Analysis and initial synthesis of a novel linear actuator with active magnetic suspension

In this paper attention is given to the initial design and experimental verification of the novel IU-shaped electromechanical actuator as a part of six degrees of freedom (6-DoF) contactless sliding system. Such a synergetic system is reached by integration of electromagnetic and mechanical structures of magnetic bearing and linear electromechanical actuator. Initially the performance of the electromagnetic module is examined. An analytical investigation of decoupled forces, originated from permanent magnets and suspension coils as functions of rotor position and current values in the control coils, is performed. Numerical results (the FEM models-Maxwell 3D Ansoft Co.) are validated by static measurements. Initial geometry is modified to demonstrate the improvement of the actuator performance.