Publication: Condition monitoring of BLDC motor based electromechanical linear actuators
Date
01-12-2009
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Abstract
In aircrafts and missiles, actuators are commonly utilized for driving various subsystems including flight control surfaces. Brushless DC motor (BLDC) based electromechanical actuation systems are getting increasingly popular due numerous advantages. Electromechanical Linear actuators (EMLA) are common due to their high torque amplification. The failure modes for these systems transcend electrical, mechanical, and electronic systems are masked by external forces and the dynamic properties of control systems making it difficult to use model based condition monitoring techniques. Generally these systems are stored for longer times before operation, so a comprehensive health monitoring strategy is required for their fault free operation as and when required. The aim of this paper is to identify gear faults signatures in motor current of closed loop electromechanical linear actuators by experimental approach. It also considers the effect of load on the Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA) signatures and their comparison with vibration signatures. An amplified error spectrum method devised for such feedback systems was also compared for its fault signature detection capability with vibration and MCSA signatures.