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Actuators
Special Issues
Design of Sensing and Actuation Systems
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Design of Sensing and Actuation Systems

A special issue of Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825). This special issue belongs to the section "Control Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 17754

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Salvatore Ameduri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CIRA, Italian Aerospace Research Centre, Via Maiorise, 81043 Capua, Italy
Interests: morphing wings; smart materials; noise and vibration control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Antonio Concilio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Adaptive Structures, Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali, 81043 Capua, CE, Italy
Interests: adaptive structures; smart structures; morphing; structural health monitoring; integrated vehicle health monitoring; vibroacoustic control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The last several decades have seen the advent and development of innovative materials and systems, whose level of compactness and integration, in conjunction with their high functional performance, contribute to their designation as “smart”. Consequently, research and development projects have been focusing on the development of highly integrated sensing and actuation systems based on “highly embedded and distributed architectures”, targeting growing levels of market and technical competitiveness, while facing increasingly strict environmental requirements.

This Special Issue focuses on the design of integrated actuator and sensor networks, applied to different fields, such as:

  • Morphing and deployable systems;
  • Electric aircraft and vehicle applications;
  • Energy harvesting systems;
  • Noise and vibration annoyance;
  • Innovative de-icing systems for aeronautics;
  • Robotics;
  • Civil buildings, for health monitoring and seismic attenuation;
  • Bio-medical applications, ranging from surgery to wearable systems;
  • Any other application concerning the development and use of highly integrated actuation and sensing systems.

We look forward to your valuable contributions.

Dr. Salvatore Ameduri
Dr. Antonio Concilio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Actuators is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • integrated networks
  • largely distributed actuator and sensor chains
  • smart materials
  • morphing systems
  • electric aircraft and vehicles
  • noise and vibration annoyance
  • de-icing
  • adaptive systems

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 10428 KiB  
Article
Whirl Tower Demonstration of an SMA Blade Twist System
by Salvatore Ameduri, Monica Ciminello, Antonio Concilio, Ignazio Dimino, Bernardino Galasso, Mariano Guida, Marco Fabio Miceli, Johannes Riemenschneider, Steffen Kalow, Jannis Luebker and Benjamin King Sutton Woods
Actuators 2022, 11(6), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/act11060141 - 25 May 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2926
Abstract
This paper focuses on the development and demonstration of a novel blade morphing system within a whirl tower facility. The scope is to investigate the behavior of the proposed architecture under representative loads, demonstrating its capability to alter the blade original shape in [...] Read more.
This paper focuses on the development and demonstration of a novel blade morphing system within a whirl tower facility. The scope is to investigate the behavior of the proposed architecture under representative loads, demonstrating its capability to alter the blade original shape in operation under centrifugal, aerodynamic, and internal forces. The morphing concept was developed inside the European project “Shape Adaptive Blades for Rotorcraft Efficiency”, SABRE, and consists of a shape memory alloy system able to change the original twist law and, in this way, enhance rotor performance at certain specific regimes, such as hover and vertical flight. These phases, indeed, are generally penalized with respect to other more extended flight regimes (cruise). The work starts with an overview of the research in the field of morphing, with specific reference to the researches envisaging rotary wing demonstrations. Then, an overview of the morphing twist concept is provided, with particular attention paid to those features particularly suited for the whirl tower representative test environment. The laboratory characterization and commissioning operations are illustrated. Then, the task of the installation of the prototype on the whirl tower facility is described together with the testing modality adopted. Finally, the results of the test campaign are illustrated and critically discussed, providing the reader with insights and possible future steps to be taken in further research. The impact on the morphing capability of the following different parameters was investigated: the number of the prototype segments switched on, the speed and thus the centrifugal actions, and the angles of attack. The stiffening effect due to centrifugal actions was quantified through the measurement of the actual twist and the internal deformation. The link between speed, angle of attack at root, and twist and flap angles was also tracked, building a database useful for the comprehension of the phenomenon, and for the assessment of numerical predictive models. The achieved results highlighted the capability of the system to produce a twist angle matching the target of 8° per blade radius; this figure is related to a potential power saving of 10% in hover and vertical flight and an improvement of about 1% on the over-all efficiency of the rotorcraft. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design of Sensing and Actuation Systems)
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25 pages, 2625 KiB  
Article
Understanding Shape Memory Alloy Torsional Actuators: From the Conceptual to the Preliminary Design
by Mario Sansone, Salvatore Ameduri, Antonio Concilio and Enrico Cestino
Actuators 2022, 11(3), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/act11030081 - 06 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2782
Abstract
Shape memory alloy actuators have been studied for more than thirty years. Many experimental tests have been performed, and several patents have been registered. However, designing such devices is still a challenging task. On the one hand, models are not yet able to [...] Read more.
Shape memory alloy actuators have been studied for more than thirty years. Many experimental tests have been performed, and several patents have been registered. However, designing such devices is still a challenging task. On the one hand, models are not yet able to provide the accuracy required to replace a substantial portion of the experimental tests; on the other hand, it seems that a gap exists in the literature between the main ideas behind SMA torsional actuators and their actual implementation. This work is a systematic effort to fill this gap, helping researchers and designers in developing SMA torsional actuators with a particular focus on aeronautical applications. This paper reports all the steps toward the preliminary design of such devices, using a state-of-the-art, commercially available FEM software. Moreover, the SMA rods’ behaviour under mechanical and thermal loading is thoroughly examined, looking at monitoring stress, temperature, torque and martensite evolution simultaneously, and thus providing a holistic vision of the macroscopic phenomena involved during phase transformations. Simple aerodynamic load predictions are also performed, using Xfoil for three classes of aircraft (medium size UAV, Four-Seat Aircraft and Regional Transport Aircraft). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design of Sensing and Actuation Systems)
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15 pages, 5080 KiB  
Article
Manufacturing and Testing of a Variable Chord Extension for Helicopter Rotor Blades
by Christoph Balzarek, Steffen Kalow, Johannes Riemenschneider and Andres Rivero
Actuators 2022, 11(2), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/act11020053 - 09 Feb 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2347
Abstract
Helicopters are still an indispensable addition to aviation in this day and age. They are characterized by their ability to master both forward flight and hover. These characteristics result in a wide range of possible operations. Key for the design of the rotor [...] Read more.
Helicopters are still an indispensable addition to aviation in this day and age. They are characterized by their ability to master both forward flight and hover. These characteristics result in a wide range of possible operations. Key for the design of the rotor blades is a blade design that always represents a compromise between the different flight conditions, which enables safe and efficient flight in the various flight conditions. In order to operate the rotor blade even more efficiently in all flight conditions, a new morphing concept, the so-called linear variable chord extension, has been developed. Here, the blade chord length in the root area is changed with the help of an elastic skin to adapt it to the respective flight condition. The simulations performed for this concept showed a promising increase in overall helicopter performance. The fabrication of the resulting demonstrator as well as the tests in the whirl-tower and wind tunnel are presented in this paper. The results of the tests show that the concept of linear variable chord extension has a positive influence and a great potential for hovering flight. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design of Sensing and Actuation Systems)
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16 pages, 2287 KiB  
Article
Exploiting Cyclic Angle-Dependency in a Kalman Filter-Based Torque Estimation on a Mechatronic Drivetrain
by Thijs Van der Veken, Jan Croes, Matteo Kirchner, Jonathan Baake, Wim Desmet and Frank Naets
Actuators 2022, 11(2), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/act11020035 - 24 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2478
Abstract
Torsional vibrations play a critical role in the design and operation of a mechanical or mechatronic drivetrain due to their impact on lifetime, performance, and cost. A magnetic spring allows one to reduce these vibrations and improve the actuator performance yet introduces additional [...] Read more.
Torsional vibrations play a critical role in the design and operation of a mechanical or mechatronic drivetrain due to their impact on lifetime, performance, and cost. A magnetic spring allows one to reduce these vibrations and improve the actuator performance yet introduces additional challenges on the identification. As a direct torque measurement is generally not favourable because of its intrusive nature, this paper proposes a nonintrusive approach to identify torsional load profiles. The approach combines a physics-based lumped parameter model of the torsional dynamics of the drivetrain with measurements coming from a motor encoder and two MEMS accelerometers in a combined state/input estimation, using an augmented extended Kalman filter (A-EKF). In order to allow a generic magnetic spring torque estimation, a random walk input model is used, where additionally the angle-dependent behaviour is exploited by constructing an angle-dependent estimate and variance map. Experimental validation leads to a significant reduction in bias in the load torque estimation for this approach, compared to conventional estimators. Moreover, this newly proposed approach significantly reduces the variance on the estimated states by exploiting the angle dependency. The proposed approach provides knowledge of the torsional vibrations in a nonintrusive way, without the need for an extensive magnetic spring torque identification. Further, the approach is applicable on any drivetrain with angle-dependent input torques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design of Sensing and Actuation Systems)
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23 pages, 6705 KiB  
Article
Design and Analysis of a Stepping Piezoelectric Actuator Free of Backward Motion
by Xiaofeng Yang, Jinyan Tang, Wenxin Guo, Hu Huang, Haoyin Fan, Jiahui Liu and Tao Li
Actuators 2021, 10(8), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/act10080200 - 20 Aug 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2611
Abstract
Although the stick-slip principle has been widely employed for designing piezoelectric actuators, there still exits an intrinsic drawback, i.e., the backward motion, which significantly affects its output performances and applications. By analyzing the generation mechanism of backward motion in stick-slip piezoelectric actuators, the [...] Read more.
Although the stick-slip principle has been widely employed for designing piezoelectric actuators, there still exits an intrinsic drawback, i.e., the backward motion, which significantly affects its output performances and applications. By analyzing the generation mechanism of backward motion in stick-slip piezoelectric actuators, the elliptical trajectory was employed to design a novel stepping piezoelectric actuator free of backward motion. Accordingly, a prototype of piezoelectric actuator was designed, which utilized a flexure hinge mechanism and two vertically arranged piezoelectric stacks to generate the required elliptical trajectory. The compliance matrix method was used to theoretically analyze the flexure hinge mechanism. The theoretical and measured elliptical trajectories under various phase differences were compared, and the phase difference of 45° was selected accordingly. Under a critical relative gap, output performances of the actuator working under the elliptical trajectory were characterized, and then compared with that obtained under the normal stick-slip driving principle. Experimental results indicated that forward and reverse stepping displacement with completely suppressed backward motion could be achieved when employing the elliptical trajectory, verifying its feasibility. This study provides a new strategy for designing a stepping piezoelectric actuator free of backward motion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design of Sensing and Actuation Systems)
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14 pages, 4837 KiB  
Article
A Novel Rotation-Structure Based Stick-Slip Piezoelectric Actuator with High Consistency in Forward and Reverse Motions
by Jizhou Tang, Jingsong Wei, Yuming Wang, Zhi Xu and Hu Huang
Actuators 2021, 10(8), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/act10080189 - 08 Aug 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2750
Abstract
Under the same driving voltage and frequency, the forward and reverse motion inconsistency of stick-slip piezoelectric actuators would bring difficulty for subsequent control. To solve this problem, a rotation-structure based piezoelectric actuator with completely symmetric structure and two driving feet was initially proposed. [...] Read more.
Under the same driving voltage and frequency, the forward and reverse motion inconsistency of stick-slip piezoelectric actuators would bring difficulty for subsequent control. To solve this problem, a rotation-structure based piezoelectric actuator with completely symmetric structure and two driving feet was initially proposed. By testing its output performances under various driving voltages and frequencies, it was confirmed that, although similar speeds could be achieved for forward and reverse motions, the maximum displacement and backward displacement in each step were still quite different. By analyzing the reasons leading to this difference, this actuator was further improved by using only one driving foot. The experimental results showed that the forward and reverse motion consistency of the improved actuator had been significantly improved. The deviation rate was only 1.6%, corresponding to a travel distance of 118.7 μm, obtained under the driving voltage of 100 V and driving frequency of 10 Hz. The comparison with some previously reported actuators further confirmed the advancement of this improved actuator. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design of Sensing and Actuation Systems)
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