Electromechanical actuators linear actuation product

The Electromechanical actuators is a linear actuator from Parker Aerospace with aerospace-grade grade and dual-use market. Parker Aerospace electromechanical actuators are linear and rotary actuators that convert an electronic command into mechanical motion by means of an electric motor. The linear form is used to position aircraft flight control surfaces, both primary and secondary, and it replaces a hydraulic actuator with an electrically powered one that is driven from the aircraft power system and a motor controller.

The actuator is built around a brushless motor that drives a ball screw or an Acme screw through a torque-sum gear train. This arrangement turns rotation of the motor into the linear travel of the output rod. Position is measured with linear or rotary variable differential transformers (LVDT or RVDT), which gives the flight control computer feedback on rod travel for closed-loop control. The motor can be controlled with AC or DC motor drive electronics, depending on the actuator configuration.

For flight-critical use the actuator can be arranged with redundancy. Parker describes designs with dual-redundant motors and dual load paths, for example a ball screw together with a safety rod. If the primary load path fails, it locks in place and the secondary path carries the load, and electronic detection of the primary load-path failure reports the condition. Skewed-roller no-back brakes hold the load when the motor is not driven, an approach the maker says has been used across several electromechanical actuator programmes.

Published data for one product series from the maker gives an operating temperature range of -65 to 160 degrees F, a supply voltage of 28 to 270 VDC, an actuator weight from under 3.6 lb to 38 lb and rotary torque of about 30 to 80 in-lb. These figures belong to a specific series and the exact values for a given part depend on its configuration. The mechanical interface, the stroke, the force rating and the electrical connections are defined by the order configuration.

Typical applications are control-surface actuation, spoiler, flap and slat drives, and other mechanisms where electric power is preferred to a hydraulic system, in commercial and military aircraft. In an uncrewed or eVTOL context, the same architecture serves flight control surfaces and other moving mechanisms that benefit from removing hydraulic lines.