Design of a Hydraulic Actuator for Active Control of Rotating Machinery

A hydraulic actuator was designed and is described herein. This actuator consists of: a pump, which generates the nominal pressure, a hydraulic servovalve, and a thin elastic plate, which transduces the generated pressure variations into forces acting on a mass, which simulates the bearing of a rotor system. An actuator characteristic number is defined to provide a base for an optimum design of force actuators with combined weight, frequency, and force considerations. This characteristic number may also be used to compare hydraulic and electromagnetic force actuators. In tests this actuator generated 182.3 N force at a frequency of 100. Hz. and a displacement amplitude of 5.8×10⁻⁵ m.