Hybrid Tunable Magnet Actuator: Design of a linearized force-flux tunable magnet actuator

To achieve high motion accuracy and repeatability for a variable reluctance tunable magnet actuator that uses linear controllers, this article proposes a novel actuator design that has a linearized force-flux relation. Prior designed variable reluctance tunable magnet actuators use a C-shaped actuator that has a quadratic relation between the force and the flux. By using lumped parameter models, an Hybrid Tunable Magnet Actuator design based on biased fluxes is developed. The linear behaviour of this design is proven by a finite element analysis. The force-flux relation is piecewise linear for different positions depending on the direction of the flux. Within a position range of ± 500 µm and a force range of ± 20 N, the error of a linear fit is in the order of 0.08 N. With an experimental setup the linear relation is also proven with an error of 0.03 N. Comparing the designed tunable magnet actuator with an hybrid reluctance actuator shows that the tunable magnet actuator is more efficient for quasi-static forces that are constant for time periods longer than 1.4 s.Mechanical Engineering | Mechatronic System Design (MSD