generation CANDU power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Natalizio, A.; Hart, R.S.; Lipsett, J.J.; Soedijono, P.; Dick, J.E.

    1989-01-01

    CANDU offers an evolutionary approach to simpler and safer reactors. The CANDU 3, an advanced CANDU, currently in the detailed design stage, offers significant improvements in the areas of safety, design simplicity, constructibility, operability, maintainability, schedule and cost. These are being accomplished by retaining all of the well known CANDU benefits, and by relying on the use of proven components and technologies. A major safety benefit of CANDU is the moderator system which is separate from the coolant. The presence of a cold moderator reduces the consequences arising from a LOCA or loss of heat sink event. In existing CANDU plants even the severe accident - LOCA with failure of the emergency core cooling system - is a design basis event. Further advances toward a simpler and more passively safe reactor will be made using the same evolutionary approach. Building on the strength of the moderator system to mitigate against severe accidents, a passive moderator cooling system, depending only on the law of gravity to perform its function, will be the next step of development. AECL is currently investigating a number of other features that could be incorporated in future evolutionary CANDU designs to enhance protection against accidents, and to limit off-site consequences to an acceptable level, for even the worst event. The additional features being investigated include passive decay heat removal from the heat transport system, a simpler emergency core cooling system and a containment pressure suppression/venting capability for beyond design basis events. Central to these passive decay heat removal schemes is the availability of a short-term heat sink to provide a decay heat removal capability of at least three days, without any station services. Preliminary results from these investigations confirm the feasibility of these schemes. (author)

  13. Materials selection and design of microelectrothermal bimaterial actuators

    OpenAIRE

    Prasanna, S.; Spearing, S.M.

    2007-01-01

    A common form of MEMS actuator is a thermally actuated bimaterial, which is easy to fabricate by surface micromachining and permits out of plane actuation, which is otherwise difficult to achieve. This paper presents an analytical framework for the design of such microelectrothermal bimaterial actuators. Mechanics relationships for a cantilever bimaterial strip subjected to a uniform temperature were applied to obtain expressions for performance metrics for the actuator, i.e., maximum work/vo...

  14. Fraction-based input modification for fast SMA-actuation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gaasbeek, Rolf; de Jager, Bram

    Shape Memory Alloy actuators are microactuators that are known for their high actuation-force and -strain. Limiting the application of Shape Memory Alloy actuators is the lack of suitable control algorithms that can deal with the highly non-linear dynamics of the actuator. The latter suffers from

  15. Control of Adjustable Compliant Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Berno J.E. Misgeld

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Adjustable compliance or variable stiffness actuators comprise an additional element to elastically decouple the actuator from the load and are increasingly applied to human-centered robotic systems. The advantages of such actuators are of paramount importance in rehabilitation robotics, where requirements demand safe interaction between the therapy system and the patient. Compliant actuator systems enable the minimization of large contact forces arising, for example, from muscular spasticity and have the ability to periodically store and release energy in cyclic movements. In order to overcome the loss of bandwidth introduced by the elastic element and to guarantee a higher range in force/torque generation, new actuator designs consider variable or nonlinear stiffness elements, respectively. These components cannot only be adapted to the walking speed or the patient condition, but also entail additional challenges for feedback control. This paper introduces a novel design method for an impedance-based controller that fulfills the control objectives and compares the performance and robustness to a classical cascaded control approach. The new procedure is developed using a non-standard positive-real Η2 controller design and is applied to a loop-shaping approach. Robust norm optimal controllers are designed with regard to the passivity of the actuator load-impedance transfer function and the servo control problem. Classical cascaded and positive-real Η2 controller designs are validated and compared in simulations and in a test bench using a passive elastic element of varying stiffness.

  16. Design and fabrication of a micro PZT cantilever array actuator for applications in fluidic systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kim, H.; In, C.; Yoon, Gil Ho

    2005-01-01

    In this article, a micro cantilever array actuated by PZT films is designed and fabricated for micro fluidic systems. The design features for maximizing tip deflections and minimizing fluid leakage are described. The governing equation of the composite PZT cantilever is derived and the actuating......, dielectric constant, and dielectric loss. Tip deflections of 12 mu m at 5 V are measured, which agreed well with the predicted value. The 18 mu l/s leakage rate of air was observed at a pressure difference of 1000 Pa. Micro cooler is introduced, and its possible application to micro compressor is discussed....

  17. A multi-electrode and pre-deformed bilayer spring structure electrostatic attractive MEMS actuator with large stroke at low actuation voltage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Fangrong; Li, Zhi; Xiong, Xianming; Niu, Junhao; Peng, Zhiyong; Qian, Yixian; Yao, Jun

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a multi-electrode and pre-deformed bilayer spring structure electrostatic attractive microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuator; it has large stroke at relatively low actuation voltage. Generally, electrostatic-attractive-force-based actuators have small stroke due to the instability resulted from the electrostatic ‘pull-in’ phenomenon. However, in many applications, the electrostatic micro-actuator with large stroke at low voltage is more preferred. By introducing a multi-electrode and a pre-deformed bilayer spring structure, an electrostatic attractive MEMS actuator with large stroke at very low actuation voltage has been successfully demonstrated in this paper. The actuator contains a central plate with a size of 300 µm × 300 µm × 1.5 µm and it is supported by four L-shaped bilayer springs which are pre-deformed due to residual stresses. Each bilayer spring is simultaneously attracted by three adjacent fixed electrodes, and the factors affecting the electrostatic attractive force are analyzed by a finite element analysis method. The prototype of the actuator is fabricated by poly-multi-user-MEMS-process (PolyMUMP) and the static performance is tested using a white light interferometer. The measured stroke of the actuator reaches 2 µm at 13 V dc, and it shows a good agreement with the simulation. (paper)

  18. A Method for Aileron Actuator Fault Diagnosis Based on PCA and PGC-SVM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-Li Qin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Aileron actuators are pivotal components for aircraft flight control system. Thus, the fault diagnosis of aileron actuators is vital in the enhancement of the reliability and fault tolerant capability. This paper presents an aileron actuator fault diagnosis approach combining principal component analysis (PCA, grid search (GS, 10-fold cross validation (CV, and one-versus-one support vector machine (SVM. This method is referred to as PGC-SVM and utilizes the direct drive valve input, force motor current, and displacement feedback signal to realize fault detection and location. First, several common faults of aileron actuators, which include force motor coil break, sensor coil break, cylinder leakage, and amplifier gain reduction, are extracted from the fault quadrantal diagram; the corresponding fault mechanisms are analyzed. Second, the data feature extraction is performed with dimension reduction using PCA. Finally, the GS and CV algorithms are employed to train a one-versus-one SVM for fault classification, thus obtaining the optimal model parameters and assuring the generalization of the trained SVM, respectively. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach, four types of faults are introduced into the simulation model established by AMESim and Simulink. The results demonstrate its desirable diagnostic performance which outperforms that of the traditional SVM by comparison.

  19. Water chemistry features of advanced heavy water reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sriram, Jayasree; Vijayan, K.; Kain, Vivekanad; Velmurugan, S.

    2015-01-01

    Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) being designed in India proposes to use Plutonium and Thorium as fuel. The objective is to extract energy from the uranium-233 formed from Thorium. It is a heavy water moderated and light water cooled tube type boiling water reactor. It is a heavy water moderated and light water cooled tube type boiling water reactor. It is a natural circulation reactor. Thus, it has got several advanced passive safety features built into the system. The various water coolant systems are listed below. i) Main Heat transport System ii) Feed water system iii) Condenser cooling system iv) Process water system and safety systems. As it is a tube type reactor, the radiolysis control differs from the normal boiling water reactor. The coolant enters the bottom of the coolant channel, boiling takes place and then the entire steam water mixture exits the core through the long tail pipes and reaches the moisture separator. Thus, there is a need to devise methods to protect the tail pipes from oxidizing water chemistry condition. Similarly, the moderator heavy water coolant chemistry differs from that of moderator system chemistry of PHWR. The reactivity worth per ppm of gadolinium and boron are low in comparison to PHWR. As a result, much higher concentration of neutron poison has to be added for planned shutdown, start up and for actuating SDS-2. The addition of higher concentration of neutron poison result in higher radiolytic production of deuterium and oxygen. Their recombination back to heavy water has to take into account the higher production of these gases. This paper also discusses the chemistry features of safety systems of AHWR. In addition, the presentation will cover the chemistry monitoring methodology to be implemented in AHWR. (author)

  20. Development of thermal actuators with multi-locking positions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, J. K.; Zhu, Y.; Fu, Y. Q.; Flewitt, A. J.; Spearing, S. M.; Miao, J. M.; Milne, W. I.

    2006-04-01

    To reduce power consumption and operation temperature for micro-thermal actuators, metal-based micro-mechanical locks with multi-locking positions were analyzed and fabricated. The micro-locks consist of two or three U-shaped thermal actuators. The devices were made by a single mask process using electroplated Ni as the active material. Tests showed that the metal based thermal actuators deliver a maximum displacement of ~20µm at a much lower temperature than that of Si-based actuators. However Ni-actuators showed a severe back bending, which increases with increasing applied power. The temperature to initiate the back bending is as low as ~240°C. Back bending increases the distance between the two actuators, and leads to locking function failure. For practical application, Ni-based thermal actuators must be operated below 200°C.

  1. Polypyrrole Actuators for Tremor Suppression

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skaarup, Steen; Mogensen, Naja; Bay, Lasse

    2003-01-01

    Neurological tremor affecting limbs can be divided into at least 6 different types with frequencies ranging from 2 to about 20 Hz. In order to alleviate the symptoms by suppressing the tremor, sensing and actuation systems able to perform at these frequencies are needed. Electroactive polymers...... exemplify 'soft actuator' technology that may be especially suitable for use in conjunction with human limbs. The electrochemical and mechanical properties of polypyrrole dodecyl benzene sulphonate actuator films have been studied with this application in mind. The results show that the time constants...

  2. Safety margin improvement by adopting the feature of interleaving in 700 MWe PHWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Nrependra; Yadav, S.K.; Khan, T.A.; Dixit, A.; Singhal, Mukesh; Nair, Suma R.

    2015-01-01

    Indian Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (IPHWRs) of 700 MWe are under construction at Kakrapar Atomic Power Project -3,4 and Rajasthan Atomic Power Project-7,8. These units have enhanced safety features with respect to standard IPHWRs. One of the enhanced features is interleaving of feeders/channels. In interleaved feeder configuration, each header located at either end of reactor gets connected to one quarter of core channels, which are uniformly distributed. The core is divided into two loops with feeder connected in interleaved fashioned. In this paper a comparative study has been performed between the two cases: 1) The core splits in two vertical halves and each vertical half is a loop of PHT (TAPS-3 and 4 Type configuration). 2) The core is divided into two loops with feeders/ channels connected in interleaved fashioned (700 MWe Configuration). LOCA studies have been performed for 700 MWe PHWR considering interleaving of feeders configuration using in-house developed computer code ATMIKA and 3-D neutron kinetics code IQS-3D. The issue of interleaving is closely linked to an inherent reactivity characteristic of PHWR reactors (viz., positive void reactivity coefficient) which leads to a power increase following a Large LOCA. In 700 MWe PHWR with intent to improve the safety margin, adopted the feature of interleaving of feeders which causes in reduction in the magnitude of void coefficient and results in reduction of peak power during LBLOCA. The systematic LBLOCA study demonstrates that interleaved configuration of feeder/channels of two loops has higher safety margins (i.e. with respect to peak power, prompt-criticality margin, adiabatic heat deposition on the fuel pins, sheath temperature excursion and clad oxidation) with regard to the effectiveness of shutdown system. (author)

  3. Method for driving an actuator, actuator drive, and apparatus comprising an actuator

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2010-01-01

    An actuator driver circuit includes a drive signal source and an electrical damping element having a negative resistance connected in series with the drive signal source. A controllable switch is provided for selectively switching the electrical damping element into or put of a signal path from a

  4. A novel piezoelectric actuator with a screw-coupled stator and rotor for driving an aperture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Xiaoniu; Zhou, Shengqiang

    2016-01-01

    Variable apertures have become very important in optical applications. This paper presents a new type of piezoelectric actuator with a screw-coupled stator and rotor that is developed to operate an aperture. The actuator and the aperture are integrated to control the luminous flux. To open or close, the aperture only needs to rotate through a limited angle. Therefore, the actuator is designed so that the rotor and the stator are simply connected by a screw to couple the axial preload and the circumferential movement. The torque and velocity of the actuator are produced by its circumferential motion. The preload of the actuator is applied by deforming the rotor along the axial direction. This method of preloading makes it difficult to keep the preload constant during the actuator’s work. To overcome this problem, a novel flexible rotor with a low stiffness is designed. An equivalent stiffness model of the rotor is presented for the design of a flexible rotor. Its design parameters are determined by a numerical model and confirmed using the finite element method. A prototype is fabricated to drive the aperture. The experimental results demonstrate a resolution of 20 μrad and a rotational range of 300°. The opening and closing durations of the aperture are 96 ms and 97.2 ms, respectively, for a rotation range of 90°. The rotation angle of the actuator is linearly related to time, which shows that its performance is controlled well. The novel screw-coupled piezoelectric actuator for driving an aperture features high resolution, high speed, simple structure and compact size. (paper)

  5. Mechatronics and Bioinspiration in Actuator Design and Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. L. Pons

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Actuators are components of motion control systems in which mechatronics plays a crucial role. They can be regarded as a paradigmatic case in which this mechatronic approach is required. Furthermore, actuator technologies can get new sources of inspiration from nature (bioinspiration. Biological systems are the result of an evolutionary process and show excellent levels of performance. In this paper, we analyse the actuator as a bioinspired mechatronic system through analogies between mechatronics and biological actuating mechanisms that include hierarchical control of actuators, switched control of power flow and some transduction principles. Firstly, some biological models are introduced as a source of inspiration for setting up both actuation principles and control technologies. Secondly, a particular actuator technology, the travelling wave ultrasonic motor, is taken to illustrate this approach. Eventually, the last section draws some conclusions and points out future directions.

  6. Performance Comparison of Sweeping/Steady Jet Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirsch, Damian; Mercier, Justin; Noca, Flavio; Gharib, Morteza

    2015-11-01

    Flow control through the use of steady jet actuators has been used on various aircraft models since the late 1950's. However, the focus of recent studies has shifted towards the use of sweeping jets (fluidic oscillators) rather than steady jet actuators. In this work, experiments using various jet actuator designs were conducted at GALCIT's Lucas Wind Tunnel on a NACA 0012 vertical tail model similar to that of the Boeing 767 vertical stabilizer at Reynolds numbers ranging from 0.5 to 1.2 million. The rudder angle was fixed at 20 degrees. A total of 32 jet actuators were installed along the wingspan perpendicular to the trailing edge and the rudder shoulder of the vertical stabilizer. It is known that these types of flow control prevent separation. However, the goal of this work is to compare different jet designs and evaluate their performance. Parameters such as the number of actuators, their volumetric flow, and the wind tunnel speed were varied. The lift generation capabilities of steady and sweeping jet actuators were then compared. Another set of experiments was conducted to compare a new sweeping jet actuator design with one of the standard versions. Supported by Boeing.

  7. A family of nonlinear PID-like regulators for a class of torque-driven robot manipulators equipped with torque-constrained actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana Salinas

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This article addresses the joint position control of torque-driven robot manipulators under actuators subject to torque saturation. Robots having viscous friction, but without gravity vector, are considered. By assuming a static model for the torque actuator (specifically, a model of nonlinear and non-differentiable hard saturation function, a family of nonlinear proportional–integral–derivative-like controllers is proposed. Lyapunov stability theory is used to establish conditions for local asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system. A notable feature of the proposed controller is that stability conditions do not depend on the saturation levels of the actuators. In addition, an experimental study complements the proposed theory.

  8. SWR 1000: an advanced boiling water reactor with passive safety features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brettschuh, W.

    1999-01-01

    The SWR 1000, an advanced BWR, is being developed by Siemens under contract from Germany's electric utilities and with the support of European partners. The project is currently in the basic design phase to be concluded in mid-1999 with the release of a site-independent safety report and costing analysis. The development goals for the project encompass competitive costs, use of passive safety systems to further reduce probabilities of occurrence of severe accidents, assured control of accidents so no emergency response actions for evacuation of the local population are needed, simplification of plant systems based on operator experience, and planning and design based on German codes, standards and specifications put forward by the Franco-German Reactor Safety Commission for future nuclear power plants equipped with PWRs, as well as IAEA specifications and the European Utility Requirements. These goals led to a plant concept with a low power density core, with large water inventories stored above the core inside the reactor pressure vessel, in the pressure suppression pool, and in other locations. All accident situations arising from power operation can be controlled by passive safety features without rise in core temperature and with a grace period of more than three days. In addition, postulated core melt is controlled by passive equipment. All new passive systems have been successfully tested for function and performance using large-scale components in experimental testing facilities at PSI in Switzerland and at the Juelich Research Centre in Germany. In addition to improvements of the safety systems, the plant's operating systems have been simplified based on operating experience. The design's safety concept, simplified operating systems and 48 months construction time yield favourable plant construction costs. The level of concept maturity required to begin offering the SWR 1000 on the power generation market is anticipated to be reached, as planned in the year

  9. Double-Acting Sleeve Muscle Actuator for Bio-Robotic Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hao Zheng

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a new type of muscle-like actuator, namely double-acting (DA sleeve muscle actuator, which is suitable for the actuation of biologically-inspired and biomedical robotic systems, especially those serving human-assistance purposes (prostheses, orthoses, etc.. Developed based on the traditional pneumatic muscle actuator, the new DA sleeve muscle incorporates a unique insert at the center. With the insert occupying the central portion of the internal volume, this new actuator enjoys multiple advantages relative to the traditional pneumatic muscle, including a consistent increase of force capacity over the entire range of motion, and a significant decrease of energy consumption in operation. Furthermore, the insert encompasses an additional chamber, which generates an extension force when pressurized. As such, this new actuator provides a unique bi-directional actuation capability, and, thus, has a potential to significantly simplify the design of a muscle actuator-powered robotic system. To demonstrate this new actuator concept, a prototype has been designed and fabricated, and experiments conducted on this prototype demonstrated the enhanced force capacity and the unique bi-directional actuation capability.

  10. Double-Acting Sleeve Muscle Actuator for Bio-Robotic Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Hao; Shen, Xiangrong

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a new type of muscle-like actuator, namely double-acting (DA) sleeve muscle actuator, which is suitable for the actuation of biologically-inspired and biomedical robotic systems, especially those serving human-assistance purposes (prostheses, orthoses, etc.). Developed based on the traditional pneumatic muscle actuator, the new DA sleeve muscle incorporates a unique insert at the center. With the insert occupying the central portion of the internal volume, this new actuator enjoys multiple advantages relative to the traditional pneumatic muscle, including a consistent increase of force capacity over the entire range of motion, and a significant decrease of energy consumption in operation. Furthermore, the insert encompasses an additional chamber, which generates an extension force when pressurized. As such, this new actuator provides a unique bi-directional actuation capability, and, thus, has a potential to significantly simplify the design of a muscle actuator-powered robotic system. To demonstrate this new actuator concept, a prototype has been designed and fabricated, and experiments conducted on this prototype demonstrated the enhanced force capacity and the unique bi-directional actuation capability. PMID:25264492

  11. Double-Acting Sleeve Muscle Actuator for Bio-Robotic Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Hao; Shen, Xiangrong

    2013-11-25

    This paper presents a new type of muscle-like actuator, namely double-acting (DA) sleeve muscle actuator, which is suitable for the actuation of biologically-inspired and biomedical robotic systems, especially those serving human-assistance purposes (prostheses, orthoses, etc .). Developed based on the traditional pneumatic muscle actuator, the new DA sleeve muscle incorporates a unique insert at the center. With the insert occupying the central portion of the internal volume, this new actuator enjoys multiple advantages relative to the traditional pneumatic muscle, including a consistent increase of force capacity over the entire range of motion, and a significant decrease of energy consumption in operation. Furthermore, the insert encompasses an additional chamber, which generates an extension force when pressurized. As such, this new actuator provides a unique bi-directional actuation capability, and, thus, has a potential to significantly simplify the design of a muscle actuator-powered robotic system. To demonstrate this new actuator concept, a prototype has been designed and fabricated, and experiments conducted on this prototype demonstrated the enhanced force capacity and the unique bi-directional actuation capability.

  12. Dielectric elastomer actuators used for pneumatic valve technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giousouf, Metin; Kovacs, Gabor

    2013-01-01

    Dielectric elastomer actuators have been investigated for applications in the field of pneumatic automation technology. We have developed different valve designs with stacked dielectric elastomer actuators and with integrated high voltage converters. The actuators were made using VHB-4910 material and a stacker machine for automated fabrication of the cylindrical actuators. Typical characteristics of pneumatic valves such as flow rate, power consumption and dynamic behaviour are presented. For valve construction the force and stroke parameters of the dielectric elastomer actuator have been measured. Further, benefits for valve applications using dielectric elastomers are shown as well as their potential operational area. Finally, challenges are discussed that are relevant for the use of elastomer actuators in valves for industrial applications. (paper)

  13. 14 CFR 33.72 - Hydraulic actuating systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: AIRCRAFT ENGINES Design and Construction; Turbine Aircraft Engines § 33.72 Hydraulic actuating systems. Each hydraulic actuating system must function properly under all conditions in which the... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hydraulic actuating systems. 33.72 Section...

  14. Bismuth Sodium Titanate Based Materials for Piezoelectric Actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reichmann, Klaus; Feteira, Antonio; Li, Ming

    2015-12-04

    The ban of lead in many electronic products and the expectation that, sooner or later, this ban will include the currently exempt piezoelectric ceramics based on Lead-Zirconate-Titanate has motivated many research groups to look for lead-free substitutes. After a short overview on different classes of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics with large strain, this review will focus on Bismuth-Sodium-Titanate and its solid solutions. These compounds exhibit extraordinarily high strain, due to a field induced phase transition, which makes them attractive for actuator applications. The structural features of these materials and the origin of the field-induced strain will be revised. Technologies for texturing, which increases the useable strain, will be introduced. Finally, the features that are relevant for the application of these materials in a multilayer design will be summarized.

  15. Exact analysis of two kinds of piezoelectric actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Rong; Shi Zhifei

    2008-01-01

    Two kinds of piezoelectric hollow cylinder actuator are studied in this paper. One is the expansion actuator and the other is the contraction actuator. Using the Airy stress function method, the analytical solutions of these two kinds of actuators are obtained based on the theory of piezo-elasticity. The solutions are compared with numerical results and good agreement is found. Inherent properties of these two kinds of piezoelectric cylinder actuator are presented and discussed. Findings have applications in the field of micromechanics and microengineering

  16. Safety Assessment for transient event occurred during the ASTS test of Hanbit Unit 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Changkeun; Kim, Yohan; Ha, Sangjun

    2014-01-01

    Safety Injection has been actuated during the ASTS (Automatic Seismic Trip System) test of Hanbit Unit 2 on Feb. 28, 2014. It could be bad effect on system integrity. KHNP has been performed safety assessment of system for effect of Safety Injection (SI) actuation occurred during the ASTS test of hanbit Unit 2. Stable state of nuclear power plant system has been confirmed according to Safety Injection and reactor trip event occurred during the ASTS test of hanbit Unit 2. In the result of system safety assessment, major variables of nuclear power plant are located in optimal range and not exceed safety limit. It remains nuclear fuel and the integrity of the power plant is in a safe condition were conformed. After ASTS action, thermal elimination has been processed throughout the turbine until turbine signal occurrence because ASTS is connected to M-G set in the present hanbit Unit 2. Therefore, Safety Injection signal has been actuated by rapid reduction of Steam Generator pressure. In this paper, it is concluded that consideration of equipment and setpoint is needed for that Safety Injection has been not occurred under the unnecessary situation. Stable state of nuclear power plant system has been confirmed for Safety Injection and reactor trip event occurred during the ASTS test of hanbit Unit 2. In the result of system safety assessment, major variables of nuclear power plant are located in optimal range and not exceed safety limit. It remains nuclear fuel and the integrity of the plant is in a safe condition were conformed. It is concluded that consideration of equipment and setpoint is needed for that Safety Injection has been not occurred under the unnecessary situation

  17. The Actuated Guitar

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Jeppe Veirum; Overholt, Daniel; Moeslund, Thomas B.

    2013-01-01

    Playing a guitar is normally only for people with fully functional hands. In this work we investigate alternative interaction concepts to enable or re-enable people with non-functional right hands or arms to play a guitar via actuated strumming. The functionality and complexity of right hand...... interaction with the guitar is immense. We therefore divided the right hand techniques into three main areas: Strumming, string picking / skipping, and string muting. This paper explores the first stage, strum- ming. We have developed an exploratory platform called the Actuated Guitar that utilizes a normal...

  18. Theoretical and experimental study on active sound transmission control based on single structural mode actuation using point force actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanada, Akira; Tanaka, Nobuo

    2012-08-01

    This study deals with the feedforward active control of sound transmission through a simply supported rectangular panel using vibration actuators. The control effect largely depends on the excitation method, including the number and locations of actuators. In order to obtain a large control effect at low frequencies over a wide frequency, an active transmission control method based on single structural mode actuation is proposed. Then, with the goal of examining the feasibility of the proposed method, the (1, 3) mode is selected as the target mode and a modal actuation method in combination with six point force actuators is considered. Assuming that a single input single output feedforward control is used, sound transmission in the case minimizing the transmitted sound power is calculated for some actuation methods. Simulation results showed that the (1, 3) modal actuation is globally effective at reducing the sound transmission by more than 10 dB in the low-frequency range for both normal and oblique incidences. Finally, experimental results also showed that a large reduction could be achieved in the low-frequency range, which proves the validity and feasibility of the proposed method.

  19. Dynamic Actuation of Single-Crystal Diamond Nanobeams

    OpenAIRE

    Sohn, Young-Ik; Burek, Michael J.; Kara, Vural; Kearns, Ryan; Lončar, Marko

    2014-01-01

    We show the dielectrophoretic actuation of single-crystal diamond nanomechanical devices. Gradient radio-frequency electromagnetic forces are used to achieve actuation of both cantilever and doubly clamped beam structures, with operation frequencies ranging from a few MHz to ~50MHz. Frequency tuning and parametric actuation are also studied.

  20. 35 Hz shape memory alloy actuator with bending-twisting mode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Sung-Hyuk; Lee, Jang-Yeob; Rodrigue, Hugo; Choi, Ik-Seong; Kang, Yeon June; Ahn, Sung-Hoon

    2016-01-01

    Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) materials are widely used as an actuating source for bending actuators due to their high power density. However, due to the slow actuation speed of SMAs, there are limitations in their range of possible applications. This paper proposes a smart soft composite (SSC) actuator capable of fast bending actuation with large deformations. To increase the actuation speed of SMA actuator, multiple thin SMA wires are used to increase the heat dissipation for faster cooling. The actuation characteristics of the actuator at different frequencies are measured with different actuator lengths and results show that resonance can be used to realize large deformations up to 35 Hz. The actuation characteristics of the actuator can be modified by changing the design of the layered reinforcement structure embedded in the actuator, thus the natural frequency and length of an actuator can be optimized for a specific actuation speed. A model is used to compare with the experimental results of actuators with different layered reinforcement structure designs. Also, a bend-twist coupled motion using an anisotropic layered reinforcement structure at a speed of 10 Hz is also realized. By increasing their range of actuation characteristics, the proposed actuator extends the range of application of SMA bending actuators. PMID:26892438

  1. Handbook of driver assistance systems basic information, components and systems for active safety and comfort

    CERN Document Server

    Hakuli, Stephan; Lotz, Felix; Singer, Christina

    2016-01-01

    This fundamental work explains in detail systems for active safety and driver assistance, considering both their structure and their function. These include the well-known standard systems such as Anti-lock braking system (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) or Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). But it includes also new systems for protecting collisions protection, for changing the lane, or for convenient parking. The book aims at giving a complete picture focusing on the entire system. First, it describes the components which are necessary for assistance systems, such as sensors, actuators, mechatronic subsystems, and control elements. Then, it explains key features for the user-friendly design of human-machine interfaces between driver and assistance system. Finally, important characteristic features of driver assistance systems for particular vehicles are presented: Systems for commercial vehicles and motorcycles.

  2. ALWR safety approaches and trends. Implementation of passive safety features in the design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ignatiev, V

    1995-11-01

    Reactor vendors world-wide are examining various advanced light water reactors (ALWR) options to reach utility goals. The amount of information available about each design varies essentially depending on its maturity. Some advanced reactor designs are the evolutionary results of combining old structures, systems and components in new ways, others use innovative solutions. A summary review is given for better understanding of new ALWR design trends and approaches in different countries and subsequent R and D activities. An attempt was made to describe and assess specific innovative and passive features implemented in the leading ALWR designs for further plant design safety improvements. The advantages and disadvantages of these innovations in obtaining reliable systems have been considered. Also, this report indicates the importance of uncertainties remaining and identifies the additional work needed. 51 refs, 27 figs, 7 tabs.

  3. ALWR safety approaches and trends. Implementation of passive safety features in the design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ignatiev, V.

    1995-11-01

    Reactor vendors world-wide are examining various advanced light water reactors (ALWR) options to reach utility goals. The amount of information available about each design varies essentially depending on its maturity. Some advanced reactor designs are the evolutionary results of combining old structures, systems and components in new ways, others use innovative solutions. A summary review is given for better understanding of new ALWR design trends and approaches in different countries and subsequent R and D activities. An attempt was made to describe and assess specific innovative and passive features implemented in the leading ALWR designs for further plant design safety improvements. The advantages and disadvantages of these innovations in obtaining reliable systems have been considered. Also, this report indicates the importance of uncertainties remaining and identifies the additional work needed. 51 refs, 27 figs, 7 tabs

  4. A finite element model of rigid body structures actuated by dielectric elastomer actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simone, F.; Linnebach, P.; Rizzello, G.; Seelecke, S.

    2018-06-01

    This paper presents on finite element (FE) modeling and simulation of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) coupled with articulated structures. DEAs have proven to represent an effective transduction technology for the realization of large deformation, low-power consuming, and fast mechatronic actuators. However, the complex dynamic behavior of the material, characterized by nonlinearities and rate-dependent phenomena, makes it difficult to accurately model and design DEA systems. The problem is further complicated in case the DEA is used to activate articulated structures, which increase both system complexity and implementation effort of numerical simulation models. In this paper, we present a model based tool which allows to effectively implement and simulate complex articulated systems actuated by DEAs. A first prototype of a compact switch actuated by DEA membranes is chosen as reference study to introduce the methodology. The commercially available FE software COMSOL is used for implementing and coupling a physics-based dynamic model of the DEA with the external structure, i.e., the switch. The model is then experimentally calibrated and validated in both quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. Finally, preliminary results on how to use the simulation tool to optimize the design are presented.

  5. A novel multi-actuation CMOS RF MEMS switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chiung-I.; Ko, Chih-Hsiang; Huang, Tsun-Che

    2008-12-01

    This paper demonstrates a capacitive shunt type RF MEMS switch, which is actuated by electro-thermal actuator and electrostatic actuator at the same time, and than latching the switching status by electrostatic force only. Since thermal actuators need relative low voltage compare to electrostatic actuators, and electrostatic force needs almost no power to maintain the switching status, the benefits of the mechanism are very low actuation voltage and low power consumption. Moreover, the RF MEMS switch has considered issues for integrated circuit compatible in design phase. So the switch is fabricated by a standard 0.35um 2P4M CMOS process and uses wet etching and dry etching technologies for postprocess. This compatible ability is important because the RF characteristics are not only related to the device itself. If a packaged RF switch and a packaged IC wired together, the parasitic capacitance will cause the problem for optimization. The structure of the switch consists of a set of CPW transmission lines and a suspended membrane. The CPW lines and the membrane are in metal layers of CMOS process. Besides, the electro-thermal actuators are designed by polysilicon layer of the CMOS process. So the RF switch is only CMOS process layers needed for both electro-thermal and electrostatic actuations in switch. The thermal actuator is composed of a three-dimensional membrane and two heaters. The membrane is a stacked step structure including two metal layers in CMOS process, and heat is generated by poly silicon resistors near the anchors of membrane. Measured results show that the actuation voltage of the switch is under 7V for electro-thermal added electrostatic actuation.

  6. Vibrotactile using micromachined electromagnetic actuators array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Talbi, A; Ducloux, O; Tiercelin, N; Deblock, Y; Pernod, P; Preobrazhensky, V

    2006-01-01

    One motivating application of this technology is the development of a tactile display interface, where discrete mechanical actuators apply vibratory excitation at discrete locations on the skin. Specifically, this paper describes the development fabrication and characterization of a 4 x 4 micro-actuator array of vibrating pixels for fingertip tactile communication. The vibrting pixels are generated by using an electromagnetic microresonator. The fabrication sequence and the actuation performance of the array are also presented

  7. Pneumatic muscle actuated parallel asymmetrical gripper system with one mobile jaw

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deaconescu Tudor

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper pertains to the field of the current global endeavours in industrial robot construction, the presented research being oriented towards identifying innovative constructive solutions for gripper systems. The utilisation of the linear pneumatic muscle as actuator of the gripper system ensures a construction that is light, highly compliant, and that meets the safety requirements related to interaction with humans. The paper further presents and discusses such a system of asymmetrical construction with a single mobile jaw.

  8. Nonmagnetic driver for piezoelectric actuators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ekhtiari, Marzieh

    2014-01-01

    actuator drive is the only form-fit continuous drive solution currently available for the development of high performance nonmagnetic motors. In this research focus will be on the non magnetic compact high efficiency driver for the piezo actuators and on employing energy recovery from the capacitive...

  9. A novel hybrid actuation mechanism based XY nanopositioning stage with totally decoupled kinematics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Wu-Le; Zhu, Zhiwei; Guo, Ping; Ju, Bing-Feng

    2018-01-01

    This paper reports the design, analysis and testing of a parallel two degree-of-freedom piezo-actuated compliant stage for XY nanopositioning by introducing an innovative hybrid actuation mechanism. It mainly features the combination of two Scott-Russell and a half-bridge mechanisms for double-stage displacement amplification as well as moving direction modulation. By adopting the leaf-type double parallelogram (LTDP) structures at both input and output ends of the hybrid mechanism, the lateral stiffness and dynamic characteristics are significantly improved while the parasitic motions are greatly eliminated. The XY nanopositioning stage is constructed with two orthogonally configured hybrid mechanisms along with the LTDP mechanisms for totally decoupled kinematics at both input and output ends. An analytical model was established to describe the complete elastic deformation behavior of the stage, with further verification through the finite element simulation. Finally, experiments were implemented to comprehensively evaluate both the static and dynamic performances of the proposed stage. Closed-loop control of the piezoelectric actuators (PEA) by integrating strain gauges was also conducted to effectively eliminate the nonlinear hysteresis of the stage.

  10. Control Demonstration of a Thin Deformable In-Plane Actuated Mirror

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-03-01

    36 20. Influence Function of Actuator One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 21. Influence Function of Actuator Two...38 22. Influence Function of Actuator Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 23. Influence ... Function of Actuator Four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 24. Influence Function of Actuator Five

  11. Active Vibration Isolation Devices with Inertial Servo Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melik-Shakhnazarov, V. A.; Strelov, V. I.; Sofiyanchuk, D. V.; Tregubenko, A. A.

    2018-03-01

    The use of active vibration isolation devices (AVIDs) in aerospace engineering is subject to the following restrictions. First, the volume for installing additional devices is always limited in instrument racks and compartments. Secondly, in many cases, it is impossible to add supports for servo actuators for fundamental or design considerations. In the paper, it has been shown that this problem can be solved if the inertial servo actuators are used in AVIDs instead of reference actuators. A transfer function has been theoretically calculated for an AVID controlled by inertial actuators. It has been shown that the volume of a six-mode single-housing AVID with inertial actuators can be 2-2.5 times smaller than that of devices with support actuators.

  12. Research and development on reduced-moderation light water reactor with passive safety features (Contract research)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwamura, Takamichi; Okubo, Tsutomu; Akie, Hiroshi; Kugo, Teruhiko; Yonomoto, Taisuke; Kureta, Masatoshi; Ishikawa, Nobuyuki; Nagaya, Yasunobu; Araya, Fumimasa; Okajima, Shigeaki; Okumura, Keisuke; Suzuki, Motoe; Mineo, Hideaki; Nakatsuka, Toru

    2004-06-01

    The present report contains the achievement of 'Research and Development on Reduced-moderation Light Water Reactor with Passive Safety Features', which was performed by Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), Hitachi Ltd., Japan Atomic Power Company and Tokyo Institute of Technology in FY2000-2002 as the innovative and viable nuclear energy technology (IVNET) development project operated by the Institute of Applied Energy (IAE). In the present project, the reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR) has been developed to ensure sustainable energy supply and to solve the recent problems of nuclear power and nuclear fuel cycle, such as economical competitiveness, effective use of plutonium and reduction of spent fuel storage. The RMWR can attain the favorable characteristics such as high burnup, long operation cycle, multiple recycling of plutonium (Pu) and effective utilization of uranium resources based on accumulated LWR technologies. Our development target is 'Reduced-moderation Light Water Reactor with Passive Safety Features' with innovative technologies to achieve above mentioned requirement. Electric power is selected as 300 MWe considering anticipated size required for future deployment. The reactor core consists of MOX fuel assemblies with tight lattice arrangement to increase the conversion ratio. Design targets of the core specification are conversion ratio more than unity, negative void reactivity feedback coefficient to assure safety, discharged burnup more than 60 GWd/t and operation cycle more than 2 years. As for the reactor system, a small size natural circulation BWR with passive safety systems is adopted to increase safety and reduce construction cost. The results obtained are as follows: As regards core design study, core design was performed to meet the goal. Sequence of startup operation was constructed for the RMWR. As the plant design, plant system was designed to achieve enhanced economy using passive safety system effectively. In

  13. Recent Advances in the Control of Piezoelectric Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ziqiang Chi

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The micro/nano positioning field has made great progress towards enabling the advance of micro/nano technology. Micro/nano positioning stages actuated by piezoelectric actuators are the key devices in micro/nano manipulation. The control of piezoelectric actuators has emerged as a hot topic in recent years. Piezoelectric materials have inherent hysteresis and creep nonlinearity, which can reduce the accuracy of the manipulation, even causing the instability of the whole system. Remarkable efforts have been made to compensate for the nonlinearity of piezoelectric actuation through the mathematical modelling and control approaches. This paper provides a review of recent advances on the control of piezoelectric actuators. After a brief introduction of basic components of typical piezoelectric micro/nano positioning platforms, the working principle and modelling of piezoelectric actuators are outlined in this paper. This is followed with the major control method and recent progress is presented in detail. Finally, some open issues and future work on the control of piezoelectric actuators are extensively discussed.

  14. An earthworm-like actuator using segmented solenoids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Bu Hyun; Choi, Seung-Wook; Lee, Seung-Yop; Bang, Young-Bong

    2011-01-01

    A biomimetic actuator is developed using four segmented solenoids mimicking earthworm locomotion. The proposed actuator not only has a simple structure composed of cores and coils, but also enables bi-directional actuation and high speed locomotion regardless of friction conditions. We have implemented theoretical analysis to design the optimal profiles of input current signal for maximum speed and predict the output force and stroke. Experiments using a prototype show that the earthworm-like actuator travels with a speed above 60 mm s −1 regardless of friction conditions

  15. Electric-Pneumatic Actuator: A New Muscle for Locomotion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maziar Ahmad Sharbafi

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A better understanding of how actuator design supports locomotor function may help develop novel and more functional powered assistive devices or robotic legged systems. Legged robots comprise passive parts (e.g., segments, joints and connections which are moved in a coordinated manner by actuators. In this study, we propose a novel concept of a hybrid electric-pneumatic actuator (EPA as an enhanced variable impedance actuator (VIA. EPA is consisted of a pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM and an electric motor (EM. In contrast to other VIAs, the pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM within the EPA provides not only adaptable compliance, but also an additional powerful actuator with muscle-like properties, which can be arranged in different combinations (e.g., in series or parallel to the EM. The novel hybrid actuator shares the advantages of both integrated actuator types combining precise control of EM with compliant energy storage of PAM, which are required for efficient and adjustable locomotion. Experimental and simulation results based on the new dynamic model of PAM support the hypothesis that combination of the two actuators can improve efficiency (energy and peak power and performance, while does not increase control complexity and weight, considerably. Finally, the experiments on EPA adapted bipedal robot (knee joint of the BioBiped3 robot show improved efficiency of the actuator at different frequencies.

  16. Electromagnetic actuation in MEMS switches

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Oliveira Hansen, Roana Melina de; Mátéfi-Tempfli, Mária; Chemnitz, Steffen

    . Electromagnetic actuation is a very promising approach to operate such MEMS and Power MEMS devices, due to the long range, reproducible and strong forces generated by this method, among other advantages. However, the use of electromagnetic actuation in such devices requires the use of thick magnetic films, which...

  17. A wireless actuating drug delivery system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jo, Won-Jun; Baek, Seung-Ki; Park, Jung-Hwan

    2015-01-01

    A wireless actuating drug delivery system was devised. The system is based on induction heating for drug delivery. In this study, thermally generated nitrogen gas produced by induction heating of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) was utilized for pressure-driven release of the drug. The delivery device consists of an actuator chamber, a drug reservoir, and a microchannel. A semicircular copper disc (5 and 6 mm in diameter and 100 µm thick), and thermal conductive tape were integrated as the heating element in the actuator chamber. The final device was 2.7 mm thick. 28 µl of drug solution were placed in the reservoir and the device released the drug quickly at the rate of 6 µl s −1 by induction heating at 160 µT of magnetic intensity. The entire drug solution was released and dispersed after subcutaneous implantation under identical experimental condition. This study demonstrates that the device was simply prepared and drug delivery could be achieved by wireless actuation of a thin, pressure-driven actuator. (paper)

  18. Sealing-free fast-response paraffin/nanoporous gold hybrid actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Xing-Long; Jin, Hai-Jun

    2017-09-01

    Paraffin-based actuators can deliver large actuation strokes and high actuation stress, but often suffer from a low response rate and leaking problems. Here, we report a new paraffin/metal hybrid actuator, which was fabricated by infiltrating nanoporous gold with paraffin. It exhibits a fast actuation rate owing to the high thermal conductivity of the inter-connected metal phase, and requires no external sealing because liquid paraffin can be well confined in nanoscale channels, due to the large capillarity. We found that in this hybrid actuator, the stress generated by actuation is negligibly small when the characteristic size of the nanoporous gold (L) is above ˜70 nm, and increases dramatically with a decreasing size when L paraffin wax—the paraffin in smaller pores can sustain larger tensile stress, and thus the contraction of paraffin during cooling can be translated into larger compression stress and strain energy in a metal framework, leading to a larger actuation stress and energy. We also demonstrate that complex actuation motions can be achieved by incorporating hierarchical-structured nanoporous metal with paraffin.

  19. Simulation of wind turbine wakes using the actuator line technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sørensen, Jens N; Mikkelsen, Robert F; Henningson, Dan S; Ivanell, Stefan; Sarmast, Sasan; Andersen, Søren J

    2015-02-28

    The actuator line technique was introduced as a numerical tool to be employed in combination with large eddy simulations to enable the study of wakes and wake interaction in wind farms. The technique is today largely used for studying basic features of wakes as well as for making performance predictions of wind farms. In this paper, we give a short introduction to the wake problem and the actuator line methodology and present a study in which the technique is employed to determine the near-wake properties of wind turbines. The presented results include a comparison of experimental results of the wake characteristics of the flow around a three-bladed model wind turbine, the development of a simple analytical formula for determining the near-wake length behind a wind turbine and a detailed investigation of wake structures based on proper orthogonal decomposition analysis of numerically generated snapshots of the wake. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  20. Double closed-loop cascade control for lower limb exoskeleton with elastic actuation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yanhe; Zheng, Tianjiao; Jin, Hongzhe; Yang, Jixing; Zhao, Jie

    2015-01-01

    Unlike traditional rigid actuators, the significant features of Series Elastic Actuator (SEA) are stable torque control, lower output impedance, impact resistance and energy storage. Recently, SEA has been applied in many exoskeletons. In such applications, a key issue is how to realize the human-exoskeleton movement coordination. In this paper, double closed-loop cascade control for lower limb exoskeleton with SEA is proposed. This control method consists of inner SEA torque loop and outer contact force loop. Utilizing the SEA torque control with a motor velocity loop, actuation performances of SEA are analyzed. An integrated exoskeleton control system is designed, in which joint angles are calculated by internal encoders and resolvers and contact forces are gathered by external pressure sensors. The double closed-loop cascade control model is established based on the feedback signals of internal and external sensor. Movement experiments are accomplished in our prototype of lower limb exoskeleton. Preliminary results indicate the exoskeleton movements with pilot can be realized stably by utilizing this double closed-loop cascade control method. Feasibility of the SEA in our exoskeleton robot and effectiveness of the control method are verified.

  1. Unbalance detection in rotor systems with active bearings using self-sensing piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambur, Ramakrishnan; Rinderknecht, Stephan

    2018-03-01

    Machines which are developed today are highly automated due to increased use of mechatronic systems. To ensure their reliable operation, fault detection and isolation (FDI) is an important feature along with a better control. This research work aims to achieve and integrate both these functions with minimum number of components in a mechatronic system. This article investigates a rotating machine with active bearings equipped with piezoelectric actuators. There is an inherent coupling between their electrical and mechanical properties because of which they can also be used as sensors. Mechanical deflection can be reconstructed from these self-sensing actuators from measured voltage and current signals. These virtual sensor signals are utilised to detect unbalance in a rotor system. Parameters of unbalance such as its magnitude and phase are detected by parametric estimation method in frequency domain. Unbalance location has been identified using hypothesis of localization of faults. Robustness of the estimates against outliers in measurements is improved using weighted least squares method. Unbalances are detected in a real test bench apart from simulation using its model. Experiments are performed in stationary as well as in transient case. As a further step unbalances are estimated during simultaneous actuation of actuators in closed loop with an adaptive algorithm for vibration minimisation. This strategy could be used in systems which aim for both fault detection and control action.

  2. Analysis of solutions for passively activated safety shutdown devices for SFR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burgazzi, Luciano

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Innovative systems for emergency shut down of fast reactors are proposed. • The concepts of inherent and passive safety are put forward. • The relative analysis in terms of safety and reliability is presented. • A comparative assessment among the concepts is performed. • Path forward is tracked. -- Abstract: In order to enhance the inherent safety of fast reactors, innovative reactivity control systems have been proposed for intrinsic ultimate shut-down instead of conventional scram rods, to cope with the potential consequences of severe unprotected transient accidents, such as an energetic core disruptive accident, as in case of sodium fast reactors. The passive shut-down systems are designed to shut-down system only by inherent passive reactivity feedback mechanism, under unprotected accident conditions, implying failure of reactor protection system. They are conceived to be self-actuated without any signal elaboration, since the actuation of the system is triggered by the effects induced by the transient like material dilatation, in case of overheating of the coolant for instance, according to fast reactor design to meet the safety requirements. This article looks at different special shutdown systems specifically engineered for prevention of severe accidents, to be implemented on fast reactors, with main focus on the investigation of the performance of the self-actuated shutdown systems in sodium fast reactors

  3. Preliminary safety analysis for key design features of KALIMER with breakeven core

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hahn, Do Hee; Kwon, Y. M.; Chang, W. P.; Suk, S. D.; Lee, Y. B.; Jeong, K. S

    2001-06-01

    KAERI is currently developing the conceptual design of a Liquid Metal Reactor, KALIMER (Korea Advanced Liquid MEtal Reactor) under the Long-term Nuclear R and D Program. KALIMER addresses key issues regarding future nuclear power plants such as plant safety, economics, proliferation, and waste. In this report, descriptions of safety design features and safety analyses results for selected ATWS accidents for the breakeven core KALIMER are presented. First, the basic approach to achieve the safety goal is introduced in Chapter 1, and the safety evaluation procedure for the KALIMER design is described in Chapter 2. It includes event selection, event categorization, description of design basis events, and beyond design basis events.In Chapter 3, results of inherent safety evaluations for the KALIMER conceptual design are presented. The KALIMER core and plant system are designed to assure benign performance during a selected set of events without either reactor control or protection system intervention. Safety analyses for the postulated anticipated transient without scram (ATWS) have been performed to investigate the KALIMER system response to the events. In Chapter 4, the design of the KALIMER containment dome and the results of its performance analyses are presented. The design of the existing containment and the KALIMER containment dome are compared in this chapter. Procedure of the containment performance analysis and the analysis results are described along with the accident scenario and source terms. Finally, a simple methodology is introduced to investigate the core energetics behavior during HCDA in Chapter 5. Sensitivity analyses have been performed for the KALIMER core behavior during super-prompt critical excursions, using mathematical formulations developed in the framework of the Modified Bethe-Tait method. Work energy potential was then calculated based on the isentropic fuel expansion model.

  4. Pneumatic Variable Series Elastic Actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Hao; Wu, Molei; Shen, Xiangrong

    2016-08-01

    Inspired by human motor control theory, stiffness control is highly effective in manipulation and human-interactive tasks. The implementation of stiffness control in robotic systems, however, has largely been limited to closed-loop control, and suffers from multiple issues such as limited frequency range, potential instability, and lack of contribution to energy efficiency. Variable-stiffness actuator represents a better solution, but the current designs are complex, heavy, and bulky. The approach in this paper seeks to address these issues by using pneumatic actuator as a variable series elastic actuator (VSEA), leveraging the compressibility of the working fluid. In this work, a pneumatic actuator is modeled as an elastic element with controllable stiffness and equilibrium point, both of which are functions of air masses in the two chambers. As such, for the implementation of stiffness control in a robotic system, the desired stiffness/equilibrium point can be converted to the desired chamber air masses, and a predictive pressure control approach is developed to control the timing of valve switching to obtain the desired air mass while minimizing control action. Experimental results showed that the new approach in this paper requires less expensive hardware (on-off valve instead of proportional valve), causes less control action in implementation, and provides good control performance by leveraging the inherent dynamics of the actuator.

  5. Three-dimensional graphene-polypyrrole hybrid electrochemical actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jia; Wang, Zhi; Zhao, Yang; Cheng, Huhu; Hu, Chuangang; Jiang, Lan; Qu, Liangti

    2012-11-01

    The advancement of mechanical actuators benefits from the development of new structural materials with prominent properties. A novel three-dimensional (3D) hydrothermally converted graphene and polypyrrole (G-PPy) hybrid electrochemical actuator is presented, which is prepared via a convenient hydrothermal process, followed by in situ electropolymerization of pyrrole. The 3D pore-interconnected G-PPy pillar exhibits strong actuation responses superior to pure graphene and PPy film. In response to the low potentials of +/-0.8 V, the saturated strain of 3D G-PPy pillar can reach a record of 2.5%, which is more than 10 times higher than that of carbon nanotube film and about 3 times that of unitary graphene film under an applied potential of +/-1.2 V. Also, the 3D G-PPy actuator exhibits high actuation durability with high operating load as demonstrated by an 11 day continuous measurement. Finally, a proof-of-concept application of 3D G-PPy as smart filler for on/off switch is also demonstrated, which indicates the great potential of the 3D G-PPy structure developed in this study for advanced actuator systems.The advancement of mechanical actuators benefits from the development of new structural materials with prominent properties. A novel three-dimensional (3D) hydrothermally converted graphene and polypyrrole (G-PPy) hybrid electrochemical actuator is presented, which is prepared via a convenient hydrothermal process, followed by in situ electropolymerization of pyrrole. The 3D pore-interconnected G-PPy pillar exhibits strong actuation responses superior to pure graphene and PPy film. In response to the low potentials of +/-0.8 V, the saturated strain of 3D G-PPy pillar can reach a record of 2.5%, which is more than 10 times higher than that of carbon nanotube film and about 3 times that of unitary graphene film under an applied potential of +/-1.2 V. Also, the 3D G-PPy actuator exhibits high actuation durability with high operating load as demonstrated by an 11 day

  6. Transitory Control of Unsteady Separation using Pulsed Actuation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woo, George T K; Glezer, Ari

    2011-01-01

    The dynamic mechanisms of transitory flow attachment effected by pulsed actuation of the separated flow over a stalled airfoil are investigated experimentally. Actuation is effected by momentary pulsed jets generated by a spanwise array of combustion-based actuators such that the characteristic time of jet duration is nominally an order of magnitude shorter than the flow's convective time scale. The transitory flow field in the cross stream plane above the airfoil and in its near wake is investigated using multiple high-resolution PIV images that are obtained phase-locked to the actuation for continuous tracking of vorticity concentrations. The brief actuation pulse leads to severing of the separated vorticity layer and the subsequent shedding of large-scale vortical structures owing to the collapse of the separated flow domain which is accompanied by strong changes in the circulation about the entire airfoil. By exploiting the disparity between the characteristic times of flow response to actuation and relaxation, it is shown that successive actuation pulses can extend the flow attachment and enhance the global aerodynamic performance. It is also shown that coupling of the actuation to the airfoil's motion during cyclical pitch enhances the effect of transitory flow control and leads to a significant suppression of dynamic stall.

  7. Effect of plasma actuator control parameters on a transitional flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das Gupta, Arnob; Roy, Subrata

    2018-04-01

    This study uses a wall-resolved implicit large eddy simulation to investigate the effects of different surface dielectric barrier discharge actuator parameters such as the geometry of the electrodes, frequency, amplitude of actuation and thermal effect. The actuator is used as a tripping device on a zero-pressure gradient laminar boundary layer flow. It is shown that the standard linear actuator creates structures like the Tollmien-Schlichting wave transition. The circular serpentine, square serpentine and spanwise actuators have subharmonic sinuous streak breakdown and behave like oblique wave transition scenario. The spanwise and square actuators cause comparably faster transition to turbulence. The square actuator adds energy into the higher spanwise wavenumber modes resulting in a faster transition compared to the circular actuator. When the Strouhal number of actuation is varied, the transition does not occur for a value below 0.292. Higher frequencies with same amplitude of actuation lead to faster transition. Small changes (<4%) in the amplitude of actuation can have a significant impact on the transition location which suggests that an optimal combination of frequency and amplitude exists for highest control authority. The thermal bumps approximating the actuator heating only shows localized effects on the later stages of transition for temperatures up to 373 K and can be ignored for standard actuators operating in subsonic regimes.

  8. Bio-inspired wooden actuators for large scale applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rüggeberg, Markus; Burgert, Ingo

    2015-01-01

    Implementing programmable actuation into materials and structures is a major topic in the field of smart materials. In particular the bilayer principle has been employed to develop actuators that respond to various kinds of stimuli. A multitude of small scale applications down to micrometer size have been developed, but up-scaling remains challenging due to either limitations in mechanical stiffness of the material or in the manufacturing processes. Here, we demonstrate the actuation of wooden bilayers in response to changes in relative humidity, making use of the high material stiffness and a good machinability to reach large scale actuation and application. Amplitude and response time of the actuation were measured and can be predicted and controlled by adapting the geometry and the constitution of the bilayers. Field tests in full weathering conditions revealed long-term stability of the actuation. The potential of the concept is shown by a first demonstrator. With the sensor and actuator intrinsically incorporated in the wooden bilayers, the daily change in relative humidity is exploited for an autonomous and solar powered movement of a tracker for solar modules.

  9. Dielectric elastomer actuators for octopus inspired suction cups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Follador, M; Tramacere, F; Mazzolai, B

    2014-09-25

    Suction cups are often found in nature as attachment strategy in water. Nevertheless, the application of the artificial counterpart is limited by the dimension of the actuators and their usability in wet conditions. A novel design for the development of a suction cup inspired by octopus suckers is presented. The main focus of this research was on the modelling and characterization of the actuation unit, and a first prototype of the suction cup was realized as a proof of concept. The actuation of the suction cup is based on dielectric elastomer actuators. The presented device works in a wet environment, has an integrated actuation system, and is soft. The dimensions of the artificial suction cups are comparable to proximal octopus suckers, and the attachment mechanism is similar to the biological counterpart. The design approach proposed for the actuator allows the definition of the parameters for its development and for obtaining a desired pressure in water. The fabricated actuator is able to produce up to 6 kPa of pressure in water, reaching the maximum pressure in less than 300 ms.

  10. Dielectric elastomer actuators for octopus inspired suction cups

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Follador, M; Tramacere, F; Mazzolai, B

    2014-01-01

    Suction cups are often found in nature as attachment strategy in water. Nevertheless, the application of the artificial counterpart is limited by the dimension of the actuators and their usability in wet conditions. A novel design for the development of a suction cup inspired by octopus suckers is presented. The main focus of this research was on the modelling and characterization of the actuation unit, and a first prototype of the suction cup was realized as a proof of concept. The actuation of the suction cup is based on dielectric elastomer actuators. The presented device works in a wet environment, has an integrated actuation system, and is soft. The dimensions of the artificial suction cups are comparable to proximal octopus suckers, and the attachment mechanism is similar to the biological counterpart. The design approach proposed for the actuator allows the definition of the parameters for its development and for obtaining a desired pressure in water. The fabricated actuator is able to produce up to 6 kPa of pressure in water, reaching the maximum pressure in less than 300 ms. (paper)

  11. Actuator management for ECRH at ASDEX Upgrade

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rapson, Christopher J., E-mail: chris.rapson@ipp.mpg.de; Reich, Matthias; Stober, Joerg; Treutterer, Wolfgang

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • Real-time actuator management algorithm developed for ECRH at ASDEX Upgrade. • First use of a control hierarchy in a fusion experiment. • Cost function evaluates optimal combination of all gyrotrons to all possible targets. • Considers many factors e.g. mirror movement, power available, presence and mode number of NTMs. • Configurable, robust algorithm is ready for online testing. - Abstract: Automated actuator management will be necessary on long pulse fusion experiments to adjust to unforeseen plasma events and unpredictable actuator availability. However, as a control problem, actuator management is underdeveloped in the fusion community. This contribution proposes an algorithm based on a control hierarchy and a cost function to optimally allocate scarce actuator resources to various objectives in real-time. Details are given on the development and offline testing which have been completed ready for deployment at ASDEX Upgrade. Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) is particularly relevant for actuator management due to its localised deposition which can flexibly target specific regions of the plasma for different effects such as non-inductive current drive, impurity regulation, control of MHD modes and of course heating. A further motivation is that automated actuator management will simplify the setup of ECRH, in keeping with the long term goal of integrating MHD control as a routine part of ASDEX Upgrade experiments.

  12. Actuator management for ECRH at ASDEX Upgrade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rapson, Christopher J.; Reich, Matthias; Stober, Joerg; Treutterer, Wolfgang

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Real-time actuator management algorithm developed for ECRH at ASDEX Upgrade. • First use of a control hierarchy in a fusion experiment. • Cost function evaluates optimal combination of all gyrotrons to all possible targets. • Considers many factors e.g. mirror movement, power available, presence and mode number of NTMs. • Configurable, robust algorithm is ready for online testing. - Abstract: Automated actuator management will be necessary on long pulse fusion experiments to adjust to unforeseen plasma events and unpredictable actuator availability. However, as a control problem, actuator management is underdeveloped in the fusion community. This contribution proposes an algorithm based on a control hierarchy and a cost function to optimally allocate scarce actuator resources to various objectives in real-time. Details are given on the development and offline testing which have been completed ready for deployment at ASDEX Upgrade. Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) is particularly relevant for actuator management due to its localised deposition which can flexibly target specific regions of the plasma for different effects such as non-inductive current drive, impurity regulation, control of MHD modes and of course heating. A further motivation is that automated actuator management will simplify the setup of ECRH, in keeping with the long term goal of integrating MHD control as a routine part of ASDEX Upgrade experiments.

  13. Electroactive Ionic Soft Actuators with Monolithically Integrated Gold Nanocomposite Electrodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Yunsong; Santaniello, Tommaso; Bettini, Luca Giacomo; Minnai, Chloé; Bellacicca, Andrea; Porotti, Riccardo; Denti, Ilaria; Faraone, Gabriele; Merlini, Marco; Lenardi, Cristina; Milani, Paolo

    2017-06-01

    Electroactive ionic gel/metal nanocomposites are produced by implanting supersonically accelerated neutral gold nanoparticles into a novel chemically crosslinked ion conductive soft polymer. The ionic gel consists of chemically crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) and polyacrylonitrile networks, blended with halloysite nanoclays and imidazolium-based ionic liquid. The material exhibits mechanical properties similar to that of elastomers (Young's modulus ≈ 0.35 MPa) together with high ionic conductivity. The fabrication of thin (≈100 nm thick) nanostructured compliant electrodes by means of supersonic cluster beam implantation (SCBI) does not significantly alter the mechanical properties of the soft polymer and provides controlled electrical properties and large surface area for ions storage. SCBI is cost effective and suitable for the scaleup manufacturing of electroactive soft actuators. This study reports the high-strain electromechanical actuation performance of the novel ionic gel/metal nanocomposites in a low-voltage regime (from 0.1 to 5 V), with long-term stability up to 76 000 cycles with no electrode delamination or deterioration. The observed behavior is due to both the intrinsic features of the ionic gel (elasticity and ionic transport capability) and the electrical and morphological features of the electrodes, providing low specific resistance (<100 Ω cm -2 ), high electrochemical capacitance (≈mF g -1 ), and minimal mechanical stress at the polymer/metal composite interface upon deformation. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. FEM assisted design and simulation of novel electrothermal actuators

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Deladi, S.; Krijnen, Gijsbertus J.M.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

    2003-01-01

    In this work the authors present the design, simulation, and experimental results of novel electrothermal actuators, such as the trimorph actuator for out-of-plane motion, the coupled in-plane actuator for in-plane motion and an actuator providing combined in- and out-of-plane motion that have been

  15. Passive safety systems for integral reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuul, V.S.; Samoilov, O.B.

    1996-01-01

    In this paper, a wide range of passive safety systems intended for use on integral reactors is considered. The operation of these systems relies on natural processes and does not require external power supplies. Using these systems, there is the possibility of preventing serious consequences for all classes of accidents including reactivity, loss-of-coolant and loss of heat sink as well as severe accidents. Enhancement of safety system reliability has been achieved through the use of self-actuating devices, capable of providing passive initiation of protective and isolation systems, which respond immediately to variations in the physical parameters of the fluid in the reactor or in a guard vessel. For beyond design base accidents accompanied by complete loss of heat removal capability, autonomous self-actuated ERHR trains have been proposed. These trains are completely independent of the secondary loops and need no action to isolate them from the steam turbine plant. Passive safety principles have been consistently implemented in AST-500, ATETS-200 and VPBER 600 which are new generation NPPs developed by OKBM. Their main characteristic is enhanced stability over a wide range of internal and external emergency initiators. (author). 10 figs

  16. Passive safety systems for integral reactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuul, V S; Samoilov, O B [OKB Mechanical Engineering (Russian Federation)

    1996-12-01

    In this paper, a wide range of passive safety systems intended for use on integral reactors is considered. The operation of these systems relies on natural processes and does not require external power supplies. Using these systems, there is the possibility of preventing serious consequences for all classes of accidents including reactivity, loss-of-coolant and loss of heat sink as well as severe accidents. Enhancement of safety system reliability has been achieved through the use of self-actuating devices, capable of providing passive initiation of protective and isolation systems, which respond immediately to variations in the physical parameters of the fluid in the reactor or in a guard vessel. For beyond design base accidents accompanied by complete loss of heat removal capability, autonomous self-actuated ERHR trains have been proposed. These trains are completely independent of the secondary loops and need no action to isolate them from the steam turbine plant. Passive safety principles have been consistently implemented in AST-500, ATETS-200 and VPBER 600 which are new generation NPPs developed by OKBM. Their main characteristic is enhanced stability over a wide range of internal and external emergency initiators. (author). 10 figs.

  17. Paper Actuators Made with Cellulose and Hybrid Materials

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Jaehwan; Yun, Sungryul; Mahadeva, Suresha K.; Yun, Kiju; Yang, Sang Yeol; Maniruzzaman, Mohammad

    2010-01-01

    Recently, cellulose has been re-discovered as a smart material that can be used as sensor and actuator materials, which is termed electro-active paper (EAPap). This paper reports recent advances in paper actuators made with cellulose and hybrid materials such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes, conducting polymers and ionic liquids. Two distinct actuator principles in EAPap actuators are demonstrated: piezoelectric effect and ion migration effect in cellulose. Piezoelectricity of cellulose EAPa...

  18. Design and safety features of commercial nuclear power plants in Japan, 1976 edition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Izumi, Fumio; Harayama, Yasuo

    1976-10-01

    The December 1975 edition (JAERI-M 5959) contained design particulars and safety features of 20 commercial nuclear power plants in Japan as of December 1974. Subsequently new plants have been put into operation and some plants under construction have undergone design modifications. The present edition presents similar data of the commercial nuclear power plants in Japan up to June 1976, compiled by computer processing. (auth.)

  19. Fast bender actuators for fish-like aquatic robots

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGovern, S. T.; Spinks, G. M.; Xi, B.; Alici, G.; Truong, V.; Wallace, G. G.

    2008-03-01

    Small, highly-mobile "swimming" robots are desired for underwater monitoring operations, including pollution detection, video mapping and other tasks. Actuator materials of all types are of interest for any application where space is limited. This constraint certainly applies to the small-scale swimming robot, where multiple small actuators are needed for forward/backward propulsion, steering and diving/surfacing. A number of previous studies have demonstrated propulsion of floating objects using IPMC type polymer actuators [1-3] or piezoceramic actuators [4, 5]. Here, we show how propulsion is also possible using a multi-layer polypyrrole bimorph actuator. The actuator is based on our previously published work showing very fast resonance actuation in polypyrrole bending-type actuators [6]. The bending actuator is a tri-layer structure, in which the gold-PVDF (porous poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane) substrate was coated on both sides with polypyrrole layers to form an electrochemical cell. Polypyrrole films on gold coated PVDF were grown galvanostatically at a current density of 0.10 mA/cm2 for 12 hours from propylene carbonate (PC) solution containing 0.1 M Li+TFSI-, 0.1 M pyrrole and 1% (w/w) water. The polypyrrole deposited PVDF was thoroughly rinsed with acetone and stored in 0.1 M Li+TFSI- / PC solution. The edges of the bulk film were trimmed off and the bending actuators were prepared as rectangular strips typically 2mm wide and 25 mm long. These actuators gave fast operation in air (to 90 Hz), and were utilised as active flexural joints on the tail fin of a fishshaped floating "boat". The actuators were attached to a simple truncated shaped fin and the deflection angle was analysed in both air and liquid for excitation with +/- 1V square wave at a range of frequencies. The mechanical resonance of the fin was seen to be 4.5 Hz in air and 0.45 Hz in PC, which gave deflection angles of approximately 60° and 55° respectively. The boat contained a battery

  20. Analytical design model for a piezo-composite unimorph actuator and its verification using lightweight piezo-composite curved actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, K. J.; Park, K. H.; Lee, S. K.; Goo, N. S.; Park, H. C.

    2004-06-01

    This paper describes an analytical design model for a layered piezo-composite unimorph actuator and its numerical and experimental verification using a LIPCA (lightweight piezo-composite curved actuator) that is lighter than other conventional piezo-composite type actuators. The LIPCA is composed of top fiber composite layers with high modulus and low CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion), a middle PZT ceramic wafer, and base layers with low modulus and high CTE. The advantages of the LIPCA design are to replace the heavy metal layer of THUNDER by lightweight fiber-reinforced plastic layers without compromising the generation of high force and large displacement and to have design flexibility by selecting the fiber direction and the number of prepreg layers. In addition to the lightweight advantage and design flexibility, the proposed device can be manufactured without adhesive layers when we use a resin prepreg system. A piezo-actuation model for a laminate with piezo-electric material layers and fiber composite layers is proposed to predict the curvature and residual stress of the LIPCA. To predict the actuation displacement of the LIPCA with curvature, a finite element analysis method using the proposed piezo-actuation model is introduced. The predicted deformations are in good agreement with the experimental ones.

  1. True Low-Power Self-Locking Soft Actuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Seung Jae; Kim, Onnuri; Park, Moon Jeong

    2018-03-01

    Natural double-layered structures observed in living organisms are known to exhibit asymmetric volume changes with environmental triggers. Typical examples are natural roots of plants, which show unique self-organized bending behavior in response to environmental stimuli. Herein, light- and electro-active polymer (LEAP) based actuators with a double-layered structure are reported. The LEAP actuators exhibit an improvement of 250% in displacement and hold an object three times heavier as compared to that in the case of conventional electro-active polymer actuators. Most interestingly, the bending motion of the LEAP actuators can be effectively locked for a few tens of minutes even in the absence of a power supply. Further, the self-locking LEAP actuators show a large and reversible bending strain of more than 2.0% and require only 6.2 mW h cm -2 of energy to hold an object for 15 min at an operating voltage of 3 V. These novel self-locking soft actuators should find wide applicability in artificial muscles, biomedical microdevices, and various innovative soft robot technologies. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Development of a metal-based composite actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asanuma, Hiroshi; Haga, Osamu; Ishii, Toshio; Kurihara, Haruki; Ohira, Junichiro; Hakoda, Genji

    2000-06-01

    This paper describes a basic concept and elemental developments to realize a metal based composite actuator to be used for smart structures. In this study, CFRP prepreg was laminated on aluminum plate to develop an actuator and this laminate could perform unidirectional actuation. SiC continuous fiber/Al composite thin plate could also be used for form a modified type of actuator instead of using CFRP. As sensors to be embedded in this actuator, the following ones wee developed. (1) A pre-notched optical fiber filament could be embedded in aluminum matrix without fracture by the interphase forming/bonding method with copper insert and could be fractured in it at the notch, which enabled forming of an optical interference type strain sensor. (2) Nickel wire could be uniformly oxidized and embedded in aluminum matrix without fracture, which could successfully work as a temperature sensor and a strain sensor.

  3. Electric-Pneumatic Actuator: A New Muscle for Locomotion

    OpenAIRE

    Ahmad Sharbafi, Maziar; Shin, Hirofumi; Zhao, Guoping; Hosoda, Koh; Seyfarth, Andre

    2017-01-01

    A better understanding of how actuator design supports locomotor function may help develop novel and more functional powered assistive devices or robotic legged systems. Legged robots comprise passive parts (e.g., segments, joints and connections) which are moved in a coordinated manner by actuators. In this study, we propose a novel concept of a hybrid electric-pneumatic actuator (EPA) as an enhanced variable impedance actuator (VIA). EPA is consisted of a pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) a...

  4. Paper actuators made with cellulose and hybrid materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jaehwan; Yun, Sungryul; Mahadeva, Suresha K; Yun, Kiju; Yang, Sang Yeol; Maniruzzaman, Mohammad

    2010-01-01

    Recently, cellulose has been re-discovered as a smart material that can be used as sensor and actuator materials, which is termed electro-active paper (EAPap). This paper reports recent advances in paper actuators made with cellulose and hybrid materials such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes, conducting polymers and ionic liquids. Two distinct actuator principles in EAPap actuators are demonstrated: piezoelectric effect and ion migration effect in cellulose. Piezoelectricity of cellulose EAPap is quite comparable with other piezoelectric polymers. But, it is biodegradable, biocompatible, mechanically strong and thermally stable. To enhance ion migration effect in the cellulose, polypyrrole conducting polymer and ionic liquids were nanocoated on the cellulose film. This hybrid cellulose EAPap nanocomposite exhibits durable bending actuation in an ambient humidity and temperature condition. Fabrication, characteristics and performance of the cellulose EAPap and its hybrid EAPap materials are illustrated. Also, its possibility for remotely microwave-driven paper actuator is demonstrated.

  5. Energy Efficient Wireless Vehicular-Guided Actuator Network

    KAUST Repository

    Boudellioua, Imene

    2013-06-09

    In this paper, we present an energy-efficient vehicular guided system for environmental disaster management using wireless sensor/actuator networks. Sensor nodes within clusters are controlled by a master node that is dynamically selected. Actuators support mobility for every sensor node in the area of interest. The system maintains energy efficiency using statistical, correlation, and confidence for determining actuator actions and implements an adaptive energy scheme to prolong the system lifespan. Experimental results show that the system is capable of saving up to 2.7Watt for every 28KByte of data exchanged. We also show that actuator actions are correct with a 90% confidence.

  6. Tension Stiffened and Tendon Actuated Manipulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doggett, William R. (Inventor); Dorsey, John T. (Inventor); Ganoe, George G. (Inventor); King, Bruce D. (Inventor); Jones, Thomas C. (Inventor); Mercer, Charles D. (Inventor); Corbin, Cole K. (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    A tension stiffened and tendon actuated manipulator is provided performing robotic-like movements when acquiring a payload. The manipulator design can be adapted for use in-space, lunar or other planetary installations as it is readily configurable for acquiring and precisely manipulating a payload in both a zero-g environment and in an environment with a gravity field. The manipulator includes a plurality of link arms, a hinge connecting adjacent link arms together to allow the adjacent link arms to rotate relative to each other and a cable actuation and tensioning system provided between adjacent link arms. The cable actuation and tensioning system includes a spreader arm and a plurality of driven and non-driven elements attached to the link arms and the spreader arm. At least one cable is routed around the driven and non-driven elements for actuating the hinge.

  7. Evaluation of pneumatic cylinder actuators for hand prostheses

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Peerdeman, B.; Smit, Gerwin; Stramigioli, Stefano; Plettenburg, Dick; Misra, Sarthak

    2012-01-01

    DC motors are currently the preferred actuation method for externally powered hand prostheses. However, they are often heavy and large, which limits the number of actuators that can be integrated into the prosthesis. Alternative actuation methods are being researched, but have not yet found wide

  8. A novel energy-efficient rotational variable stiffness actuator

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rao, S.; Carloni, Raffaella; Stramigioli, Stefano

    This paper presents the working principle, the design and realization of a novel rotational variable stiffness actuator, whose stiffness can be varied independently of its output angular position. This actuator is energy-efficient, meaning that the stiffness of the actuator can be varied by keeping

  9. EMC design for actuators in the FAST reflector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hai-Yan; Wu, Ming-Chang; Yue, You-Ling; Gan, Heng-Qian; Hu, Hao; Huang, Shi-Jie

    2018-04-01

    An active reflector is one of the three main innovations incorporated in the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The deformation of such a huge spherically shaped reflector into different transient parabolic shapes is achieved by using 2225 hydraulic actuators which change the position of the 2225 nodes through the connected down tied cables. For each different tracking process of the telescope, more than 1/3 of these 2225 actuators must be in operation to tune the parabolic aperture accurately and meet the surface error restriction. This means that some of these actuators are inevitably located within the main beam of the receiver, and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) from the actuators must be mitigated to ensure the scientific output of the telescope. Based on the threshold level of interference detrimental to radio astronomy described in ITU-R Recommendation RA.769 and EMI measurements, the shielding efficiency (SE) requirement for each actuator is set to be 80 dB in the frequency range from 70 MHz to 3 GHz. Therefore, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) was taken into account in the actuator design by measures such as power line filters, optical fibers, shielding enclosures and other structural measures. In 2015, all the actuators had been installed at the FAST site. Till now, no apparent EMI from the actuators has been detected by the receiver, which demonstrates the effectiveness of these EMC measures.

  10. Bio-inspired wooden actuators for large scale applications.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Rüggeberg

    Full Text Available Implementing programmable actuation into materials and structures is a major topic in the field of smart materials. In particular the bilayer principle has been employed to develop actuators that respond to various kinds of stimuli. A multitude of small scale applications down to micrometer size have been developed, but up-scaling remains challenging due to either limitations in mechanical stiffness of the material or in the manufacturing processes. Here, we demonstrate the actuation of wooden bilayers in response to changes in relative humidity, making use of the high material stiffness and a good machinability to reach large scale actuation and application. Amplitude and response time of the actuation were measured and can be predicted and controlled by adapting the geometry and the constitution of the bilayers. Field tests in full weathering conditions revealed long-term stability of the actuation. The potential of the concept is shown by a first demonstrator. With the sensor and actuator intrinsically incorporated in the wooden bilayers, the daily change in relative humidity is exploited for an autonomous and solar powered movement of a tracker for solar modules.

  11. Constant force linear permanent magnet actuators

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Paulides, J.J.H.; Encica, L.; Meessen, K.J.; Lomonova, E.A.

    2009-01-01

    In applications, such as vibration isolation, gravity compensation, pick-and-place machines, etc., there is a need for (long-stroke) passive constant force actuators combined with tubular permanent magnet actuators to minimize the power consumption, hence, passively counteract the gravitational

  12. Safety-related control air systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1977-01-01

    This Standard applies to those portions of the control air system that furnish air required to support, control, or operate systems or portions of systems that are safety related in nuclear power plants. This Standard relates only to the air supply system(s) for safety-related air operated devices and does not apply to the safety-related air operated device or to air operated actuators for such devices. The objectives of this Standard are to provide (1) minimum system design requirements for equipment, piping, instruments, controls, and wiring that constitute the air supply system; and (2) the system and component testing and maintenance requirements

  13. Reliability modeling of safety-critical network communication in a digitalized nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sang Hun; Kim, Hee Eun; Son, Kwang Seop; Shin, Sung Min; Lee, Seung Jun; Kang, Hyun Gook

    2015-01-01

    The Engineered Safety Feature-Component Control System (ESF-CCS), which uses a network communication system for the transmission of safety-critical information from group controllers (GCs) to loop controllers (LCs), was recently developed. However, the ESF-CCS has not been applied to nuclear power plants (NPPs) because the network communication failure risk in the ESF-CCS has yet to be fully quantified. Therefore, this study was performed to identify the potential hazardous states for network communication between GCs and LCs and to develop quantification schemes for various network failure causes. To estimate the risk effects of network communication failures in the ESF-CCS, a fault-tree model of an ESF-CCS signal failure in the containment spray actuation signal condition was developed for the case study. Based on a specified range of periodic inspection periods for network modules and the baseline probability of software failure, a sensitivity study was conducted to analyze the risk effect of network failure between GCs and LCs on ESF-CCS signal failure. This study is expected to provide insight into the development of a fault-tree model for network failures in digital I&C systems and the quantification of the risk effects of network failures for safety-critical information transmission in NPPs. - Highlights: • Network reliability modeling framework for digital I&C system in NPP is proposed. • Hazardous states of network protocol between GC and LC in ESF-CCS are identified. • Fault-tree model of ESF-CCS signal failure in ESF actuation condition is developed. • Risk effect of network failure on ESF-CCS signal failure is analyzed.

  14. Fast-acting valve actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Nakwon

    1980-01-01

    A fast-acting valve actuator utilizes a spring driven pneumatically loaded piston to drive a valve gate. Rapid exhaust of pressurized gas from the pneumatically loaded side of the piston facilitates an extremely rapid piston stroke. A flexible selector diaphragm opens and closes an exhaust port in response to pressure differentials created by energizing and de-energizing a solenoid which controls the pneumatic input to the actuator as well as selectively providing a venting action to one side of the selector diaphragm.

  15. Tetherless thermobiochemically actuated microgrippers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leong, Timothy G; Randall, Christina L; Benson, Bryan R; Bassik, Noy; Stern, George M; Gracias, David H

    2009-01-20

    We demonstrate mass-producible, tetherless microgrippers that can be remotely triggered by temperature and chemicals under biologically relevant conditions. The microgrippers use a self-contained actuation response, obviating the need for external tethers in operation. The grippers can be actuated en masse, even while spatially separated. We used the microgrippers to perform diverse functions, such as picking up a bead on a substrate and the removal of cells from tissue embedded at the end of a capillary (an in vitro biopsy).

  16. Electrical servo actuator bracket. [fuel control valves on jet engines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawyer, R. V. (Inventor)

    1981-01-01

    An electrical servo actuator is mounted on a support arm which is allowed to pivot on a bolt through a fixed mounting bracket. The actuator is pivotally connected to the end of the support arm by a bolt which has an extension allowed to pass through a slot in the fixed mounting bracket. An actuator rod extends from the servo actuator to a crank arm which turns a control shaft. A short linear thrust of the rod pivots the crank arm through about 90 for full-on control with the rod contracted into the servo actuator, and full-off control when the rod is extended from the actuator. A spring moves the servo actuator and actuator rod toward the control crank arm once the actuator rod is fully extended in the full-off position. This assures the turning of the control shaft to a full-off position. A stop bolt and slot are provided to limit pivot motion. Once fully extended, the spring pivots the motion.

  17. Piezoelectric stack actuator parameter extraction with hysteresis compensation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zsurzsan, Tiberiu-Gabriel; Mangeot, Charles; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2014-01-01

    The Piezoelectric Actuator Drive (PAD) is a type of rotary motor that transforms the linear motion of piezoelectric stack actuators into a precise rotational motion. The very high stiffness of the actuators employed make this type of motor suited for open-loop control, but the inherent hysteresis...

  18. Teleoperation System with Hybrid Pneumatic-Piezoelectric Actuation for MRI-Guided Needle Insertion with Haptic Feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Weijian; Su, Hao; Li, Gang; Fischer, Gregory S

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a surgical master-slave tele-operation system for percutaneous interventional procedures under continuous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance. This system consists of a piezoelectrically actuated slave robot for needle placement with integrated fiber optic force sensor utilizing Fabry-Perot interferometry (FPI) sensing principle. The sensor flexure is optimized and embedded to the slave robot for measuring needle insertion force. A novel, compact opto-mechanical FPI sensor interface is integrated into an MRI robot control system. By leveraging the complementary features of pneumatic and piezoelectric actuation, a pneumatically actuated haptic master robot is also developed to render force associated with needle placement interventions to the clinician. An aluminum load cell is implemented and calibrated to close the impedance control loop of the master robot. A force-position control algorithm is developed to control the hybrid actuated system. Teleoperated needle insertion is demonstrated under live MR imaging, where the slave robot resides in the scanner bore and the user manipulates the master beside the patient outside the bore. Force and position tracking results of the master-slave robot are demonstrated to validate the tracking performance of the integrated system. It has a position tracking error of 0.318mm and sine wave force tracking error of 2.227N.

  19. Teleoperation System with Hybrid Pneumatic-Piezoelectric Actuation for MRI-Guided Needle Insertion with Haptic Feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Weijian; Su, Hao; Li, Gang; Fischer, Gregory S.

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a surgical master-slave tele-operation system for percutaneous interventional procedures under continuous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance. This system consists of a piezoelectrically actuated slave robot for needle placement with integrated fiber optic force sensor utilizing Fabry-Perot interferometry (FPI) sensing principle. The sensor flexure is optimized and embedded to the slave robot for measuring needle insertion force. A novel, compact opto-mechanical FPI sensor interface is integrated into an MRI robot control system. By leveraging the complementary features of pneumatic and piezoelectric actuation, a pneumatically actuated haptic master robot is also developed to render force associated with needle placement interventions to the clinician. An aluminum load cell is implemented and calibrated to close the impedance control loop of the master robot. A force-position control algorithm is developed to control the hybrid actuated system. Teleoperated needle insertion is demonstrated under live MR imaging, where the slave robot resides in the scanner bore and the user manipulates the master beside the patient outside the bore. Force and position tracking results of the master-slave robot are demonstrated to validate the tracking performance of the integrated system. It has a position tracking error of 0.318mm and sine wave force tracking error of 2.227N. PMID:25126446

  20. An Unconventional Inchworm Actuator Based on PZT/ERFs Control Technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Guojun; Zhang, Yanyan; Liu, Jianfang; Li, Jianqiao; Tang, Chunxiu; Wang, Tengfei; Yang, Xuhao

    2016-01-01

    An unconventional inchworm actuator for precision positioning based on piezoelectric (PZT) actuation and electrorheological fluids (ERFs) control technology is presented. The actuator consists of actuation unit (PZT stack pump), fluid control unit (ERFs valve), and execution unit (hydraulic actuator). In view of smaller deformation of PZT stack, a new structure is designed for actuation unit, which integrates the advantages of two modes (namely, diaphragm type and piston type) of the volume changing of pump chamber. In order to improve the static shear yield strength of ERFs, a composite ERFs valve is designed, which adopts the series-parallel plate compound structure. The prototype of the inchworm actuator has been designed and manufactured in the lab. Systematic test results indicate that the displacement resolution of the unconventional inchworm actuator reaches 0.038 μm, and the maximum driving force and velocity are 42 N, 14.8 mm/s, respectively. The optimal working frequency for the maximum driving velocity is 120 Hz. The complete research and development processes further confirm the feasibility of developing a new type of inchworm actuator with high performance based on PZT actuation and ERFs control technology, which provides a reference for the future development of a new type of actuator.

  1. An Unconventional Inchworm Actuator Based on PZT/ERFs Control Technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guojun Liu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available An unconventional inchworm actuator for precision positioning based on piezoelectric (PZT actuation and electrorheological fluids (ERFs control technology is presented. The actuator consists of actuation unit (PZT stack pump, fluid control unit (ERFs valve, and execution unit (hydraulic actuator. In view of smaller deformation of PZT stack, a new structure is designed for actuation unit, which integrates the advantages of two modes (namely, diaphragm type and piston type of the volume changing of pump chamber. In order to improve the static shear yield strength of ERFs, a composite ERFs valve is designed, which adopts the series-parallel plate compound structure. The prototype of the inchworm actuator has been designed and manufactured in the lab. Systematic test results indicate that the displacement resolution of the unconventional inchworm actuator reaches 0.038 μm, and the maximum driving force and velocity are 42 N, 14.8 mm/s, respectively. The optimal working frequency for the maximum driving velocity is 120 Hz. The complete research and development processes further confirm the feasibility of developing a new type of inchworm actuator with high performance based on PZT actuation and ERFs control technology, which provides a reference for the future development of a new type of actuator.

  2. Experimental Investigation on Airfoil Shock Control by Plasma Aerodynamic Actuation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Quan; Cheng Bangqin; Li Yinghong; Cui Wei; Jin Di; Li Jun

    2013-01-01

    An experimental investigation on airfoil (NACA64—215) shock control is performed by plasma aerodynamic actuation in a supersonic tunnel (Ma = 2). The results of schlieren and pressure measurement show that when plasma aerodynamic actuation is applied, the position moves forward and the intensity of shock at the head of the airfoil weakens. With the increase in actuating voltage, the total pressure measured at the head of the airfoil increases, which means that the shock intensity decreases and the control effect increases. The best actuation effect is caused by upwind-direction actuation with a magnetic field, and then downwind-direction actuation with a magnetic field, while the control effect of aerodynamic actuation without a magnetic field is the most inconspicuous. The mean intensity of the normal shock at the head of the airfoil is relatively decreased by 16.33%, and the normal shock intensity is relatively reduced by 27.5% when 1000 V actuating voltage and upwind-direction actuation are applied with a magnetic field. This paper theoretically analyzes the Joule heating effect generated by DC discharge and the Lorentz force effect caused by the magnetic field. The discharge characteristics are compared for all kinds of actuation conditions to reveal the mechanism of shock control by plasma aerodynamic actuation

  3. Environmental Effects on the Polypyrrole Tri-layer Actuator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nirul Masurkar

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Electroactive polymer actuators such as polypyrrole (PPy are exciting candidates to drive autonomous devices that require low weight and low power. A simple PPy tri-layer bending type cantilever which operates in the air has been demonstrated previously, but the environmental effect on this actuator is still unknown. The major obstacle in the development of the PPy tri-layer actuator is to create proper packaging that reduces oxidation of the electrolyte and maintains constant displacement. Here, we report the variation in the displacement as well as the charge transfer at the different environmental condition. PPy trilayer actuators were fabricated by depositing polypyrrole on gold-coated porous poly(vinylidene fluoride (PVDF using the electro-synthesis method. It has been demonstrated that the charge transfer of tri-layer actuators is more in an inert environment than in open air. In addition, tri-layer actuators show constant deflection and enhancement of life due to the negligible oxidation rate of the electrolyte in an inert environment.

  4. Control of an innovative super-capacitor-powered shape-memory-alloy actuated accumulator for blowout preventer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jian; Li, Peng; Song, Gangbing; Ren, Zhang

    2017-01-01

    The design of a super-capacitor-powered shape-memory-alloy (SMA) actuated accumulator for blowout preventer (BOP) presented in this paper featured several advantages over conventional hydraulic accumulators including instant large current drive, quick system response and elimination of need for the pressure conduits. However, the mechanical design introduced two challenges, the nonlinear nature of SMA actuators and the varying voltage provided by a super capacitor, for control system design. A cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC) feedforward plus PID controller was developed with the aim of compensation for these adverse effects. Experiments were conducted on a scaled down model and experimental results show that precision control can be achieved with the proposed configurations and algorithms.

  5. FEATURES ROAD SAFETY AUDIT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Abramova

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Development of the road network, increasing motorization of the population significantly increase the risk of accidents. Experts in the field of traffic are developing methods to reduce the probability of accidents. The ways of solving the problems of road safety audit at various stages of the «life» of roads are considered.

  6. Conducting Polymer Actuators: Prospects and Limitations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skaarup, Steen

    Actuators constructed with a conjugated polymer as the active part have been predicted to have a number of highly desirable properties: Large mechanical strength, high power density, i.e. high actuation speeds possible, sufficient maximum strain values, high reversibility and safe, low voltages (...

  7. Steering Micro-Robotic Swarm by Dynamic Actuating Fields

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chao, Q.; Yu, J; Dai, C.; Xu, T; Zhang, L.; Wang, C.C.; Jin, X.

    2016-01-01

    We present a general solution for steering microrobotic
    swarm by dynamic actuating fields. In our approach, the
    motion of micro-robots is controlled by changing the actuating
    direction of a field applied to them. The time-series sequence
    of actuating field’s directions can be

  8. A concept for a new Energy Efficient Actuator

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stramigioli, Stefano; van Oort, Gijs; Dertien, Edwin Christian

    2008-01-01

    In this paper a novel concept of embedded robotic actuator is presented which has been named the Very Versatile Energy Efficient (V2E2) actuator. This actuator stores energy during any force profile which generates negative work on the load and it does therefore have unprecedented potentials for

  9. Sensors and actuators inherent in biological species

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taya, Minoru; Stahlberg, Rainer; Li, Fanghong; Zhao, Ying Joyce

    2007-04-01

    This paper addresses examples of sensing and active mechanisms inherent in some biological species where both plants and animals cases are discussed: mechanosensors and actuators in Venus Fly Trap and cucumber tendrils, chemosensors in insects, two cases of interactions between different kingdoms, (i) cotton plant smart defense system and (ii) bird-of-paradise flower and hamming bird interaction. All these cases lead us to recognize how energy-efficient and flexible the biological sensors and actuators are. This review reveals the importance of integration of sensing and actuation functions into an autonomous system if we make biomimetic design of a set of new autonomous systems which can sense and actuate under a number of different stimuli and threats.

  10. Design data and safety features of commercial nuclear power plants. Vol. IV. Dockets 50-452 through 50-503

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heddleson, F.A.

    1975-03-01

    Design data, safety features, and site characteristics are summarized for 36 nuclear power units in 18 power stations in the United States. Six pages of data are presented for each plant consisting of thermal-hydraulic and nuclear factors, containment features, emergency-core-cooling systems, site features, circulating water system data, and miscellaneous factors. An aerial perspective is also presented for each plant. The volume covers reactors with dockets 50-452 through 50-503. (U.S.)

  11. Towards holonomic electro-elastomer actuators with six degrees of freedom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conn, A. T.; Rossiter, J.

    2012-03-01

    Functionally efficient six degree of freedom (DOF) actuators have not yet been developed in a scale-invariant and inherently compliant unified form. This has primarily been due to the use of conventional serial or parallel kinematical configurations and electromagnetic motors, pneumatics and hydraulics. Contrary to traditional technologies, utilizing electro-active elastomers enables multi-DOF actuation and holonomic operation with minimal structural complexity. Conical dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are compact multi-DOF actuator-sensors that are scalable and can be entirely polymeric, making them suitable for a variety of applications including minimally invasive medical devices. In this paper, cone DEAs are developed towards integrated 6-DOF actuation with muscle-like performance from a single structure. This is achieved by demonstrating the feasibility of holonomic 6-DOF actuation and through experimental characterization of a 5-DOF prototype. The 5-DOF prototype (50 mm length, 60 mm diameter) produced rotational actuation outputs of ±21.7° and ±9.42 mN m and linear actuation outputs of ±4.45 mm (±9.1%) and ±0.55 N. Finally, combined multi-DOF actuation is demonstrated as part of development towards scalable holonomic electro-active elastomer actuators.

  12. Designing and testing lightweight shoulder prostheses with hybrid actuators for movements involved in typical activities of daily living and impact absorption

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sekine M

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Masashi Sekine,1,2 Kahori Kita,1 Wenwei Yu1 1Center for Frontier Medical Engineering, 2Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan Abstract: Unlike forearm amputees, transhumeral amputees have residual stumps that are too small to provide a sufficient range of operation for their prosthetic parts to perform usual activities of daily living. Furthermore, it is difficult for small residual stumps to provide sufficient impact absorption for safe manipulation in daily living, as intact arms do. Therefore, substitution of upper limb function in transhumeral amputees requires a sufficient range of motion and sufficient viscoelasticity for shoulder prostheses under critical weight and dimension constraints. We propose the use of two different types of actuators, ie, pneumatic elastic actuators (PEAs and servo motors. PEAs offer high power-to-weight performance and have intrinsic viscoelasticity in comparison with motors or standard industrial pneumatic cylinder actuators. However, the usefulness of PEAs in large working spaces is limited because of their short strokes. Servo motors, in contrast, can be used to achieve large ranges of motion. In this study, the relationship between the force and stroke of PEAs was investigated. The impact absorption of both types of actuators was measured using a single degree-of-freedom prototype to evaluate actuator compliance for safety purposes. Based on the fundamental properties of the actuators identified, a four degree-of-freedom robotic arm is proposed for prosthetic use. The configuration of the actuators and functional parts was designed to achieve a specified range of motion and torque calculated from the results of a simulation of typical movements performed in usual activities of daily living. Our experimental results showed that the requirements for the shoulder prostheses could be satisfied. Keywords: shoulder prosthesis, hybrid actuation, pneumatic elastic actuator, antagonistic

  13. Coordination Protocols for a Reliable Sensor, Actuator, and Device Network (SADN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keiji Ozaki

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available A sensor, actuator, and device network (SADN is composed of three types of nodes, which are sensor, actuator, and actuation device nodes. Sensor nodes and actuator nodes are interconnected in wireless networks as discussed in wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSANs. Actuator nodes and device nodes are interconnected in types of networks, i.e. wireless and wired network. Sensor nodes sense an physical event and send sensed values of the event to actuator nodes. An actuator node makes a decision on proper actions on receipt of sensed values and then issue the action requests to the device nodes. A device node really acts to the physical world. For example, moves a robot arms by performing the action on receipt of the action request. Messages may be lost and nodes may be faulty. Especially, messages are lost due to noise and collision in a wireless network. We propose a fully redundant model for an SADN where each of sensor, actuator, and device functions is replicated in multiple nodes and each of sensor-actuator and actuator-device communication is realized in many-to-many type of communication protocols. Even if some number of nodes are faulty, the other nodes can perform requested tasks. Here, each sensor node sends sensed values to multiple actuator nodes and each actuator node receives sensed values from multiple sensor nodes. While multiple actuator nodes communicate with multiple replica nodes of a device. Even if messages are lost and some number of nodes are faulty, device nodes can surely receive action requests required for sensed values and the actions are performed. In this paper, we discuss a type of semi-passive coordination (SPC protocol of multiple actuator nodes for multiple sensor nodes. We discuss a type of active coordination protocol for multiple actuator nodes and multiple actuation device nodes. We evaluate the SPC protocol for the sensor-actuator coordination in terms of the number of messages exchanged among

  14. Surface texture change on-demand and microfluidic devices based on thickness mode actuation of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ankit, Ankit; Nguyen, Anh Chien; Mathews, Nripan

    2017-04-01

    Tactile feedback devices and microfluidic devices have huge significance in strengthening the area of robotics, human machine interaction and low cost healthcare. Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) are an attractive alternative for both the areas; offering the advantage of low cost and simplistic fabrication in addition to the high actuation strains. The inplane deformations produced by the DEAs can be used to produce out-of-plane deformations by what is known as the thickness mode actuation of DEAs. The thickness mode actuation is achieved by adhering a soft passive layer to the DEA. This enables a wide area of applications in tactile applications without the need of complex systems and multiple actuators. But the thickness mode actuation has not been explored enough to understand how the deformations can be improved without altering the material properties; which is often accompanied with increased cost and a trade off with other closely associated material properties. We have shown the effect of dimensions of active region and non-active region in manipulating the out-of-plane deformation. Making use of this, we have been able to demonstrate large area devices and complex patterns on the passive top layer for the surface texture change on-demand applications. We have also been able to demonstrate on-demand microfluidic channels and micro-chambers without the need of actually fabricating the channels; which is a cost incurring and cumbersome process.

  15. An Analytic Model for the Success Rate of a Robotic Actuator System in Hitting Random Targets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, Stuart

    2015-11-20

    Autonomous robotic systems are increasingly being used in a wide range of applications such as precision agriculture, medicine, and the military. These systems have common features which often includes an action by an "actuator" interacting with a target. While simulations and measurements exist for the success rate of hitting targets by some systems, there is a dearth of analytic models which can give insight into, and guidance on optimization, of new robotic systems. The present paper develops a simple model for estimation of the success rate for hitting random targets from a moving platform. The model has two main dimensionless parameters: the ratio of actuator spacing to target diameter; and the ratio of platform distance moved (between actuator "firings") to the target diameter. It is found that regions of parameter space having specified high success are described by simple equations, providing guidance on design. The role of a "cost function" is introduced which, when minimized, provides optimization of design, operating, and risk mitigation costs.

  16. Design and Evaluation of a Direct Drive Valve Actuated by Piezostack Actuator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juncheol Jeon

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents performance characteristics of a new type of direct drive valve (DDV system driven by a piezostack actuator. The flexible beam mechanism is employed to amplify the output displacement from the piezostack actuator. After describing the operational principle of the proposed piezo DDV system, the governing equation of the whole piezo DDV system is then obtained by integrating the equations of the valve components. Based on the proposed model, significant structural components of the piezo DDV system are designed in order to achieve operational requirements (operating frequency: over 100 Hz; flow rate: 20 liter/Min.. An optimal design method is proposed for obtaining the geometry of the flexible beam mechanism by considering spool displacement, required operating frequency, and available space of the valve. After deciding the specific geometric dimensions of the piezo DDV system, a PID control algorithm is designed to enforce the spool position to the desired position trajectories by activating the piezostack actuator. Characteristics and control performances of the proposed piezo DDV system are evaluated using the MATLAB Simulink.

  17. Sleeve Muscle Actuator and Its Application in Transtibial Prostheses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Hao; Shen, Xiangrong

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes the concept of a new sleeve muscle actuator, and a transtibial prosthesis design powered by this novel actuator. Inspired by the functioning mechanism of the traditional pneumatic muscle actuator, the sleeve muscle actuator incorporates a cylindrical insert to the center of the pneumatic muscle, which eliminates the central portion of the internal volume. As a result of this change, the sleeve muscle provides multiple advantages over the traditional pneumatic muscle, including the increased force capacity over the entire range of motion, reduced energy consumption, and faster dynamic response. Furthermore, utilizing the load-bearing tube as the insert, the sleeve muscle enables an innovative “actuation-load bearing” structure, which has a potential of generating a highly compact actuation system suitable for prosthetic use. Utilizing this new actuator, the preliminary design of a transtibial prosthesis is presented, which is able to provide sufficient torque output and range of motion for a 75 Kg amputee user in level walking. PMID:24187262

  18. A small-gap electrostatic micro-actuator for large deflections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conrad, Holger; Schenk, Harald; Kaiser, Bert; Langa, Sergiu; Gaudet, Matthieu; Schimmanz, Klaus; Stolz, Michael; Lenz, Miriam

    2015-01-01

    Common quasi-static electrostatic micro actuators have significant limitations in deflection due to electrode separation and unstable drive regions. State-of-the-art electrostatic actuators achieve maximum deflections of approximately one third of the electrode separation. Large electrode separation and high driving voltages are normally required to achieve large actuator movements. Here we report on an electrostatic actuator class, fabricated in a CMOS-compatible process, which allows high deflections with small electrode separation. The concept presented makes the huge electrostatic forces within nanometre small electrode separation accessible for large deflections. Electrostatic actuations that are larger than the electrode separation were measured. An analytical theory is compared with measurement and simulation results and enables closer understanding of these actuators. The scaling behaviour discussed indicates significant future improvement on actuator deflection. The presented driving concept enables the investigation and development of novel micro systems with a high potential for improved device and system performance. PMID:26655557

  19. Analytical dynamic modeling of fast trilayer polypyrrole bending actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amiri Moghadam, Amir Ali; Moavenian, Majid; Tahani, Masoud; Torabi, Keivan

    2011-01-01

    Analytical modeling of conjugated polymer actuators with complicated electro-chemo-mechanical dynamics is an interesting area for research, due to the wide range of applications including biomimetic robots and biomedical devices. Although there have been extensive reports on modeling the electrochemical dynamics of polypyrrole (PPy) bending actuators, mechanical dynamics modeling of the actuators remains unexplored. PPy actuators can operate with low voltage while producing large displacement in comparison to robotic joints, they do not have friction or backlash, but they suffer from some disadvantages such as creep and hysteresis. In this paper, a complete analytical dynamic model for fast trilayer polypyrrole bending actuators has been proposed and named the analytical multi-domain dynamic actuator (AMDDA) model. First an electrical admittance model of the actuator will be obtained based on a distributed RC line; subsequently a proper mechanical dynamic model will be derived, based on Hamilton's principle. The purposed modeling approach will be validated based on recently published experimental results

  20. Agile Production of Sheet Metal Aviation Components Using Disposable Electromagnetic Actuators

    OpenAIRE

    Carson, B.; Daehn, G.; Psyk, V.; Tekkaya, A. E.; Weddeling, C.; Woodward, S.

    2010-01-01

    Electromagnetic forming is a process used to produce high strain rates that improve the formability of sheet metal. The objective of this paper is to discuss the feasibility of the use of disposable actuators during electromagnetic forming of two aluminum components: an industry part whose main feature is a convex flange with two joggles, and a simple part with a one-dimensional curve throughout. The main forming complications after the parts were formed using conventional methods were the pr...

  1. Centrifugal forming and mechanical properties of silicone-based elastomers for soft robotic actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulkarni, Parth

    This thesis describes the centrifugal forming and resulting mechanical properties of silicone-based elastomers for the manufacture of soft robotic actuators. This process is effective at removing bubbles that get entrapped within 3D-printed, enclosed molds. Conventional methods for rapid prototyping of soft robotic actuators to remove entrapped bubbles typically involve degassing under vacuum, with open-faced molds that limit the layout of formed parts to raised 2D geometries. As the functionality and complexity of soft robots increase, there is a need to mold complete 3D structures with controlled thicknesses or curvatures on multiples surfaces. In addition, characterization of the mechanical properties of common elastomers for these soft robots has lagged the development of new designs. As such, relationships between resulting material properties and processing parameters are virtually non-existent. One of the goals of this thesis is to provide guidelines and physical insights to relate the design, processing conditions, and resulting properties of soft robotic components to each other. Centrifugal forming with accelerations on the order of 100 g's is capable of forming bubble-free, true 3D components for soft robotic actuators, and resulting demonstrations in this work include an aquatic locomotor, soft gripper, and an actuator that straightens when pressurized. Finally, this work shows that the measured mechanical properties of 3D geometries fabricated within enclosed molds through centrifugal forming possess comparable mechanical properties to vacuumed materials formed from open-faced molds with raised 2D features.

  2. Choosing Actuators for Automatic Control Systems of Thermal Power Plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gorbunov, A. I., E-mail: gor@tornado.nsk.ru [JSC “Tornado Modular Systems” (Russian Federation); Serdyukov, O. V. [Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Automation and Electrometry (Russian Federation)

    2015-03-15

    Two types of actuators for automatic control systems of thermal power plants are analyzed: (i) pulse-controlled actuator and (ii) analog-controlled actuator with positioning function. The actuators are compared in terms of control circuit, control accuracy, reliability, and cost.

  3. Evaluation of special safety features of the SNR-300 in view of the Chernobyl accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vossebrecker, H.

    1987-03-01

    A comparison of those characteristics, which decisively influenced the accident in the RMBK-1000 reactor, with the safety features of SNR-300 has been performed. The conclusions of this comparison are presented in the present report. The SNR-300 is characterized by a stable reactivity behaviour and good controllability, whereas RBMK-1000 has an instable behaviour and complex spatial dependencies in the core. Among other points, design deficiencies in the protection and emergency shutdown systems were responsible for the Chernobyl accident. The protection and scram systems of the SNR-300 are unquestionably superior to those of the RBMK-1000 with regard to redundancy, diversity, degree of automation, separation of operational and safety-relevant tasks, protection against inadmissible interventions, effectiveness and safety reserves. Therefore, excursion accidents can be classified as hypothetical for SNR-300. Due to elementary physical properties, possible energy releases during hypothetical excursions are substantially lower for SNR-300 and would be controlled by the design of the primary system and containment systems. No damage limiting measures are provided in the RBMK-100 for excursion accidents. Finally, exothermal processes augmented the consequences of the accident in the RBMK-1000 and the long-lasting graphite fire intensified the release of radioactivity. In the SNR-300, however, inertisation of the containment, the steel plate lining and the floor troughs ensure that activity enclosure inside the containment after leakage or hypothetical excursion accident is not endangered by exothermal reactions. Further safety aspects are presented in the report, which can be linked with the accident in Chernobyl. In summary, it is obvious that the disadvantageous physical and technical features of the RBMK-1000 do either not exist in the SNR-300 or are covered by the safety design

  4. Specific features of goal setting in road traffic safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolesov, V. I.; Danilov, O. F.; Petrov, A. I.

    2017-10-01

    Road traffic safety (RTS) management is inherently a branch of cybernetics and therefore requires clear formalization of the task. The paper aims at identification of the specific features of goal setting in RTS management under the system approach. The paper presents the results of cybernetic modeling of the cause-to-effect mechanism of a road traffic accident (RTA); in here, the mechanism itself is viewed as a complex system. A designed management goal function is focused on minimizing the difficulty in achieving the target goal. Optimization of the target goal has been performed using the Lagrange principle. The created working algorithms have passed the soft testing. The key role of the obtained solution in the tactical and strategic RTS management is considered. The dynamics of the management effectiveness indicator has been analyzed based on the ten-year statistics for Russia.

  5. Conjugated Polymer Actuators: Prospects and Limitations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skaarup, Steen

    2007-01-01

    Actuators constructed with a conjugated polymer as the active part have been predicted to have a number of highly desirable properties: Large mechanical strength, high power density, i.e. high actuation speeds possible, sufficient maximum strain values, high reversibility and safe, low voltages (1...

  6. Nonlinear Tracking Control of a Conductive Supercoiled Polymer Actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luong, Tuan Anh; Cho, Kyeong Ho; Song, Min Geun; Koo, Ja Choon; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol; Moon, Hyungpil

    2018-04-01

    Artificial muscle actuators made from commercial nylon fishing lines have been recently introduced and shown as a new type of actuator with high performance. However, the actuators also exhibit significant nonlinearities, which make them difficult to control, especially in precise trajectory-tracking applications. In this article, we present a nonlinear mathematical model of a conductive supercoiled polymer (SCP) actuator driven by Joule heating for model-based feedback controls. Our efforts include modeling of the hysteresis behavior of the actuator. Based on nonlinear modeling, we design a sliding mode controller for SCP actuator-driven manipulators. The system with proposed control law is proven to be asymptotically stable using the Lyapunov theory. The control performance of the proposed method is evaluated experimentally and compared with that of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller through one-degree-of-freedom SCP actuator-driven manipulators. Experimental results show that the proposed controller's performance is superior to that of a PID controller, such as the tracking errors are nearly 10 times smaller compared with those of a PID controller, and it is more robust to external disturbances such as sensor noise and actuator modeling error.

  7. Miniature Inchworm Actuators Fabricated by Use of LIGA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Eui-Hyeok

    2003-01-01

    Miniature inchworm actuators that would have relatively simple designs have been proposed for applications in which there are requirements for displacements of the order of microns or tens of microns and for the ability to hold their positions when electric power is not applied. The proposed actuators would be members of the class of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), but would be designed and fabricated following an approach that is somewhat unusual for MEMS. Like other MEMS actuators, the proposed inchworm actuators could utilize thermoplastic, bimetallic, shape-memory-alloy, or piezoelectric actuation principles. The figure depicts a piezoelectric inchworm actuator according to the proposal. As in other inchworm actuators, linear motion of an extensible member would be achieved by lengthening and shortening the extensible member in synchronism with alternately clamping and releasing one and then the other end of the member. In this case, the moving member would be the middle one; the member would be piezoelectric and would be shortened by applying a voltage to it. The two outer members would also be piezoelectric; the release of the clamps on the upper or lower end would be achieved by applying a voltage to the electrodes on the upper or lower ends, respectively, of these members. Usually, MEMS actuators cannot be fabricated directly on the side walls of silicon wafers, yet the geometry of this actuator necessitates such fabrication. The solution, according to the proposal, would be to use the microfabrication technique known by the German acronym LIGA - "lithographie, galvanoformung, abformung," which means lithography, electroforming, molding. LIGA involves x-ray lithography of a polymer film followed by selective removal of material to form a three-dimensional pattern from which a mold is made. Among the advantages of LIGA for this purpose are that it is applicable to a broad range of materials, can be used to implement a variety of designs, including

  8. Three-dimensional effects of curved plasma actuators in quiescent air

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Chincheng; Durscher, Ryan; Roy, Subrata

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents results on a new class of curved plasma actuators for the inducement of three-dimensional vortical structures. The nature of the fluid flow inducement on a flat plate, in quiescent conditions, due to four different shapes of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators is numerically investigated. The three-dimensional plasma kinetic equations are solved using our in-house, finite element based, multiscale ionized gas (MIG) flow code. Numerical results show electron temperature and three dimensional plasma force vectors for four shapes, which include linear, triangular, serpentine, and square actuators. Three-dimensional effects such as pinching and spreading the neighboring fluid are observed for serpentine and square actuators. The mechanisms of vorticity generation for DBD actuators are discussed. Also the influence of geometric wavelength (λ) and amplitude (Λ) of the serpentine and square actuators on vectored thrust inducement is predicted. This results in these actuators producing significantly better flow mixing downstream as compared to the standard linear actuator. Increasing the wavelengths of serpentine and square actuators in the spanwise direction is shown to enhance the pinching effect giving a much higher vertical velocity. On the contrary, changing the amplitude of the curved actuator varies the streamwise velocity significantly influencing the near wall jet. Experimental data for a serpentine actuator are also reported for validation purpose.

  9. Improvement of inherent safety features in CSR (Coupled Spectrum Reactor) for treating MA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aziz, F.; Kitamoto, Asashi.

    1996-01-01

    Burning and/or transmutation (B/T) of MA is proposed here using a CSR (Coupled Spectrum Reactor) concept. CSR was based on a modified conventional 1150 MWe-PWR system, and consisted of two core regions for thermal and fast neutrons, respectively. The B/T fuel used was supposed such that MA discharged from 1 GWe-LWR were mixed homogeneously in LWR fuel. The geometry of B/T fuel in the outer region was left the same with that of PWR, while in the inner region the B/T fuel was arranged in a tight-lattice geometry that allowed a higher fuel to coolant volume ratio, (V m /V f ). In order to improve its inherent safety features, several cases of CSR were studied and compared, each case used different fuel type in the inner region. The result of the calculations showed that safety features can be improved by using composite fuel of ( 235 U-Pu- 238 U) in the inner region. The equilibrium of main isotopes in CSR can be achieved after about 5 recycle stages. This study also showed that the CSR can burn and transmute MA up to 808 kg/stage in a single reactor operated with a reactivity swing of 2.8 % Δk/kk'. (author)

  10. Dynamic properties of a metal photo-thermal micro-actuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, B; Zhang, H J; Wang, B; Yi, F T; Jiang, J Z; Zhang, D X

    2015-02-20

    This work presents the design, modeling, simulation, and characterization of a metal bent-beam photo-thermal micro-actuator. The mechanism of actuation is based on the thermal expansion of the micro-actuator which is irradiated by a laser, achieving noncontact control of the power supply. Models for micro-actuators were established and finite-element simulations were carried out to investigate the effects of various parameters on actuation properties. It is found that the thermal expansion coefficient, thermal conductivity, and the geometry size largely affected actuation behavior whereas heat capacity, density, and Young's modulus did not. Experiments demonstrated the dynamic properties of a Ni micro-actuator fabricated via LIGA technology with 1100/30/100 μm (long/wide/thick) arms. The tip displacement of the micro-actuator could achieve up to 42 μm driven by a laser beam (1064 nm wavelength, 1.2 W power, and a driving frequency of 1 HZ). It is found that the tip displacement decreases with increasing laser driving frequency. For 8 Hz driving frequency, 17 μm (peak-valley value) can be still reached, which is large enough for the application as micro-electro-mechanical systems. Metal photo-thermal micro actuators have advantages such as large displacement, simple structure, and large temperature tolerance, and therefore they will be promising in the fields of micro/nanotechnology.

  11. Real-space post-processing correction of thermal drift and piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities in scanning tunneling microscope images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yothers, Mitchell P.; Browder, Aaron E.; Bumm, Lloyd A.

    2017-01-01

    We have developed a real-space method to correct distortion due to thermal drift and piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities on scanning tunneling microscope images using Matlab. The method uses the known structures typically present in high-resolution atomic and molecularly resolved images as an internal standard. Each image feature (atom or molecule) is first identified in the image. The locations of each feature's nearest neighbors are used to measure the local distortion at that location. The local distortion map across the image is simultaneously fit to our distortion model, which includes thermal drift in addition to piezoelectric actuator hysteresis and creep. The image coordinates of the features and image pixels are corrected using an inverse transform from the distortion model. We call this technique the thermal-drift, hysteresis, and creep transform. Performing the correction in real space allows defects, domain boundaries, and step edges to be excluded with a spatial mask. Additional real-space image analyses are now possible with these corrected images. Using graphite(0001) as a model system, we show lattice fitting to the corrected image, averaged unit cell images, and symmetry-averaged unit cell images. Statistical analysis of the distribution of the image features around their best-fit lattice sites measures the aggregate noise in the image, which can be expressed as feature confidence ellipsoids.

  12. Real-space post-processing correction of thermal drift and piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities in scanning tunneling microscope images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yothers, Mitchell P; Browder, Aaron E; Bumm, Lloyd A

    2017-01-01

    We have developed a real-space method to correct distortion due to thermal drift and piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities on scanning tunneling microscope images using Matlab. The method uses the known structures typically present in high-resolution atomic and molecularly resolved images as an internal standard. Each image feature (atom or molecule) is first identified in the image. The locations of each feature's nearest neighbors are used to measure the local distortion at that location. The local distortion map across the image is simultaneously fit to our distortion model, which includes thermal drift in addition to piezoelectric actuator hysteresis and creep. The image coordinates of the features and image pixels are corrected using an inverse transform from the distortion model. We call this technique the thermal-drift, hysteresis, and creep transform. Performing the correction in real space allows defects, domain boundaries, and step edges to be excluded with a spatial mask. Additional real-space image analyses are now possible with these corrected images. Using graphite(0001) as a model system, we show lattice fitting to the corrected image, averaged unit cell images, and symmetry-averaged unit cell images. Statistical analysis of the distribution of the image features around their best-fit lattice sites measures the aggregate noise in the image, which can be expressed as feature confidence ellipsoids.

  13. Modular Actuators for Space Applications, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Rocketstar Robotics is proposing the development of a modern dual drive actuator. Rocketstar has put together numerous modern concepts for modular actuators that...

  14. Data-Centric Knowledge Discovery Strategy for a Safety-Critical Sensor Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilamadhab Mishra

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In an indoor safety-critical application, sensors and actuators are clustered together to accomplish critical actions within a limited time constraint. The cluster may be controlled by a dedicated programmed autonomous microcontroller device powered with electricity to perform in-network time critical functions, such as data collection, data processing, and knowledge production. In a data-centric sensor network, approximately 3–60% of the sensor data are faulty, and the data collected from the sensor environment are highly unstructured and ambiguous. Therefore, for safety-critical sensor applications, actuators must function intelligently within a hard time frame and have proper knowledge to perform their logical actions. This paper proposes a knowledge discovery strategy and an exploration algorithm for indoor safety-critical industrial applications. The application evidence and discussion validate that the proposed strategy and algorithm can be implemented for knowledge discovery within the operational framework.

  15. Accuracy assessment of an industrial actuator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dalla Costa, Giuseppe; Genta, Gianfranco; Barbato, Giulio

    2016-01-01

    A commercial linear actuator equipped with a 0.1 μm resolution encoder was used as a contact displacement sensor with adjustable force. The accuracy of the position reading of the actuator was evaluated from experimental data taking into account the uncertainty contributions. The tests consisted ...

  16. Design optimization of a linear actuator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rechenbach, B.; Willatzen, Morten; Preisler, K. Lorenzen

    2013-01-01

    The mechanical contacting of a dielectric elastomer actuator is investigated. The actuator is constructed by coiling the dielectric elastomer around two parallel metal rods, similar to a rubber band stretched by two index fingers. The goal of this paper is to design the geometry and the mechanical...

  17. Intelligent fault diagnosis and failure management of flight control actuation systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonnice, William F.; Baker, Walter

    1988-01-01

    The real-time fault diagnosis and failure management (FDFM) of current operational and experimental dual tandem aircraft flight control system actuators was investigated. Dual tandem actuators were studied because of the active FDFM capability required to manage the redundancy of these actuators. The FDFM methods used on current dual tandem actuators were determined by examining six specific actuators. The FDFM capability on these six actuators was also evaluated. One approach for improving the FDFM capability on dual tandem actuators may be through the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Existing AI approaches and applications of FDFM were examined and evaluated. Based on the general survey of AI FDFM approaches, the potential role of AI technology for real-time actuator FDFM was determined. Finally, FDFM and maintainability improvements for dual tandem actuators were recommended.

  18. MOSFET Switching Circuit Protects Shape Memory Alloy Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gummin, Mark A.

    2011-01-01

    A small-footprint, full surface-mount-component printed circuit board employs MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor) power switches to switch high currents from any input power supply from 3 to 30 V. High-force shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators generally require high current (up to 9 A at 28 V) to actuate. SMA wires (the driving element of the actuators) can be quickly overheated if power is not removed at the end of stroke, which can damage the wires. The new analog driver prevents overheating of the SMA wires in an actuator by momentarily removing power when the end limit switch is closed, thereby allowing complex control schemes to be adopted without concern for overheating. Either an integral pushbutton or microprocessor-controlled gate or control line inputs switch current to the actuator until the end switch line goes from logic high to logic low state. Power is then momentarily removed (switched off by the MOSFET). The analog driver is suited to use with nearly any SMA actuator.

  19. Designing and testing lightweight shoulder prostheses with hybrid actuators for movements involved in typical activities of daily living and impact absorption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sekine, Masashi; Kita, Kahori; Yu, Wenwei

    2015-01-01

    Unlike forearm amputees, transhumeral amputees have residual stumps that are too small to provide a sufficient range of operation for their prosthetic parts to perform usual activities of daily living. Furthermore, it is difficult for small residual stumps to provide sufficient impact absorption for safe manipulation in daily living, as intact arms do. Therefore, substitution of upper limb function in transhumeral amputees requires a sufficient range of motion and sufficient viscoelasticity for shoulder prostheses under critical weight and dimension constraints. We propose the use of two different types of actuators, ie, pneumatic elastic actuators (PEAs) and servo motors. PEAs offer high power-to-weight performance and have intrinsic viscoelasticity in comparison with motors or standard industrial pneumatic cylinder actuators. However, the usefulness of PEAs in large working spaces is limited because of their short strokes. Servo motors, in contrast, can be used to achieve large ranges of motion. In this study, the relationship between the force and stroke of PEAs was investigated. The impact absorption of both types of actuators was measured using a single degree-of-freedom prototype to evaluate actuator compliance for safety purposes. Based on the fundamental properties of the actuators identified, a four degree-of-freedom robotic arm is proposed for prosthetic use. The configuration of the actuators and functional parts was designed to achieve a specified range of motion and torque calculated from the results of a simulation of typical movements performed in usual activities of daily living. Our experimental results showed that the requirements for the shoulder prostheses could be satisfied.

  20. Actuator assembly including a single axis of rotation locking member

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quitmeyer, James N.; Benson, Dwayne M.; Geck, Kellan P.

    2009-12-08

    An actuator assembly including an actuator housing assembly and a single axis of rotation locking member fixedly attached to a portion of the actuator housing assembly and an external mounting structure. The single axis of rotation locking member restricting rotational movement of the actuator housing assembly about at least one axis. The single axis of rotation locking member is coupled at a first end to the actuator housing assembly about a Y axis and at a 90.degree. angle to an X and Z axis providing rotation of the actuator housing assembly about the Y axis. The single axis of rotation locking member is coupled at a second end to a mounting structure, and more particularly a mounting pin, about an X axis and at a 90.degree. angle to a Y and Z axis providing rotation of the actuator housing assembly about the X axis. The actuator assembly is thereby restricted from rotation about the Z axis.

  1. Investigation of electrochemical actuation by polyaniline nanofibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehraeen, Shayan; Alkan Gürsel, Selmiye; Papila, Melih; Çakmak Cebeci, Fevzi

    2017-09-01

    Polyaniline nanofibers have shown promising electrical and electrochemical properties which make them prominent candidates in the development of smart systems employing sensors and actuators. Their electrochemical actuation potential is demonstrated in this study. A trilayer composite actuator based on polyaniline nanofibers was designed and fabricated. Cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol was sandwiched between two polyaniline nanofibrous electrodes as ion-containing electrolyte gel. First, electrochemical behavior of a single electrode was studied, showing reversible redox peak pairs in 1 M HCl using a cyclic voltammetry technique. High aspect ratio polyaniline nanofibers create a porous network which facilitates ion diffusion and thus accelerates redox reactions. Bending displacement of the prepared trilayer actuator was then tested and reported under an AC potential stimulation as low as 0.5 V in a variety of frequencies from 50 to 1000 mHz, both inside 1 M HCl solution and in air. Decay of performance of the composite actuator in air is investigated and it is reported that tip displacement in a solution was stable and repeatable for 1000 s in all selected frequencies.

  2. Sensor-actuator system for dynamic chloride ion determination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Graaf, Derk Balthazar; Abbas, Yawar; Gerrit Bomer, Johan; Olthuis, Wouter; van den Berg, Albert

    2015-08-12

    Chloride is a crucial anion for various analytical applications from biological to environmental applications. In order to measure the chloride ion concentration, a measurement system is needed which can detect this concentration for prolonged times reliably. Chronopotentiometry is a technique which does not need a long term stable reference electrode and is therefore very suitable for prolonged ion concentration measurements. As the used electrode might be fouled by reaction products, this work focuses on a chronopotentiometric approach with a separated sensing electrode (sensor) and actuating electrode (actuator). Both actuation and sensor electrode are made of Ag/AgCl. A constant current is applied to the actuator and will start the reaction between Ag and Cl-, while the resulting Cl- ion concentration change is observed through the sensor, which is placed close to the actuator. The time it takes to locally deplete the Cl- ions is called transition time. Experiments were performed to verify the feasibility of this approach. The performed experiments show that the sensor detects the local concentration changes resulting from the current applied to the actuator. A linear relation between the Cl- ion concentration and the square root of the transition time was observed, just as was predicted by theory. The calibration curves for different chips showed that both a larger sensor and a larger distance between sensor and actuator resulted in a larger time delay between the transition time detected at the actuator and the sensor. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Piezoelectric Actuator with Frequency Characteristics for a Middle-Ear Implant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Dong Ho; Cho, Jin-Ho

    2018-05-24

    The design and implementation of a novel piezoelectric-based actuator for an implantable middle-ear hearing aid is described in this paper. The proposed actuator has excellent low-frequency output characteristics, and can generate high output in a specific frequency band by adjusting the mechanical resonance. The actuator consists of a piezoelectric element, a miniature bellows, a cantilever membrane, a metal ring support, a ceramic tip, and titanium housing. The optimal structure of the cantilever-membrane design, which determines the frequency characteristics of the piezoelectric actuator, was derived through finite element analysis. Based on the results, the piezoelectric actuator was implemented, and its performance was verified through a cadaveric experiment. It was confirmed that the proposed actuator provides better performance than currently used actuators, in terms of frequency characteristics.

  4. Assessing the degradation of compliant electrodes for soft actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosset, Samuel; de Saint-Aubin, Christine; Poulin, Alexandre; Shea, Herbert R.

    2017-10-01

    We present an automated system to measure the degradation of compliant electrodes used in dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) over millions of cycles. Electrodes for DEAs generally experience biaxial linear strains of more than 10%. The decrease in electrode conductivity induced by this repeated fast mechanical deformation impacts the bandwidth of the actuator and its strain homogeneity. Changes in the electrode mechanical properties lead to reduced actuation strain. Rather than using an external actuator to periodically deform the electrodes, our measurement method consists of measuring the properties of an electrode in an expanding circle DEA. A programmable high voltage power supply drives the actuator with a square signal up to 1 kHz, periodically actuating the DEA, and thus stretching the electrodes. The DEA strain is monitored with a universal serial bus camera, while the resistance of the ground electrode is measured with a multimeter. The system can be used for any type of electrode. We validated the test setup by characterising a carbon black/silicone composite that we commonly use as compliant electrode. Although the composite is well-suited for tens of millions of cycles of actuation below 5%, we observe important degradation for higher deformations. When activated at a 20% radial strain, the electrodes suffer from important damage after a few thousand cycles, and an inhomogeneous actuation is observed, with the strain localised in a sub-region of the actuator only.

  5. Optimization of actuator arrays for aircraft interior noise control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabell, R. H.; Lester, H. C.; Mathur, G. P.; Tran, B. N.

    1993-01-01

    A numerical procedure for grouping actuators in order to reduce the number of degrees of freedom in an active noise control system is evaluated using experimental data. Piezoceramic actuators for reducing aircraft interior noise are arranged into groups using a nonlinear optimization routine and clustering algorithm. An actuator group is created when two or more actuators are driven with the same control input. This procedure is suitable for active control applications where actuators are already mounted on a structure. The feasibility of this technique is demonstrated using measured data from the aft cabin of a Douglas DC-9 fuselage. The measured data include transfer functions between 34 piezoceramic actuators and 29 interior microphones and microphone responses due to the primary noise produced by external speakers. Control inputs for the grouped actuators were calculated so that a cost function, defined as a quadratic pressure term and a penalty term, was a minimum. The measured transfer functions and microphone responses are checked by comparing calculated noise reductions with measured noise reductions for four frequencies. The grouping procedure is then used to determine actuator groups that improve overall interior noise reductions by 5.3 to 15 dB, compared to the baseline experimental configuration.

  6. Optimization of Moving Coil Actuators for Digital Displacement Machines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nørgård, Christian; Bech, Michael Møller; Roemer, Daniel Beck

    2016-01-01

    This paper focuses on deriving an optimal moving coil actuator design, used as force pro-ducing element in hydraulic on/off valves for Digital Displacement machines. Different moving coil actuator geometry topologies (permanent magnet placement and magnetiza-tion direction) are optimized for actu......This paper focuses on deriving an optimal moving coil actuator design, used as force pro-ducing element in hydraulic on/off valves for Digital Displacement machines. Different moving coil actuator geometry topologies (permanent magnet placement and magnetiza-tion direction) are optimized...... for actuating annular seat valves in a digital displacement machine. The optimization objectives are to the minimize the actuator power, the valve flow losses and the height of the actuator. Evaluation of the objective function involves static finite element simulation and simulation of an entire operation...... designs requires approximately 20 W on average and may be realized in 20 mm × Ø 22.5 mm (height × diameter) for a 20 kW pressure chamber. The optimization is carried out using the multi-objective Generalized Differential Evolu-tion optimization algorithm GDE3 which successfully handles constrained multi-objective...

  7. Magnetic Shape Memory (MSM) actuators in practical use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majewska, K; Zak, A; Ostachowicz, W

    2009-01-01

    Limited practical applications of MSM actuators motivates the authors to start experimental and theoretical research in the field of multifunctional materials. The authors present a concept of using MSM actuators for control, altering and tuning of forced vibrations of a rotor. The main goal of their experimental research is to show how the activation of MSM actuators can influence forced vibration responses of a rotor system in terms of altering and tuning selected rotor resonant frequencies and vibration amplitudes. Experimental results show that MSM actuators can be successfully applied for vibration reduction and vibration control in the case of rotor systems.

  8. Nanoporous carbon actuator and methods of use thereof

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biener, Juergen [San Leandro, CA; Baumann, Theodore F [Discovery Bay, CA; Shao, Lihua [Karlsruhe, DE; Weissmueller, Joerg [Stutensee, DE

    2012-07-31

    An electrochemically driveable actuator according to one embodiment includes a nanoporous carbon aerogel composition capable of exhibiting charge-induced reversible strain when wetted by an electrolyte and a voltage is applied thereto. An electrochemically driven actuator according to another embodiment includes a nanoporous carbon aerogel composition wetted by an electrolyte; and a mechanism for causing charge-induced reversible strain of the composition. A method for electrochemically actuating an object according to one embodiment includes causing charge-induced reversible strain of a nanoporous carbon aerogel composition wetted with an electrolyte to actuate the object by the strain.

  9. A multi-purpose electromagnetic actuator for magnetic resonance elastography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Yuan; Zhu, Mo; Qiu, Suhao; Shen, Ping; Ma, Shengyuan; Zhao, Xuefeng; Hu, Chun-Hong; Guo, Liang

    2018-04-19

    An electromagnetic actuator was designed for magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). The actuator is unique in that it is simple, portable, and capable of brain, abdomen, and phantom imagings. A custom-built control unit was used for controlling the vibration frequency and synchronizing the trigger signals. An actuation unit was built and mounted on the specifically designed clamp and holders for different imaging applications. MRE experiments with respect to gel phantoms, brain, and liver showed that the actuator could produce stable and consistent mechanical waves. Estimated shear modulus using local frequency estimate method demonstrated that the measurement results were in line with that from MRE studies using different actuation systems. The relatively easy setup procedure and simple design indicated that the actuator system had the potential to be applied in many different clinical studies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Characterization and design of antagonistic shape memory alloy actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Georges, T; Brailovski, V; Terriault, P

    2012-01-01

    Antagonistic shape memory actuators use opposing shape memory alloy (SMA) elements to create devices capable of producing differential motion paths and two-way mechanical work in a very efficient manner. There is no requirement for additional bias elements to ‘re-arm’ the actuators and allow repetitive actuation. The work generation potential of antagonistic shape memory actuators is determined by specific SMA element characteristics and their assembly conditions. In this study, the selected SMA wires are assembled in antagonistic configuration and characterized using a dedicated test bench to evaluate their stress–strain characteristics as a function of the number of cycles. Using these functional characteristics, a so-called ‘working envelope’ is built to assist in the design of such an actuator. Finally, the test bench is used to simulate a real application of an antagonistic actuator (case study). (paper)

  11. Towards holonomic electro-elastomer actuators with six degrees of freedom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Conn, A T; Rossiter, J

    2012-01-01

    Functionally efficient six degree of freedom (DOF) actuators have not yet been developed in a scale-invariant and inherently compliant unified form. This has primarily been due to the use of conventional serial or parallel kinematical configurations and electromagnetic motors, pneumatics and hydraulics. Contrary to traditional technologies, utilizing electro-active elastomers enables multi-DOF actuation and holonomic operation with minimal structural complexity. Conical dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are compact multi-DOF actuator–sensors that are scalable and can be entirely polymeric, making them suitable for a variety of applications including minimally invasive medical devices. In this paper, cone DEAs are developed towards integrated 6-DOF actuation with muscle-like performance from a single structure. This is achieved by demonstrating the feasibility of holonomic 6-DOF actuation and through experimental characterization of a 5-DOF prototype. The 5-DOF prototype (50 mm length, 60 mm diameter) produced rotational actuation outputs of ±21.7° and ±9.42 mN m and linear actuation outputs of ±4.45 mm (±9.1%) and ±0.55 N. Finally, combined multi-DOF actuation is demonstrated as part of development towards scalable holonomic electro-active elastomer actuators. (paper)

  12. Influence of deep RIE tolerances on comb-drive actuator performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Bangtao; Miao, Jianmin

    2007-01-01

    This paper analyses the various etching tolerances and profiles of comb-drive microstructures by using deep reactive ion etching (RIE) and studies their influence on the actuator's performance. The comb-drive actuators studied in this paper are fabricated with the silicon-on-glass (SOG) wafer process using deep RIE and wafer bonding, which present very high-aspect-ratio and high-strength microstructures. However, the deep RIE process generates some tolerances and varies the dimension and profile of comb fingers and flexures due to the process limitations. We have analysed the different etching tolerances and studied their influence on the actuator's performance, in terms of the electrostatic force, flexure stiffness, actuator's displacement, air damping and quality factor of the actuator. The analysis shows that the comb fingers with a positive slope profile generated a larger electrostatic force, and the flexures with a negative profile induced the loss of the actuator's stiffness. The combination of these two profiles leads to a great increase in the actuator's displacement and decrease in the quality factor. The measured results of the SOG fabricated actuators have demonstrated the influence of deep RIE tolerance on the actuator's performance

  13. Large aperture deformable mirror with a transferred single-crystal silicon membrane actuated using large-stroke PZT Unimorph Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hishinumat, Yoshikazu; Yang, Eui - Hyeok (EH)

    2005-01-01

    We have demonstrated a large aperture (50 mm x 50 mm) continuous membrane deformable mirror (DM) with a large-stroke piezoelectric unimorph actuator array. The DM consists of a continuous, large aperture, silicon membrane 'transferred' in its entirety onto a 20 x 20 piezoelectric unimorph actuator array. A PZT unimorph actuator, 2.5 mm in diameter with optimized PZT/Si thickness and design showed a deflection of 5.7 [m at 20V. An assembled DM showed an operating frequency bandwidth of 30 kHz and influence function of approximately 30%.

  14. Refreshable Braille displays using EAP actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

    2010-04-01

    Refreshable Braille can help visually impaired persons benefit from the growing advances in computer technology. The development of such displays in a full screen form is a great challenge due to the need to pack many actuators in small area without interferences. In recent years, various displays using actuators such as piezoelectric stacks have become available in commercial form but most of them are limited to one line Braille code. Researchers in the field of electroactive polymers (EAP) investigated methods of using these materials to form full screen displays. This manuscript reviews the state of the art of producing refreshable Braille displays using EAP-based actuators.

  15. Refreshable Braille Displays Using EAP Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

    2010-01-01

    Refreshable Braille can help visually impaired persons benefit from the growing advances in computer technology. The development of such displays in a full screen form is a great challenge due to the need to pack many actuators in small area without interferences. In recent years, various displays using actuators such as piezoelectric stacks have become available in commercial form but most of them are limited to one line Braille code. Researchers in the field of electroactive polymers (EAP) investigated methods of using these materials to form full screen displays. This manuscript reviews the state of the art of producing refreshable Braille displays using EAP-based actuators..

  16. Measurements on the Thunder TH-6R actuator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buhl, T.; Gaunaa, Mac; Bak, Christian

    2005-01-01

    This report is a collection of the measurements carried out on the TH-6R actuator from Face International Co. The work is a part of the ADAPWING project, which aims at developing a method to alleviate some of the fluctuating response of a wind turbine byusing adaptive trailing edge geometry....... The ultimate goal of the project is to make a prototype and test this in a wind tunnel. First step is to clarify whether the actuator can be use for this purpose. The report will include: static and dynamic test ofthe actuator, test in different ranges of its operational range and comparison of two actuators....... One of the important fact that is discovered is that the actuator response has a clear hysteresis loop. This fact must be taken into account when using theactuator as trailing edge geometry on the wind turbine wing....

  17. Internal Leakage Fault Detection and Tolerant Control of Single-Rod Hydraulic Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianyong Yao

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The integration of internal leakage fault detection and tolerant control for single-rod hydraulic actuators is present in this paper. Fault detection is a potential technique to provide efficient condition monitoring and/or preventive maintenance, and fault tolerant control is a critical method to improve the safety and reliability of hydraulic servo systems. Based on quadratic Lyapunov functions, a performance-oriented fault detection method is proposed, which has a simple structure and is prone to implement in practice. The main feature is that, when a prescribed performance index is satisfied (even a slight fault has occurred, there is no fault alarmed; otherwise (i.e., a severe fault has occurred, the fault is detected and then a fault tolerant controller is activated. The proposed tolerant controller, which is based on the parameter adaptive methodology, is also prone to realize, and the learning mechanism is simple since only the internal leakage is considered in parameter adaptation and thus the persistent exciting (PE condition is easily satisfied. After the activation of the fault tolerant controller, the control performance is gradually recovered. Simulation results on a hydraulic servo system with both abrupt and incipient internal leakage fault demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed fault detection and tolerant control method.

  18. Modular Architecture of a Non-Contact Pinch Actuation Micropump

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruzairi Abdul Rahim

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper demonstrates a modular architecture of a non-contact actuation micropump setup. Rapid hot embossing prototyping was employed in micropump fabrication by using printed circuit board (PCB as a mold material in polymer casting. Actuator-membrane gap separation was studied, with experimental investigation of three separation distances: 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm. To enhance the micropump performance, interaction surface area between plunger and membrane was modeled via finite element analysis (FEA. The micropump was evaluated against two frequency ranges, which comprised a low driving frequency range (0–5 Hz, with 0.5 Hz step increments and a nominal frequency range (0–80 Hz, with 10 Hz per step increments. The low range frequency features a linear relationship of flow rate with the operating frequency function, while two magnitude peaks were captured in the flow rate and back pressure characteristic in the nominal frequency range. Repeatability and reliability tests conducted suggest the pump performed at a maximum flow rate of 5.78 mL/min at 65 Hz and a backpressure of 1.35 kPa at 60 Hz.

  19. Physical and technical aspects of lead cooled fast reactors safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Orlov, V.V.; Smirnov, V.S.; Filin, A.I.

    2001-01-01

    The safety analysis of lead-cooled fast reactors has been performed for the well-developed concept of BREST-OD-300 reactor. The most severe accidents have been considered. An ultimate design-basis accident has been defined as an event resulting from an external impact and involving a loss of leak-tightness of the lead circuit, loss of forced circulation of lead and loss of heat sink to the secondary circuit, failure of controls and of reactor scram with resultant insertion of total reactivity margin, etc. It was assumed in accident analysis that the protective feature available for accident mitigation was only reactivity feedback on the changes in the temperatures of the reactor core elements and coolant flow rate, and in some cases also actuation of passive protections of threshold action in response to low flow rate and high coolant temperature at the core outlet. It should be noted that the majority of the analyzed accidents could be overcame even without initiation of the above protections. It has been demonstrated that a combination of inherent properties of lead coolant, nitride fuel, physical and design features of fast reactors will ensure natural safety of BREST and are instrumental for avoiding by a deterministic approach the accidents associated with a significant release of radioactivity and requiring evacuation of people in any credible initiating event and a combination of events. (author)

  20. Model-based design and experimental verification of a monitoring concept for an active-active electromechanical aileron actuation system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arriola, David; Thielecke, Frank

    2017-09-01

    Electromechanical actuators have become a key technology for the onset of power-by-wire flight control systems in the next generation of commercial aircraft. The design of robust control and monitoring functions for these devices capable to mitigate the effects of safety-critical faults is essential in order to achieve the required level of fault tolerance. A primary flight control system comprising two electromechanical actuators nominally operating in active-active mode is considered. A set of five signal-based monitoring functions are designed using a detailed model of the system under consideration which includes non-linear parasitic effects, measurement and data acquisition effects, and actuator faults. Robust detection thresholds are determined based on the analysis of parametric and input uncertainties. The designed monitoring functions are verified experimentally and by simulation through the injection of faults in the validated model and in a test-rig suited to the actuation system under consideration, respectively. They guarantee a robust and efficient fault detection and isolation with a low risk of false alarms, additionally enabling the correct reconfiguration of the system for an enhanced operational availability. In 98% of the performed experiments and simulations, the correct faults were detected and confirmed within the time objectives set.