1/2/2015

LinearactuatorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Linearactuator
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Alinearactuatorisanactuatorthatcreatesmotioninastraightline,in
contrasttothecircularmotionofaconventionalelectricmotor.Linear
actuatorsareusedinmachinetoolsandindustrialmachinery,incomputer
peripheralssuchasdiskdrivesandprinters,invalvesanddampers,andin
manyotherplaceswherelinearmotionisrequired.Hydraulicor
pneumaticcylindersinherentlyproducelinearmotion.Manyother
mechanismsareusedtogeneratelinearmotionfromarotatingmotor.

Contents
1Types
1.1Mechanicalactuators
1.2Hydraulicactuators
1.3Pneumaticactuators
1.4Piezoelectricactuators
1.5Electromechanicalactuators
1.5.1Simplifieddesign
1.5.2Standardvscompactconstruction
1.5.3Principles

Conceptualdesignofabasictravelingnut
linearactuator.Notethatinthisexample
theleadscrew(gray)rotateswhilethelead
nut(yellow)andtube(red)donot.

1.5.4Variations
1.5.5Staticloadcapacity
1.5.6Dynamicloadcapacity
1.5.7SpeedControl
1.5.8DutyCycle
1.6Linearmotors
1.7Telescopinglinearactuator
2Advantagesanddisadvantages
3Seealso
4References

DVDdrivewithleadscrewand
steppermotor.

5Externallinks

Types
Mechanicalactuators
Mechanicallinearactuatorstypicallyoperatebyconversionofrotarymotion
intolinearmotion.Conversioniscommonlymadeviaafewsimpletypesof
mechanism:

Floppydiscdrivewithleadscrewand
steppermotor.

Screw:leadscrew,screwjack,ballscrewandrollerscrewactuatorsalloperateontheprincipleofthesimple
machineknownasthescrew.Byrotatingtheactuator'snut,thescrewshaftmovesinaline.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_actuator

1/7

1/2/2015

LinearactuatorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Wheelandaxle:Hoist,winch,rackandpinion,chaindrive,beltdrive,rigidchainandrigidbeltactuatorsoperate
ontheprincipleofthewheelandaxle.Arotatingwheelmovesacable,rack,chainorbelttoproducelinear
motion.[1]
Cam:Camactuatorsfunctiononaprinciplesimilartothatofthewedge,
butproviderelativelylimitedtravel.Asawheellikecamrotates,its
eccentricshapeprovidesthrustatthebaseofashaft.
Somemechanicallinearactuatorsonlypull,suchashoists,chaindriveandbelt
drives.Othersonlypush(suchasacamactuator).Pneumaticandhydraulic
cylinders,orleadscrewscanbedesignedtogenerateforceinbothdirections.

Amechanicallinearactuatorwith
digitalreadout(atypeofmicrometer).

Mechanicalactuatorstypicallyconvertrotarymotionofacontrolknobor
handleintolineardisplacementviascrewsand/orgearstowhichtheknobor
handleisattached.Ajackscreworcarjackisafamiliarmechanicalactuator.
Anotherfamilyofactuatorsarebasedonthesegmentedspindle.Rotationof
thejackhandleisconvertedmechanicallyintothelinearmotionofthejack
head.Mechanicalactuatorsarealsofrequentlyusedinthefieldoflasersand
opticstomanipulatethepositionoflinearstages,rotarystages,mirrormounts,
goniometersandotherpositioninginstruments.Foraccurateandrepeatable
positioning,indexmarksmaybeusedoncontrolknobs.Someactuators
includeanencoderanddigitalpositionreadout.Thesearesimilartothe
adjustmentknobsusedonmicrometersexcepttheirpurposeisposition
adjustmentratherthanpositionmeasurement.

Hydraulicactuators
Hydraulicactuatorsorhydrauliccylinderstypicallyinvolveahollowcylinder
havingapistoninsertedinit.Anunbalancedpressureappliedtothepiston
generatesforcethatcanmoveanexternalobject.Sinceliquidsarenearly
incompressible,ahydrauliccylindercanprovidecontrolledpreciselinear
displacementofthepiston.Thedisplacementisonlyalongtheaxisofthe
piston.Afamiliarexampleofamanuallyoperatedhydraulicactuatorisa
hydrauliccarjack.Typicallythough,theterm"hydraulicactuator"referstoa
devicecontrolledbyahydraulicpump.

Rollerscrewactuationwithtraveling
screw(rotatingnut).

Pneumaticactuators
Pneumaticactuators,orpneumaticcylinders,aresimilartohydraulicactuatorsexcepttheyusecompressedgasto
generateforceinsteadofaliquid.Theyworksimilarlytoapistoninwhichairispumpedinsideachamberandpushedout
oftheothersideofthechamber.Airactuatorsarenotnecessarilyusedforheavydutymachineryandinstanceswhere
largeamountsofweightarepresent.Oneofthereasonspneumaticlinearactuatorsarepreferredtoothertypesisthefact
thatthepowersourceissimplyanaircompressor.Becauseairistheinputsource,pneumaticactuatorsareabletobe
usedinmanyplacesofmechanicalactivity.Thedownsideis,mostaircompressorsarelarge,bulky,andloud.Theyare
hardtotransporttootherareasonceinstalled.Pneumaticlinearactuatorsarelikelytoleakandthismakesthemless
efficientthanmechanicallinearactuators.

Piezoelectricactuators
Thepiezoelectriceffectisapropertyofcertainmaterialsinwhichapplicationofavoltagetothematerialcausesitto
expand.Veryhighvoltagescorrespondtoonlytinyexpansions.Asaresult,piezoelectricactuatorscanachieveextremely
finepositioningresolution,butalsohaveaveryshortrangeofmotion.Inaddition,piezoelectricmaterialsexhibithysteresis
whichmakesitdifficulttocontroltheirexpansioninarepeatablemanner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_actuator

2/7

1/2/2015

LinearactuatorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Electromechanicalactuators
Electromechanicalactuatorsaresimilartomechanicalactuatorsexceptthat
thecontrolknoborhandleisreplacedwithanelectricmotor.Rotarymotionof
themotorisconvertedtolineardisplacement.Therearemanydesignsof
modernlinearactuatorsandeverycompanythatmanufacturesthemtendsto
haveaproprietarymethod.Thefollowingisageneralizeddescriptionofavery
simpleelectromechanicallinearactuator.
Simplifieddesign
Typically,anelectricmotorismechanicallyconnectedtorotatealeadscrew.
Aleadscrewhasacontinuoushelicalthreadmachinedonitscircumference
runningalongthelength(similartothethreadonabolt).Threadedontothe
leadscrewisaleadnutorballnutwithcorrespondinghelicalthreads.Thenut
ispreventedfromrotatingwiththeleadscrew(typicallythenutinterlockswith
anonrotatingpartoftheactuatorbody).Therefore,whentheleadscrewis
rotated,thenutwillbedrivenalongthethreads.Thedirectionofmotionofthe
nutdependsonthedirectionofrotationoftheleadscrew.Byconnecting
linkagestothenut,themotioncanbeconvertedtousablelineardisplacement.
Mostcurrentactuatorsarebuiltforhighspeed,highforce,oracompromise
betweenthetwo.Whenconsideringanactuatorforaparticularapplication,the
mostimportantspecificationsaretypicallytravel,speed,force,accuracy,and
lifetime.
Therearemanytypesofmotorsthatcanbeusedinalinearactuatorsystem.
Theseincludedcbrush,dcbrushless,stepper,orinsomecases,eveninduction
motors.Italldependsontheapplicationrequirementsandtheloadsthe
actuatorisdesignedtomove.Forexample,alinearactuatorusinganintegral
horsepowerACinductionmotordrivingaleadscrewcanbeusedtooperatea
largevalveinarefinery.Inthiscase,accuracyandhighmovementresolution
aren'tneeded,buthighforceandspeedare.Forelectromechanicallinear
actuatorsusedinlaboratoryinstrumentationrobotics,opticalandlaser
equipment,orXYtables,fineresolutioninthemicronrangeandhighaccuracy
mayrequiretheuseofafractionalhorsepowersteppermotorlinearactuator
withafinepitchleadscrew.Therearemanyvariationsintheelectromechanical
linearactuatorsystem.Itiscriticaltounderstandthedesignrequirementsand
applicationconstraintstoknowwhichonewouldbebest.

Aminiatureelectromechanicallinear
actuatorwheretheleadnutispartof
themotor.Theleadscrewdoesnot
rotate,soastheleadnutisrotatedby
themotor,theleadscrewisextended
orretracted.

Exampleofanunderwaterlinear
actuator,usedonaRemotely
OperatedUnderwaterVehicle(ROV)

Typicalcompactcylindricallinear
electricactuator

Standardvscompactconstruction
Alinearactuatorusingstandardmotorswillcommonlyhavethemotorasa
separatecylinderattachedtothesideoftheactuator,eitherparallelwiththe
actuatororperpendiculartotheactuator.Themotormaybeattachedtothe
endoftheactuator.Thedrivemotorisoftypicalconstructionwithasoliddrive
shaftthatisgearedtothedrivenutordrivescrewoftheactuator.
Compactlinearactuatorsusespeciallydesignedmotorsthattrytofitthemotor
andactuatorintothesmallestpossibleshape.

Typicallinearorrotary+linear
electricactuator

Theinnerdiameterofthemotorshaftcanbeenlarged,sothatthedriveshaftcanbehollow.Thedrivescrewand
nutcanthereforeoccupythecenterofthemotor,withnoneedforadditionalgearingbetweenthemotorandthe
drivescrew.
Similarlythemotorcanbemadetohaveaverysmalloutsidediameter,butinsteadthepolefacesarestretched
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_actuator

3/7

1/2/2015

LinearactuatorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

lengthwisesothemotorcanstillhaveveryhightorquewhilefittinginasmalldiameterspace.
Principles
Inthemajorityoflinearactuatordesigns,thebasicprincipleofoperationisthatofaninclinedplane.Thethreadsofalead
screwactasacontinuousrampthatallowsasmallrotationalforcetobeused
overalongdistancetoaccomplishmovementofalargeloadoverashort
distance.
Variations
Manyvariationsonthebasicdesignhavebeencreated.Mostfocuson
providinggeneralimprovementssuchasahighermechanicalefficiency,speed,
orloadcapacity.Thereisalsoalargeengineeringmovementtowardsactuator
miniaturization.

Movingcoillinear,rotaryandlinear+

rotaryactuatorsatworkinvarious
Mostelectromechanicaldesignsincorporatealeadscrewandleadnut.Some
applications
useaballscrewandballnut.Ineithercasethescrewmaybeconnectedtoa
motorormanualcontrolknobeitherdirectlyorthroughaseriesofgears.
Gearsaretypicallyusedtoallowasmaller(andweaker)motorspinningatahigherrpmtobegeareddowntoprovide
thetorquenecessarytospinthescrewunderaheavierloadthanthemotorwouldotherwisebecapableofdriving
directly.Effectivelythissacrificesactuatorspeedinfavorofincreasedactuatorthrust.Insomeapplicationstheuseof
wormgeariscommonasthisallowasmallerbuiltindimensionstillallowinggreattravellength.

Atravelingnutlinearactuatorhasamotorthatstaysattachedtooneendoftheleadscrew(perhapsindirectlythrougha
gearbox),themotorspinstheleadscrew,andtheleadnutisrestrainedfromspinningsoittravelsupanddownthelead
screw.
Atravelingscrewlinearactuatorhasaleadscrewthatpassesentirelythroughthemotor.Inatravelingscrewlinear
actuator,themotor"crawls"upanddownaleadscrewthatisrestrainedfromspinning.Theonlyspinningpartsareinside
themotor,andmaynotbevisiblefromtheoutside.
Someleadscrewshavemultiple"starts".Thismeanstheyhavemultiplethreadsalternatingonthesameshaft.Onewayof
visualizingthisisincomparisontothemultiplecolorstripesonacandycane.Thisallowsformoreadjustmentbetween
threadpitchandnut/screwthreadcontactarea,whichdeterminestheextensionspeedandloadcarryingcapacity(ofthe
threads),respectively.
Staticloadcapacity
Linearscrewactuatorscanhaveastaticloadingcapacity,meaningthatwhenthemotorstopstheactuatoressentially
locksinplaceandcansupportaloadthatiseitherpullingorpushingontheactuator.Thisstaticloadcapacityincreases
mobilityandspeed.
Thebrakingforceoftheactuatorvarieswiththeangularpitchofthescrewthreadsandthespecificdesignofthethreads.
Acmethreadshaveaveryhighstaticloadcapacity,whileballscrewshaveanextremelylowloadcapacityandcanbe
nearlyfreefloating.
Generallyitisnotpossibletovarythestaticloadcapacityofscrewactuatorswithoutadditionaltechnology.Thescrew
threadpitchanddrivenutdesigndefinesaspecificloadcapacitythatcannotbedynamicallyadjusted.
Insomecases,highviscositygreasecanbeaddedtolinearscrewactuatorstoincreasethestaticload.Some
manufacturersusethistoaltertheloadforspecificneeds.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_actuator

4/7

1/2/2015

LinearactuatorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Staticloadcapacitycanbeaddedtoalinearscrewactuatorusinganelectromagneticbrakesystem,whichappliesfriction
tothespinningdrivenut.Forexampleaspringmaybeusedtoapplybrakepadstothedrivenut,holdingitinposition
whenpoweristurnedoff.Whentheactuatorneedstobemoved,anelectromagnetcounteractsthespringandreleases
thebrakingforceonthedrivenut.
Similarlyanelectromagneticratchetmechanismcanbeusedwithalinearscrewactuatorsothatthedrivesystemliftinga
loadwilllockinpositionwhenpowertotheactuatoristurnedoff.Tolowertheactuator,anelectromagnetisusedto
counteractthespringforceandunlocktheratchet.
Dynamicloadcapacity
Dynamicloadcapacityistypicallyreferredtoastheamountofforcethelinearactuatoriscapableofprovidingduring
operation.Thisforcewillvarywithscrewtype(amountoffrictionrestrictingmovement)andthemotordrivingthe
movement.Dynamicloadisthefigurewhichmostactuatorsareclassifiedby,andisagoodindicationofwhat
applicationsitwouldsuitbest.[3]
SpeedControl
Inmostcaseswhenusinganelectromechanicalactuator,itispreferredtohavesometypeofspeedcontrol.Such
controllersvarythevoltagesuppliedtothemotor,whichinturnchangesthespeedatwhichtheleadscrewturns.
DutyCycle
Thedutycycleofamotorreferstotheamountoftimetheactuatorcanberunbeforeitneedstocooldown.Staying
withinthisguidelinewhenoperatinganactuatoriskeytoitslongevityandperformance.Ifthedutycycleratingis
exceeded,thenoverheating,lossofpower,andeventualburningofthemotorisrisked.

Linearmotors
Alinearmotorisfunctionallythesameasarotaryelectricmotorwiththerotorandstatorcircularmagneticfield
componentslaidoutinastraightline.Wherearotarymotorwouldspinaroundandreusethesamemagneticpolefaces
again,themagneticfieldstructuresofalinearmotorarephysicallyrepeatedacrossthelengthoftheactuator.
Sincethemotormovesinalinearfashion,noleadscrewisneededtoconvertrotarymotiontolinear.Whilehighcapacity
ispossible,thematerialand/ormotorlimitationsonmostdesignsaresurpassedrelativelyquicklyduetoareliancesolely
onmagneticattractionandrepulsionforces.Mostlinearmotorshavealowloadcapacitycomparedtoothertypesof
linearactuators.
Linearmotorshaveanadvantageinoutdoorordirtyenvironmentsinthatthetwohalvesdonotneedtocontacteach
other,andsotheelectromagneticdrivecoilscanbewaterproofedandsealedagainstmoistureandcorrosion,allowingfor
averylongservicelife.

Telescopinglinearactuator
Telescopinglinearactuatorsarespecializedlinearactuatorsusedwherespacerestrictionsexist.Theirrangeofmotionis
manytimesgreaterthantheunextendedlengthoftheactuatingmember.
Acommonformismadeofconcentrictubesofapproximatelyequallengththatextendandretractlikesleeves,oneinside
theother,suchasthetelescopiccylinder.
Othermorespecializedtelescopingactuatorsuseactuatingmembersthatactasrigidlinearshaftswhenextended,but
breakthatlinebyfolding,separatingintopiecesand/oruncoilingwhenretracted.Examplesoftelescopinglinearactuators
include:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_actuator

5/7

1/2/2015

LinearactuatorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Helicalbandactuator
Rigidbeltactuator
Rigidchainactuator
Segmentedspindle

Advantagesanddisadvantages
Actuator
Type

Advantages

Disadvantages

Rigidchainactuator

Cheap.Repeatable.No
powersourcerequired.
Manualoperationonly.No
Mechanical Selfcontained.Identical
automation.
behaviourextendingor
retracting.
Cheap.Repeatable.
Operationcanbe
automated.Self
contained.Identical
Electro
behaviourextendingor
mechanical
retracting.DCor
steppingmotors.
Positionfeedback
possible.

Linear
motor

Manymovingpartspronetowear.

Simpledesign.Minimum
ofmovingparts.High
speedspossible.Self
Lowtomediumforce.
contained.Identical
behaviourextendingor
retracting.

Verysmallmotions
possible.

Consumesbarelyanypower.Short
travelunlessamplifiedmechanically.
Highspeedsspeed.Highvoltages
required,typically24Vormore.
Expensive,andfragile.Goodin
compressiononly,notintension.
TypicallyusedforFuelInjectors

Hydraulic

Veryhighforces
possible.

Canleak.Requirespositionfeedback
forrepeatability.Externalhydraulic
pumprequired.Somedesignsgood
incompressiononly.

Pneumatic

Strong,light,simple,fast.

Precisepositioncontrolimpossible
exceptatfullstops

Piezoelectric

Waxmotor Smoothoperation.
Segmented
spindle

Notasreliableasothermethods.

Verycompact.Rangeof
motiongreaterthan
Bothlinearandrotarymotion.
lengthofactuator.
Force,positionand
speedarecontrollable

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_actuator

6/7

1/2/2015

LinearactuatorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

andrepeatable.Capable
Requirespositionfeedbacktobe
Movingcoil ofhighspeedsand
repeatable.
precisepositioning.
Linear,rotary,andlinear
+rotaryactions
possible.
Highforceand
controllable.Higher
MICA
forceandlesslosses
(movingiron
Strokelimitedtoseveralmillimeters,
thanmovingcoils.
controllable
lesslinearitythanmovingcoils
Losseseasytodissipate.
actuator)
Electronicdrivereasyto
designandsetup.

Seealso
Hoist

References
1. ^Sclater,N.,MechanismsandMechanicalDevicesSourcebook,4thEdition(2007),25,McGrawHill
2. ^http://www.firgelliauto.com
3. ^FirgelliAutomationsBasicsofLinearActuators(http://www.firgelliauto.com/blogs/news/18090539linearactuator
howto),

Externallinks
LeoDorst'sLegolinearactuator
(http://staff.science.uva.nl/~leo/lego/piston.html)

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoLinear
actuators.

Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Linear_actuator&oldid=640146095"
Categories: Actuators Positioninginstruments
Thispagewaslastmodifiedon29December2014at21:29.
TextisavailableundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionShareAlikeLicenseadditionaltermsmayapply.By
usingthissite,youagreetotheTermsofUseandPrivacyPolicy.Wikipediaisaregisteredtrademarkofthe
WikimediaFoundation,Inc.,anonprofitorganization.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_actuator

7/7