Design and energy analysis of low-power consumption electro-hydraulic actuators for variant aircraft

As an important development direction in the aviation field, variant aircraft is receiving increasing attention, and the low-power mutable aerodynamic shape actuator are its key components. This article proposes the use of an electro-hydraulic actuator with the hydraulic lock module (EHA-HL) to drive the mechanism of the variant aircraft, which can reduce energy consumation. Further, the principle of the actuator is analyzed in the four quadrants, and mathematical models of the hydraulic lock and electro-hydraulic actuator are established. Through AMESim simulation, EHA-HL could decrease current through hydraulic lock locking mechanism under constant position of the air vehicle. Prototype experiments are conducted on typical flight deformation situations, and compared to traditonal EHA, the average power of EHA-HL is only 7.19% during 1400 seconds of operation. At the same time, the temperature of the motor, pump, and controller are reduced by 24.01℃, 17.05℃, 6.37℃ respectively. The results show that the EHA-HL can effectively reduce the power consumption requirements of the deformation mechanism in the variant craft.