Space
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Active control of vibrations of a space truss using amplified piezoelectric actuators
19 June 2023
The new piezo actuators manufactured by Cedrat Technologies have been developed for the positioning control of space optics but they are spreading widely in various engineering fields such as precise positioning, intelligent control of shapes and generation or control of vibrations. Their ability for the control or active damping of vibrations has been successfully demonstrated at the lab scale in space applications. In a first case, the piezo actuators were used for both for the control of launching vibrations and the positioning control in orbit of a telescope mirror. In a second set of space applications, these piezo actuators have been successfully integrated in a space truss using active tendons for control of micro vibrations, as publicly released at the Industry Space Days (ISD2001, Noordwijk, 9-10 Mai 2001) and as presented in this paper.
Fast and fine Steering Mirrors based on piezoelectric & magnetic actuator technologies for Air and Space
8 August 2022
This review presents CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES (CTEC) solutions developed for more than 20 years for Fast & fine Steering Mirrors (FSM) as required in air, space, defence & other embedded or demanding applications: Typical appli-cations are for example Lidar, free space optical communication (FSO) and Laser interferometry.
Active flap device for helicopters based on Cedrat Amplified Piezoelectric Actuators
19 June 2023
A project called RPA (Rotor Ă Pales Actives) was launched three years ago to study the possible benefits of implementing active trailing edge flaps on a helicopter main rotor. The main objectives of this project are to decrease BVI noise in descent flight and improve the dynamic behavior of the rotor throughout the largest possible flight domain. After a first phase dedicated to the design of the best flap configuration at scale 1, the second phase of the project deals with the design of a wind-tunnel scale model of a rotor equipped with active flaps. An off-the-shelf piezo-electric actuator is used together with a specific patented flap-driving mechanism. Such an active device was tested under centrifugal loads as well as under aerodynamic loads in order to prepare future wind-tunnel tests. The results obtained under centrifugal loads allowed to clear the active device but the aerodynamic testing showed that some improvements were needed. Corresponding modifications are under way to fully clear the active device to be used on a complete rotor model.
Rotating piezoelectric motors for high precision positioning & space applications
19 June 2023
Piezo-electric motors have been successfully developed for various applications like autofocus drives in camera lenses and handling equipment for semiconductor production. Their high speed and accurate positioning capability, combined with a favourable holding torque in unpowered condition, make piezomotors also very attractive for actuation purposes in spacecraft mechanisms. The paper introduces a new concept of a versatile ultrasonic piezomotor. The testing campaign carried out on the designed rotating piezomotor has validated the vacuum compatibility and the lifetime of the motor in air.
A new amplified piezoelectric actuator for precise positioning and active damping
19 June 2023
Two typical characteristics of direct piezoelectric actuators are displacements of ten micrometers and high stiffnesses. recently, multilayers actuators have been improved, and they now display strains of approximately 1200ppm at low excitation levels (less than two hundred volts). Thus, they are well suited to perform precise positioning of optical devices. But for industrial needs, this performances is still insufficient for positioning devices with larger displacements (in the range of several hundred micrometers).
Smart actuators for aircraft applications
4 January 2003
Smart actuators and intelligent structures receive a considerable interest in the fields of Air & Space, to realise new functions or more efficient functions than passive structures. In these fields, there are needs for actuation means offering high mechanical energy density (product of stroke and force divided by the mass), a low power consumption, a resistance to severe environment (such as vibrations) as well as other case by case needs : High resolution (embedded active optics for cameras and telescopes), fast response (active control of structures shape, active damping of vibration)âŠ
