Torque Limiters for Aerospace Actuator Application

Shahjahan Ahmad, Syed; Tom, Liya; La Rocca, Antonino; La Rocca, Salvatore; Vakil, Gaurang; Gerada, Chris; Benarous, Maamar

Abstract

Safety and reliability of electrical actuators are essential for success of all electric and more electric aircrafts (MEA). Torque limiters improve the reliability of electromechanical actuators (EMA) by restricting the amount of force experienced by the actuator drive train components. If transmitted torque in the shaft exceeds a limit, it gives way in a controlled manner. This protects the actuator from potential failure and jamming. In this paper, different types of existing torque limiters are investigated for their suitability in aerospace EMA application and further integration within the electric motor. They classified based on the torque transmission mechanism and each type is described in detail. Operating principle and basic characteristics are reported. Comparative evaluation of commercially available devices is presented. It is found that those based on friction based and permanent magnet are most suitable due to their good torque density, reliability and high speed capability. Further, based on the characteristics, integration of torque limiter within the actuator motor is investigated in this paper. An example actuator motor is considered for integration. Different integration options suitable for the different types of torque limiting devices are described. Reduction in overall volume is shown for the integration options. Such integration can lead to improved reliability as well as higher power density resulting in next-generation actuator electrical drives for MEA.

Citation

Shahjahan Ahmad, S., Tom, L., La Rocca, A., La Rocca, S., Vakil, G., Gerada, C., & Benarous, M. (2022). Torque Limiters for Aerospace Actuator Application. Energies, 15(4), Article 1467. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15041467

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 21, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Feb 17, 2022
• Publication Date: Feb 2, 2022
• Deposit Date: May 19, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: May 19, 2022
• Journal: Energies
• Electronic ISSN: 1996-1073
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 4
• Article Number: 1467
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en15041467
• Keywords: Energy (miscellaneous); Energy Engineering and Power Technology; Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Control and Optimization; Engineering (miscellaneous)
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7477592
• Publisher URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/4/1467