UNIT-3

ACTUATION SYSTEMS
 Actuation systems
Actuation systems are the elements of control systems
which are responsible for transforming the output of a
microcontrollers or microprocessor or control system
into a controlling action on machine or device
Control code Mechanical
Sensing signal Command Signal components

Microprocessor
Sensors
or
Microcontroller
Actuator
Parameter, variables Actuation

PLANT

(Robot, Autonomous Guided vehicle, Numerical Controlled Machine, Vehicle

engines, Consumer products, Conveyor systems, Assembly systems, Cranes,
Defense equipments, Air craft engines, Other machines,
consumer products, etc)

eg. Pneumatic,hydraulic, mechanical, and electrical

actuation systems
Pneumatic & hydraulic actuation
systems
• Pneumatic deals with air pressure
• Hydraulic deals with fluid motion and
pressure
Typical Hydraulic Power System
 Typical Hydraulic Power System
• The Accumulator Work
• Accumulator is a container in
which the oil is held under
pressure against an external
force, which involves gas within a
bladder in the chamber
containing the hydraulic fluid
• If the oil pressure rises then
the bladder contracts increase
the volume the oil can occupy
and so reduces the pressure.
• If the oil pressure falls the bladder
expands to reduce the volume
occupied by the oil and so
increases its pressure.
 Typical Pneumatic Power System
Provides protection An air receiver increases the
against the volume of air in the system and
pressure in the smoothes out any short-term
system rising above
pressure fluctuations.
a safe level.

In pneumatic
power
system
an electric
motor drives
an air
compressor.

The air inlet to the Since the compressor increase the

compressor is likely to temperature of the air, there likely
be filtered and via a to be a cooling system and to
silencer to reduce the
noise level. remove contamination and water
from the air, a filter with water trap
is used.
Air Preparation Unit
 R
F L
The filter gets A lubricator
rids of any introduces
contaminants controlled
such as dust, amounts of
water, vapor or oil into the
oil present in air flow of
leaving the It regulates the compressed
compressor. pressure of the air air.
that is supplied to
downstream
equipment.
•General purpose filters: These filters come in sizes
of either 40µm or 5µm. Filters of size 40µm effectively
remove particulate matter and about 90% of water. A
5µm sized filter removes all particulate matter and
water present in compressed air.
•Oil removal (coalescing) filters: These 0.3µm sized
filters effectively remove oil, as well as water and
particulate matter. This kind of filter is necessary for
applications where oil is a damaging contaminant, such
as spray painting and for breathing apparatus.
•Vapour removal filter: This ultra-fine filter is sized at
0.01µm. It is capable of filtering out not only particles,
oil and water, but also vapour.
•Activated carbon filters: These filters are employed
in applications that require very high levels of purity
such as food and pharmaceuticals. They are capable of
 SELECTION CRITERIA
SIZE OF FILTER ELEMENT

PRESSURE RATING

PORT SIZE

LUBRICANT TYPE
• OIL FOG
• MICRO FOG
 Directional Control Valves
• Pneumatic and hydraulic systems use
directional control valves to direct the
flow of fluid through a system; its
ON/OFF devices either completely open
or closed
• They might be activated to switch
the fluid flow direction by means of
mechanical, electrical or fluid pressure
signal
Spool Valve
Puppet Valves
Directional Valves
Pilot Operated Valve
 Valve Symbols-1
• The valve symbol consists of square for each
of its switching positions. Thus for the
shown poppet valve there are two positions,
one with the button not pressed and one with
it pressed. Thus two positions valve will
have two squares, a three positions valve
have three squares.
Figure 7.7 (a)
Flow path, (b) flow shut-off, (c) initial
connections
arrow headed lines are
used to indicate the
directions of flow in each
position
closed flow lines; blocked
off
 Valve Symbols-2
Symbols of Valve actuation Ports are labeled
It indicates the various ways 1 (or P) for pressure supply
the valves can be actuated 3 (or T) for hydraulic return port
(see Fig) 3 or 5 (or R or S) for pneumatic
exhaust ports
2 or 5 (B or A) for output ports

Valve actuation symbols

Bolton, Mechatronics, 4th edition Pearson limited 2008

 Valve Symbols-3
Solenoid operated spool valve
The valve is actuated by a current passing
through the solenoid
and return to its original position by
spring
 Valve Symbols-4
• Fig. shows the symbol for a 3/2 valve, the connection
is shown for initial state i.e.
• 1(P) is connected to 2(A); 3(R) is closed.
• When the solenoid is activated, it gives the state
indicated by the symbols used in the square to
which it is attached, i.e we now have 1(P) closed and
2(A) connected to 3(R). When current through the
solenoid ceases the spring pushes the valve back to
its initial position.

• The spring movement

gives the state indicated by
the symbols used in the
square to which it is
attached.

A 3/2 valve Bolton, Mechatronics, 4th edition Pearson limited 2008

 Valve Symbols-5
• a simple example
of an application
of valves in a
Pneumatic lift
system

Bolton, Mechatronics, 4th edition Pearson limited 2008

 Pilot-operated valves
In pilot operated system one valve is used to control a
second valve. In the Fig the pilot valve is small size
and can be operated manually or by a solenoid.

It is used to overcome
when the force required to
move the ball shuttle in a
valve can often be too
large for manual or
solenoid operation

Bolton, Mechatronics, 4th edition Pearson limited 2008

PRESSURE CONTROL VALVE
USE Regulate
Limit/ Relief
Sequence
 Pressure Regulating Valves
-used to control the operating pressure in a
circuit and maintain it at a constant value
 Pressure Limiting Valves
-used to limit the pressure in a circuit to below
some value
 Pressure Sequencing Valve
-used to sense the pressure of an external line and
give a single when it reaches some pre-set value.
 Fluid Power Actuators
Hydraulic/Pneumatic linear
actuators, Cylinders
• Both hydraulic and pneumatic actuators
have the same principles, differences being
in size
• The cylinder consists of a cylindrical tube
along which a piston/ram can slide
• They are of two types:
• Single acting and double acting
Single Rod Single Acting
 Cylinders: Single acting
When a current passes through the solenoid, the valve switches
position and pressure is applied to move the piston along the cylinder.
When current ceases, the valve reverts to it is initial position and the air
is vent from the cylinder.

Control of a single-acting cylinder with

(a) no current through solenoid, (b) a current through the solenoid
 Cylinders: Double acting
- Are used when control pressure are applied to
both side of the piston. A different in pressure
between the two sides results in motion of the
piston (No spring).
 Single Rod Double Acting

Control of a double-acting cylinder with solenoid, (a) not

activated, b) activated
 Cylinder sequencing
Many pneumatic or hydraulic control systems
may require a sequence of extension and
retraction of cylinders to occur. e.g
Suppose we have two cylinders: A and B If
the start button pressed;
{ piston A extends;
If fully extended then piston B extends; If
both A and B fully extended then
Piston A retracts;
If A is fully retracted have piston B
retract}
 4- If both A and
B fully extended
then Piston A
Cylinder sequencing
retracts
5-If A is
2-piston A 3-If A fully fully
extends; extended retracted
then piston have
B piston B
extends; retract

1- If the start button pressed;

 Process Control Valve
• used to control the fluid flow rate
• A common form of pneumatic
actuator used with process control
valve is the diaphragm actuator.
• The diaphragm is made of rubber
which sandwiched in it is centre
between two circular steel discs.
• The effect of changes in the input
pressure is to move the central part
of the diaphragm. The force F on
the shaft is the force that acting on
the diaphragm= P x A
Where P: gauge pressure =Control
pressure-atmospheric pressure
A: diaphragm area
The restoring force is provided by
spring, so kx=PA
Process Control
Valve

• Valve bodies & Plugs

• Fig shows a cross
section of valve for
the control of rate of
flow of a fluid.
• The plug restricts the
fluid flow and so its
position determines
the flow rate
 Process Control Valve
• Forms of Valve Body & Plug
• Single seated: closed more tightly but required
more force
• Double seated: less force is required, less
tightly
 Process Control Valve
• Shape of the Plug: determines the relation
between the stem movement and the effect on
the flow rate
• 3 types are commonly used
• Fig shows the relation between the stem
displacement & flow rate as % of maximum
 Rotary actuators
• A linear cylinder can, with
suitable mechanical linkage
be used to produce rotary
movement through
angles less than 3600

•Another alternative is
shown in Fig. is called:
vane type semi rotary.
A pressure difference
between the two parts
causes the vane to
rotate.
Accumulators
ACCUMULAT
ORS

1
 ACCUMULATOR

• Hydraulic accumulator is an accessory of a hydraulic system.

• A hydraulic accumulator is a pressure storage reservoir in which a
non-compressible hydraulic fluid is held under pressure by an
external source.
• The external source can be a spring, a raised weight, or a
compressed gas. An accumulator enables a hydraulic system to cope
with extremes of demand using a less powerful pump, to respond
more quickly to a temporary demand, and to smooth out pulsations.
It is a type of energy storage device.
 TYPES OF HYDRAULIC
ACCUMULATOR
• The function of hydraulic accumulator is to store pressurized
oil.
• Types:
– Weighted accumulator
– Spring loaded accumulator
– Gas-charged accumulator
WEIGHT LOADED ACCUMULATOR

• This is the oldest type of accumulator. This consist of a

vertical, heavy steel cylinder which incorporates a piston with
packing to prevent leakage.
• A dead weight is attached to the top of the piston.
• The force of gravity of the dead weight provides the potential energy
in the accumulator.
• The main disadvantages of this of accumulator is its large size
and heavy weight makes it unsuitable for mobile equipment.
 WEIGHT LOADED
ACCUMULATOR
The weight-loaded type is historically the oldest type of accumulator. It consists of a
vertical heavy wall steel cylinder, which incorporates a piston with packing to
prevent leakage (Figure 7.14). A dead weight is attached to the top of the piston.
SPRING LOADED ACCUMULATOR
• A spring loaded accumulator is
similar to the weight loaded
type, except that the piston
is preloaded with a spring.
TYPES
• The three types of gas- charged accumulators are bladder, piston and
diaphragm.
DIAPRAGM TYPE
BLADDER TYPE
• The most popular of these is
the bladder type.
Bladder accumulators
feature fast
response than 25
milliseconds), a maximum gas
(less
compression ratio of around
4:1 and a maximum flow rate
of 15 liters (4 gallons) per
second.
ACCUMULATOR
ELECTRICAL ACTUATION SYSTEM
 Electrical
System

Switching Drive
Solenoids
Device Systems
 Mechanical Switches

Mechanical Switches are elements

used as sensors to give inputs to
system.
 Electrical Switches

Switch is an electrical component which can make or

break electrical circuit automatically or manually.
Switch is mainly works with ON (open) and OFF
(closed) mechanism. Numerous circuits hold switches
that control how the circuit works or actuate different
characteristics of the circuit.
 Classification
 The classification of switches depends on
the connection they make. Two vital
components that confirm what sorts of
connections a switch makes are pole and
throw.
 The number of “poles” is the number of
separate circuits which are controlled by a
switch.
 The number of “throws” is the number of
separate positions that the switch can
adopt.
TYPES

SPST

SPDT

DPST

DPDT
 Single Pole Single Throw

The Single Pole Single through (SPST) is a basic on/off switch that
just connects or breaks the connection between two terminals. These
types of switches are also called toggle switches. This switch has two
contacts one is input and other output. From the typical light switch
diagram, it controls one wire (pole) and it makes one connection
(throw). This is an on/off switch, when the switch is closed or on then
current flows through the terminals and the bulb in circuit will glow.
When the switch is open or off then there is no current flow in the
circuit.
 Single Pole DoubleThrow

The single pole double throw (SPDT) switch is a three terminal

switch, one for input and other two for the outputs. It connects a
common terminal to one or the other of two terminals.
 Double Pole Single Throw

Double pole means that the unit contains two identical switches,
side by side, and operated by one single toggle or lever. This
means that two separate circuits are at a time controlled through
one push. A DPST switch turns two circuits on or off.
 Double Pole Double Throw

This switch is equal to two SPDT switches, it means two separate

circuits, connecting two inputs of each circuit to one of two outputs.
The switch position controls the number of ways and from the two
contacts each contact can be routed.
Relays
Relay Parts
 SOLENOIDS

Solenoid switches are wire wound magnetic coils including an open core
to get a cylindrical plunger with sliding. Once the coil is activated then, a
magnetic field can occur within the hollow opening which drags the
cylindrical plunger into it depending on the direction of the switch as well
as the plunger’s poles.

Here the connection of plunger can be done to a set of switch contacts by

mechanically to execute the high-power switching.
 SOLID STATE SWITCHES
It has no moving parts but instead uses the
electrical and optical properties of solid state
semiconductors to perform its input to output
isolation and switching functions.

These Includes
• Diodes
• Thyristors
• Bipolar Transistor
• Power MOSFETS
DIODE
Diode as switch
 Thyristors

The thyristor is a four-layered, three-terminal semiconductor device,

with each layer consisting of alternately N-type or P-type material, for
example P-N-P-N. The main terminals, labelled anode and cathode,
are across all four layers. The control terminal, called the gate, is
attached to p-type material near the cathode.
Thyristors as a switch
TRIAC (triode for alternating current)
as a switch
Quadrant 1
Q2
Q3 & Q4
DC Motor
 TYPES

Permanent Magnet D. C. Motor

D. C. Motors with Field Coils

Permanent Magnet D. C. Motor
D. C. Motors with Field Coils

Series Wound Motor

Shunt Wound Motor

Compound Motor

Separately Excited Motor

Series Wound Motor
Shunt Wound Motor
Compound Motor
Separately Excited Motor
 AC motors

Single Phase
• Induction Motor
• Synchronous Motor

Polyphase
• Induction Motor
• Synchronous Motor
Single Phase Squirrel Cage
Induction Motor
3-Phase Induction Motor
Three Phase Synchronous
Motor
 Stepper Motor

Variable Reluctance Stepper

Permanent Magnet Stepper

Hybrid Stepper
Variable Reluctance Stepper
Permanent Magnet Stepper
 Servomotor
• A servomotor is a closed-loop servomechanism that
uses position feedback to control its motion and final
position. The input to its control is a signal (either
analogue or digital) representing the position
commanded for the output shaft.
• A servomotor is a rotary actuator or linear actuator
that allows for precise control of angular or linear
position, velocity and acceleration.
• It consists of a suitable motor coupled to a sensor for
position feedback.