Electric actuators for helicopters
The European aerospace industry is moving toward more-electric and eventually all-electric aircraft aligned with specific benefits. Among these are decreased noise, weight, maintenance and emissions along with enhanced safety. Electromechanical actuators (EMAs) for swash plates are on the drawing board, but certain technical issues remain to be addressed. Four partners covering all aspects of the development joined forces on the EU-funded project FASTDISC (Disconnect device for jam tolerant linear actuators). They delivered actuation solutions that can make an important contribution to the sustainability and competitiveness of the EU aerospace industry. Redundancy (having a duplicate part available immediately) has been a common solution to meet safety regulations. To make EMAs jam tolerant, the failed actuator must be disconnected quickly by a fast-activating device. No such device has been currently available for EMA applications. The team developed two different types of disconnect device: a reversible (electromechanical) system and an irreversible (pyrotechnical) version. First, they designed six reversible and six irreversible designs that included various function structures and active structures. They then proceeded with development and manufacturing of two prototypes, each representing the most promising design of each type. The required functional and environmental capacity of the prototypes was successfully evaluated in static and dynamic tests. Two newly developed test rigs served for static and dynamic tests of the prototypes. The EU has set ambitious goals for lowering the emissions and noise associated with air travel, and replacing hydraulic systems with all-electric ones is a main pillar. FASTDISC showed that it is possible to power a primary flight control surface with an EMA in place of hydraulic actuators, thus making a major contribution to the EU aerospace sector.
Keywords
Helicopters, swash plate, electromechanical actuators, FASTDISC, disconnect device
