Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

The aerospace industry is facing strong political, social, and economic pressures to develop cleaner and lighter aircrafts made from environmentally friendly materials and using energy efficient technologies. One key technology is the development of ElectroMechanical Actuators (EMA) to replace conventional hydraulic actuators for primary flight control surfaces. The main issue of developing practical EMA for primary flight control is reliability. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential of using redundant rotary motors, notably electric gear motors, for reliable airplane and helicopter primary flight control. With redundant electric gear motors, at least two motors (or one motor and a mechanical linkage) are connected to one flight surface using clutch elements. If a motor or gear reduction fault occurs, the system disengages the clutch of the faulty unit and remains functional. The research will develop optimal system architectures (e.g. number of motors, spatial configuration, control strategies, fault detection) as well as reliable and high power density clutching technologies to connect/disconnect each motor unit. Design requirements will be derived from a Bell helicopter model 407 helicopter. Optimal system architectures and clutching technologies, in particular, MR-fluid clutches will be developed using state-of-the-art engineering tools such as finite element and system dynamic models. Finally, proof-of-concept demonstrators will be designed, fabricated, and characterized experimentally. The research will advance the field of EMA by assessing the performance of new actuator concepts, by developing new modeling techniques, and by advancing the field of MR-fluids clutch design for the control of high power mechanical systems. The research will provide Canadian aerospace industry with proprietary new technology that will become a strategic asset for Canada's competitiveness in the aerospace sector.