UNIT 2

Electrical actuation systems

Intro..
Actuator is a device which is used to actuate a process.
Actuate is to operate the process.
Switching devices mechanical switches, eg. relay and

solid state switches, eg diodes, thyristors and transistors

app switch on or off electrical devices
Solenoid type devices used to actuate valves of
hydraulic and pneumatic systems. (flow control)
Drive systems DC motor, AC motor and stepper motor.

Basic electronics
Semi-conductor

Diode

Transistor

Resistor

Mechanical switches
Relay - A relay is an electrically operated switch.

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

Transistor as a switch

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

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.

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.

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.

 For an armature conductor of length l and carrying a

current I, the force resulting from a magnetic flux of

density B at right angles to the conductor is given by
F = BIL
Torque produced along the axis of the conductor due to
force F is
T=Fxb
= nBIL x b
= KI

 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

 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 non-permanent 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.

How it works (VR)

1. The upper
electromagnet is
activated and the teeth of
the central cog line up
accordingly.

2. The upper
electromagnet is
deactivated and the right
one turned on. The closest
cog teeth then jump to line
up with this. This causes a
step (e.g. 1.8 turn).

4. The bottom electromagnet is

deactivated and the left-most one
turned on. The cog teeth then jump to
line up with this. This causes another
step. On a motor which has a step
angle of 1.8, 200 steps are required
for a full rotation.

3. The right electromagnet is

deactivated and the lower
one is turned on. The cog
teeth then jump to line up
with the bottom
electromagnet. This causes
another step.

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.

Servo Motor
DC motors with built in gearing and feedback control loop

circuitry, require no driver

Extremely popular with robot
Most servo motors can rotate about 90 to 180 degrees or a full
360 degrees or more
unable to continually rotate e.g. driving wheel
precision positioning makes them ideal for robot arms and legs,
rack and pinion steering
To use a servo, simply connect the black wire to ground, the red
to a 4.8-6V source, and the yellow/white wire to a signal
generator (e.g. from microcontroller)
Vary the square wave pulse width from 1-2ms and your servo is
now position/velocity controlled.

THANK YOU