Requirements and Analysis of an Overload Protection Mechanism for an Electromechanical Linear Actuator

Sammanfattning: Cascade Drives specializes in high-performance electromechanical linear actuators (EMA). The company has developed a range of linear rack and pinion actuators based on a patented load distribution technique that allows multiple pinions to interact with a single gear rack. A project where one of their EMAs is to be implemented into an excavator boom is about to be initiated. It is suspected that extreme shock loads are present in such applications. The shock loads could potentially cause problems for the structural integrity of the gear train. This master thesis focused on defining requirements for an overload protection mechanism and identifying and evaluating possible solutions that could be implemented into the EMA to protect it from damage. At the start of the thesis, a pre-study had already been conducted. The author found that the forces present during shock loading warrant some protection strategy to be researched and implemented into the EMA. A comprehensive multibody dynamics model (MBD) of the EMA was developed in MSC Adams (View) to validate the result from the pre-study. The MBD model was later expanded to include a torsional stiffness model derived from physical tests and the flexibility of the excavator boom itself, which was extracted from flexible body simulations of the excavator boom assembly in Adams. The expanded MBD model simulations revealed that a protection mechanism was needed in the thought application. Three protection mechanisms/strategies were simulated and evaluated in the MBD environment. A slipping solution in the form of a friction clutch, a disconnecting solution in the form of an electromagnetic clutch, and an active solution in which the electric motor was controlled to produce maximum torque in the opposite direction of motion at the point of impact to dampen the loads through the gear train. Running the motor in reverse at impact proved to be an insufficient strategy. Even for an idealized motor that combined the maximum torque from the strongest motor and the rotational inertia from the lightest motor available for the EMA, simulations resulted in loads above the static load limit through the gear train. The friction clutch was shown to be plausible but inefficient. The slipping torque of a friction clutch had to be detuned way below the static load limit due to the delays in peak torque throughout the gear train, which meant that the overall actuating force of the actuator was severely hampered. The electromechanical disconnecting clutch was proved to be the most promising alternative. The disconnecting clutch completely disengages the upstream components from the downstream components in the drive train, meaning that the overall system performance remained unchanged. The response times needed depended on where the clutch was installed, from around 16ms if only the motor was disengaged up to 17ms if both the motor and the brake were disengaged. Further analysis of triggering strategies and response times has to be conducted to definitely decide if an electromagnetic clutch is a viable option. Still, the result from this thesis shows that it is a promising path.