Group 9 - Bi-Directional Actuator

The Compact Bi-directional Rotary Actuator project is sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia envisions replacing two one-directional rotary solenoids with a single bi-directional rotary solenoid for weapon component applications. The design should be adaptable to be used in Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) for the purpose of miniaturization. However, the actuator prototype design and construction was scaled up do to lack of knowledge, access to the technology, and for budget constraints. The actuator diameter manufactured was 2 inches and will be scaled down accordingly.
Our sponsor representative, Gilvert Benavides from Sandia National Laboratories, had specific needs for the high performance pancake style actuator. To create a flat pancake style, we considered other axial flux designed actuators. Other factors were left for the team and advisors to decide. For instance, dimensions, materials, air gaps, inside arrangements, and housing. Even though specifications are made, designing a mechanism involving such requirements it is not an easy task to reach because so many needs produce many limitations. To reach the goals required by our sponsor, we had to utilize a computer simulation program called Maxwell 2D and 3D. The advisors for the project, Dr. Philippe Masson and Dr. Ongi Englander, were very helpful in guiding the team through these programs. The Maxwell software was used to determine actuator performance as a function of coil design, coil current, air gaps, permanent magnet placement, and other specifications to achieve the necessary torque. Maxwell was used as a guide to predict the performance of a manufactured device without having to spend the labor and funds for machining trials and errors. The latest model developed in Maxwell provided the following results; using 1500 Amps turns the torque resulted in 0.42141 Nm, while temperature reached 71.4 °C.  Given the results from the computer design, the project had enough data to proceed with the fabrication and testing of a viable mechanism.