A Computer Aided System for Designing the Electromechanical Drive for an Electrohydraulic Power Amplifier

Mechanical resistance tests are an important tool for determining the reliability and service life of on-land, sea vessel-based, aircraft on-board, space, and special-purpose equipment and systems. The most cumbersome tests are those for bulky devices. In such cases, powerful hydraulic tracking drives (HTD) capable of producing shock and vibration loads that simulate transportation and operating conditions can serve as an efficient testing equipment. The HTDs are constructed on the basis of electrohydraulic power amplifiers, devices that combine an electromechanical drive (EMD) and a spool distributor. The proportional mechanical action on the HTD operating member is produced by opening and closing the hydraulic control channels. The article addresses the development of software tools for designing the electromechanical drive. The computer-aided design system used for this purpose is described, which consists of a synthesis subsystem and an analysis subsystem. The synthesis subsystem calculates the drive’s optimal geometry for various design situations taken from real design practices. The analysis subsystem estimates, through running in the Ansys Electronics Desktop software environment, the EMD electromagnetic state before making a decision to manufacture a prototype. The study results are of relevance in the context of substituting the import of products that have been subjected to international sanctions.