Electrical actuation

systems

Intro..
Actuator is a device which is used to actuate a
process.
Actuate is to operate the process.
1.Switching devices mechanical switches, eg.
relay and solid state switches, eg diodes,
thyristors and transistors app switch on or off
electrical devices
2.Solenoid type devices used to actuate valves
of hydraulic and pneumatic systems. (flow
control)
3.Drive systems DC motor, AC motor and
stepper motor.

Mechanical switches
Relay - Arelayis
anelectricallyoperatedswitch.

Relay
Electrically operated switches in which
changing the current in one circuit switches
a current on or off in another circuit.
NO normally open , NC normally closed
Output from controller is small so it is often
used with transistor.
Relays are inductances
Free wheeling or fly back diode.
Importance
To operate a device which needs larger current.

solenoid
Solenoid is an electromagnet which
can be used as an actuator.
Electrically operated actuators.
Solenoid valves are used in hydraulic
and pneumatic systems.

Relay

Solid state switches

diode
Transistor
Thyristor
Triac
Bipole transistor
MOSFET

Diode

Bipolar Transistors
Transistors are manufactured
in different shapes but they
have three leads (legs).
The BASE - which is the lead
responsible for activating the
transistor.
The COLLECTOR - which is
the positive lead.
The EMITTER - which is the
negative lead.

Transistor as a switch

 Bipolar switch

Darlington pair

 Transistor needs large base current

to switch on.
Output from microprocessor has a
small input.
A second transistor is employed to
enable a high current to be switched
on. Such a combination of pair of
transistor is called Darlington pair.

MOSFET
Metal oxide field effect transistor
Two types
N channel
P channel

Three terminals
Gate (G)
Drain (D)
Source (S)

Operation
When MOSFET is turned on current flows
from source to drain .
Voltage is applied between gate-source to
turn on MOSFET.
MOSFET can be turned off by removing gate
voltage.
Gate has full control over the control of
MOSFET.
A level shifter buffer required to raise the
voltage level at which the MOSFET starts to
activate.
Interfacing with p is simpler then transistor.

Thyristor

 Thyristors have three states:

Reverse blocking mode Voltage is applied in
the direction that would be blocked by a diode
Forward blocking mode Voltage is applied in
the direction that would cause a diode to
conduct, but the thyristor has not yet been
triggered into conduction
Forward conducting mode The thyristor has
been triggered into conduction and will remain
conducting until the forward current drops
below a threshold value known as the "holding
current"

Triac

Voltage control

Thyristor dc control

Lamp dimmer

 Thyristor dimmers switch on at an adjustable

time (phase angle) after the start of each
alternating current half-cycle, thereby altering
the voltage waveform applied to lamps and so
changing its RMS effective value.
R1 is a current limiting resistor and R2 is a
potentiometer.
By adjusting R2 thyristor can be made to
trigger at any point between 0 deg and 90
deg.

Snubber circuit
In order to prevent
sudden change in
source voltage, the
rate voltage
changes with time
is dV/dt is
controlled by using
a snubber circuit.

Drive systems
DC motor
AC motor
Stepper motor

DC motor

Working principle
When current passes through the coil,
the resulting forces acting on its sides
at right angles to the field cause
forces to act on those sides to give a
rotation.
For the rotation to continue, when the
coil passes through the vertical
position the current direction through
the coil has to be reversed.

Parts
Stator (permanent or non permanent
magnet)
Rotor (electromagnet)
Armature
Commutator
Brush

 A brush type dc motor is essentially a coil of

wire which is free to rotate - termed as rotor
in the field of permanent or non-permanent
magnet.
The magnet termed a stator since it is
stationery.
For the rotation to continue, when coil passes
through vertical position the current direction
is reversed which is got by use of brushes
making contact with split ring commutator.

 Since armature is a rotating

magnetic field it will have back emf
Vb. The back emf depends on rate of
flux induced in coil. Back emf is
proportional to angular velocity w
Vb = Kw
Equivalent circuit diagram for D.C
motor
Ra

La = inductance

Vb

 Neglecting the inductance produced

due to armature coil, then effective
voltage producing current I through
resistance R is Va-Vb, hence
I = (Va - Vb)/R = (Va Kw)/R
T=KI
= k(Va Kw)/R

Control of brush type DC

motor
Speed control can be obtained by
controlling the voltage applied to the
armature. Since fixed voltage supply is
often used, a variable voltage is obtained
by an electronic circuit.
When A.C supply is used a Thyristor can be
used to control the average voltage
applied to armature.
PWM pulse width modulation
Control of d.c motors by means of control
signal from microprocessors.

Brush type motor with nonpermanent magnet

Series wound
Shunt wound
Compound wound
Separately excited

Series wound
Armature and field
windings are
connected in series.
Highest starting
torque
Greatest no load
speed
Reversing the polarity
of supply will not
effect the direction of
rotation of rotor.

Shunt wound
Armature and field
coils are in parallel.
Lowest starting torque
Good speed regulation.
Almost constant speed
regardless of load.
For reversing direction
of rotation either
armature coil or field
coil supply has to be
reversed.

Compound wound
Two field windings
one in series an
another in parallel
with armature
windings.
High starting
torque with good
speed regulation.

Separately excited
Separate control of
armature and field
coils.
Speed of these
motors can be
controlled by
separately varying
the armature or
field current.

Brush less dc motor

Its consists of a sequence of stator coils and a
permanent magnet rotor.
Current carrying conductors are fixed and
magnet moves.
Rotor is ferrite or permanent magnet.
The current to the stator coils are electronically
switched by transistor in sequence round the
coils.
Switching being controlled by position of rotors.
Hall effect sensors are used to input signals
related to a particular position of rotor.

A.C motors
Single phase squirrel cage induction motor
Its consists of a squirrel cage rotor, this being
copper or aluminum bars that fit into slots in end
rings to form a complete circuit.
Its consists of a stator having set of windings.
Alternating current is passed through stator
windings an alternating magnetic field is
produced.
As a result EMF are induced in conductors in the
magnetic field.
Initially when rotor is stationery net torque is
zero.
Motor is not self starting.

3-phase induction motor

3 windings located 120
deg apart each winding
being connected to one
of the three lines of the
supply.
3 phase reach
maximum currents at
different times,
magnetic field rotates
round the stator poles
completing one
rotation is one full
cycle.
Self starting

Synchronous motors
Similar to that of
induction motor but
rotor will be a
permanent magnet.
Magnets rotate with
the same frequency
as that of rotating
magnetic field which
rotates 360 deg in
one cycle of supply.
Used when precise
speed is required.
Not self starting.

Speed control of AC motor

Speed control of A.C
motor is done by
provision of variable
frequency supply.
Torque is constant
when ratio of applied
stator voltage to
frequency ration is
constant.
AC is rectified to DC
by convertor and
inverted back to AC
with a selected
frequency.

Stepper motors
Stepper motor is a device that
produce rotation though equal angles
called as steps, for each digital pulse
supplied to its input.

Stepper motors
Variable reluctance motor
Rotor is made of soft steel
and is cylindrical with four
poles, fewer poles than on the
stator.
When opposite pair of
windings has current
switched to them, a magnetic
field is produced with line of
force pass from stator to
nearest poles of rotor.
Rotor will until it is in
minimum reluctance position.
Step angle 7.5 deg to 15 deg.

Permanent magnet stepper

Two phase four poles.

Coils on opposite pairs of
poles are in series.
Current is supplied from dc
source.
Rotor is a permanent
magnet.
Rotor rotates in 45 deg
steps.
Step angles 1.8, 7.5, 15,
30, 34, or 90 deg available.

Hybrid stepper motor

Combined features of both

variable reluctance and
permanent magnet motors.
Permanent magnets are
encased in iron caps which
are cut to have teeth.
It motor has n phase and m
teeth on the rotor, the total
number of steps per
revolution will be nm
0.9 and 0.8 deg steps
available.
High accuracy positioning
applications.

Specifications
Phase
Number of independent
windings on the stator, eg
a three phase motor.

Step angle
Angle through which the
rotor rotates from one
switching change for the
stator.

Holding torque
Maximum torque that can
applied to a powered
motor without moving it
from its rest position and
causing spindle rotation.

Pull in torque
This is the maximum
torque against which a
motor will start for a
given pulse rate and
reach synchronism
without losing a step.

Pull out torque

Maximum torque against
that can be applied to a
motor, running at a given
stepping rate, without
loosing synchronism.

Pull in rate
Maximum switching rate
at which a loaded motor
can start without loosing a
step.

Pull out rate

Switching rate at which a
loaded motor will remain
in synchronism as the
switching rate is reduced.

Slew range
Range of switching rates
between pull-in and pullout within the motor runs
in synchronism but cannot
start up or reverse.