Smart Fluid Actuators

智能流体具有在施加电场或磁场时改变其物理性质的独特特性。特别是，磁流变液（MRF）现在用于许多商业应用，例如汽车减震器，以半主动的方式控制车辆运动。这个加拿大研究主席研究了一个全主动执行器设计范例，使用MRF用于机器人和机电一体化系统。该方法通过对磁流变液离合器在连续滑移下的转矩进行调制，实现了一种新型的执行器系统，该系统既具有直接驱动电磁执行器的高带宽，又具有液压执行器的力密度。此外，MRF从根本上来说是可靠的，因为它们没有直接的金属间接触，不会导致机械堵塞。这样的特性使得需要高性能和轻量化的新应用成为可能，例如飞机飞行控制。加拿大研究主席的工作将通过以下方式开发相关知识和技术：(1)了解磁流变液老化并开发持久的磁流变液；(2)开发利用这种新型执行器的最佳机器人系统架构。

Smart fluids have the unique property of changing their physical properties upon application of electric or magnetic fields. In particular, MagnetoRheological Fluids (MRF) are now used in many commercial applications such as automotive shock absorbers to control vehicle motion in a semi-active way. This Canada Research Chair studies a fully-active actuator design paradigm using MRF for robotics and mechatronics systems. By modulating the torque of MRF clutches under continuous slippage, this new approach leads a new class of actuator systems that have the high bandwidths of direct-drive electromagnetic actuators while having the force density of hydraulic actuators. Further, MRF are fundamentally reliable since they have no direct metal-to-metal contacts that can lead to mechanical jams. Such characteristics enable new applications where high performance and lightweight is needed such as aircraft flight control. The Canada Research Chair work will develop enabling knowledge and technologies by: (1) understanding MRF aging and developing long lasting MR fluids, and (2) developing optimal robotic system architectures exploiting this new class of actuators.