Resonance investigation for SILA: novel linear actuation with non-contact magnetic transmission

执行器将能量转换为力/运动，这是先进工程和制造的关键使能技术。可持续性、终身成本和便利性正在推动全球向高效电动驱动的转变。对更安全的自动化环境、可穿戴仿生学、服务机器人和离网/移动设备的需求正在加速。这些趋势产生了对新型电动驱动的巨大需求，以克服现有技术的局限性。典型的问题是低效率、复杂性、齿轮传动带来的体积和成本，以及在非常窄的范围内达到最高效率。WaveDrives的专利电动驱动技术，**SILA**，响应了这一需求，借鉴了WaveDrives在制造商业假肢和机器人方面的深厚经验。独特的非接触式传动方式**SILA**执行器超高效，安静，紧凑，不干扰，不磨损，并提供触觉反馈。这些和其他新颖的特性为市场领先的驱动产品的开发人员提供了阶跃变化运动控制。此外，SILA**的超高效率、长寿命和低隐含碳为航空航天和其他推动低碳电气化的行业提供了更好的可持续性和成本效益。**SILA**目前正在由早期采用者进行评估，这带来了新的技术挑战：管理共振风险。每个物理对象都对振动载荷作出反应，对这种载荷的不受控制的共振响应可能导致对对象的损坏。了解**SILA**共振是必不可少的，特别是现在WaveDrives正在建造强大的**SILA**单元用于飞机和**SILA**驱动仿生假肢正在“原位”进行试验的人。共振会给假肢佩戴者带来不可接受的噪音和不适，或者扰乱飞机的运行。早期解决潜在共振问题的能力是避免成本的关键，一旦SILA驱动装置在试验或市场上发生共振，就会失去信心。挑战在于确保SILA执行器在运行过程中不会在任何频率下产生共振。然而，由于**SILA**具有新颖的非线性磁作用，现有的共振建模方法并不适用于**SILA**。在这个项目中，WaveDrives将与国家物理实验室的国际专家合作，开发一种分析推导和实验验证的**SILA**共振模型，WaveDrives可以使用该模型通过设计任何**SILA**装置来管理共振风险，避免客户中断的风险。这一点很重要，因为行业决定投资颠覆性的新驱动技术代表着重大的承诺。该项目将有助于确保这些决策，加速实现**SILA**效益。国家物理实验室通过该项目获得的知识将用于预测其他动态非线性系统的共振行为，从而使更广泛的行业受益。

Actuators convert energy into force/movement, a key enabling technology for advanced engineering and manufacturing. Sustainability, lifetime-cost and convenience are driving a global move to efficient electric actuation. Demand for safer automated environments, wearable bionics, service robots and off-grid/mobile devices is accelerating. These trends generate huge demand for new types of electric actuation to overcome the limitations of existing technologies. Typical problems are inefficiency, complexity, bulk and cost introduced by gearing, and peak efficiency over a very narrow range. WaveDrives' patented electric actuation technology, **SILA**, responds to this demand, drawing on WaveDrives' deep experience building commercial prosthetics and robots.A unique non-contact transmission means **SILA** actuators are ultra-efficient, quiet, compact, non-jamming, non-wearing and provide haptic feedback. These and other novel characteristics offer step-change motion-control for developers of market-leading actuated products. Also, **SILA**'s ultra-efficiency, long life and lower embodied carbon offers improved sustainability and cost-benefits to Aerospace and other sectors pushing for low-carbon electrification.**SILA** is currently being evaluated by early adopters and this brings a new technical challenge: managing resonance risks. Every physical object reacts to vibrational loading, and uncontrolled resonant responses to such loads can lead to damage to the object. Understanding **SILA** resonance is essential, particularly now WaveDrives is building powerful **SILA** units for use in aeroplanes and **SILA** actuated bionic-prosthetics are being trialled 'in situ' by people. Resonance would cause unacceptable noise and discomfort to a prosthetic wearer or disrupt aeroplane operations. The ability to address potential resonance problems early is key to avoiding the costs and loss of confidence should resonance occur once a **SILA** actuated device is in trial or on the market.The challenge is to make sure that a **SILA** actuator does not resonate at any frequency experienced during its operation. However, existing approaches for modelling resonance are not applicable to **SILA** due to its novel and non-linear magnetic action.In this project WaveDrives will collaborate with international experts from the National Physical Laboratory to develop an analytically derived and experimentally validated model of **SILA** resonance that Wavedrives can use to manage resonance risk through design for any **SILA** unit, avoiding risk of customer disruption. This is important because Industry decisions to invest in disruptive new actuation technology represent significant commitment. This project will help secure these decisions, accelerating **SILA** benefits realisation.Knowledge gained by NPL through this project will be used to predict resonant behaviours in other dynamic non-linear systems, benefiting wider industry.