Developing a High-Force Linear Actuator Test Stand with INERTIA and PXI

Industry: Marine

Application: INERTIA, Control and Data Acquisition, Electromechanical Testing

The Challenge

General Atomic faced the challenge of testing a one-of-a-kind, specifically-designed actuator for a classified naval application.

Background

Linear actuators play a crucial role in various applications, requiring manufacturers to rigorously validate their performance under real-world conditions.  The standard criteria include efficiency, precise position and load control throughout the actuator's full stroke, and achieving specific velocities.

While experienced in developing test stands for diverse actuator applications, Genuen encountered a unique task: testing a massive actuator weighing over 3 tons, exerting a maximum force of 120,000 lbf, with a 36" stroke and a travel rate of 2 inches per second.

The Solution

Genuen employed its cutting-edge INERTIA software and NI PXI hardware to create a tailored servo-hydraulic loading system. This system could exert forces exceeding 120,000 lbf at speeds up to 2 in/sec, effectively evaluating the actuator's position, load, and cylinder port pressures.

To ensure structural integrity, a robust 180" welded steel fixture, validated through finite element analysis (FEA), supported both the test article and the loading actuator.  The hydraulic power unit (HPU) drove a 10" bore and 5" rod cylinder, delivering 175,000 lbf in the retract direction with sufficient flow for the 2 in/sec advancing rate.  Additional features included a load cell for force control and a linear displacement transducer for precise position control.  Genuen's INERTIA platform orchestrated the entire test stand, offering an intuitive environment for test profile creation, alarms, user interface, and data acquisition.

"We are constantly developing specialized equipment, sensors, actuators, and electronics for high-technology systems, and this real-time control system gave us the flexibility and customization we needed to test a very unique actuator with very unique requirements.  [Genuen] delivered a complex system that exceeded our requirements on budget and on time." 

– Michael Condon, General Atomic