A High Absolute Thrust Permanent Magnet Linear Actuator for Direct Drive of Ship's Steering Gears: Concept and

FEM Analysis
C. Bruzzese, Member IEEE
Abstract All-electric-ships are under development all over the world. Aside of electric propulsion and electric power system issues, other challenges concern the innovation of oilpowered on-board actuators. Very high torques/forces and operating affordability are required in rudder and fin drives. This paper proposes a concept of permanent magnet linear synchronous actuator (PMLSA) for direct rudder and fin actuation, without any mechanical reduction. Linear motion is reverted to rotary motion through a rotary-prismatic coupling. Main features of the PMLSA are: 1) very large direct thrust in 2) limited weight and 3) limited space, with 4) good efficiencies in 5) low speed operation. This paper shows concept, mechanical and electro-magnetic design and sizing, and FEM simulations of the proposed innovative actuator. A companion paper shows the electrical design and analyzes efficiencies and dynamic inverter control.

Index TermsPermanent magnet machines, linear actuators, hydrostatic transmissions, motor design, direct drive, FEM analyses.

I.

INTRODUCTION

RECENT research carried out for the Italian Navy (MMI) [1] reported a comprehensive examination of important plants on board ship (anchor/mooring winches, bow thrusters, rudder and fin steering gears, etc.). The goal was to evaluate the feasibility and convenience of replacement of classical plants based on oil hydrostatic power transmissions [2], with new drives based on inverterfed electromechanical actuators. The new drives could be used on ships of future realization, also based on the research results. The favorable trend is to use as more electric drives as possible on all the new ships. A sharp improvement in performance, efficiency, control, and maintenance is expected from a radical re-design of oilactuated plants by using all-electric inverter-fed drives. However, major issues to overcome concern achievement of 1) very high forces/torques and 2) high robustness/ reliability, both usually granted by oil drives. This paper shows the concept of a new direct drive for electric actuation of ship control surfaces (rudders, lateral fins), by means of permanent magnet linear synchronous actuators (PMLSAs) mechanically coupled to the fin/rudder stock through one or two tillers (torque arms). Magnet linear motors are being used increasingly for load movement in industrial automation [3], [4]. The direct conversion of electric energy into linear motion is very attractive because of great simplification of mechanical parts and no friction due to reduction gears. Linear

machines have been considered and used also for aircraft launch systems [5], automotive applications [6], railways [7], power generation [8], etc. Peculiar features of the proposed PMLSA are exceptionally high thrusting force (many tens of tons) with very low feeding frequency (fractions of Hz) and low actuation speed (few cm/s), as well as absence of any mechanical reduction (gears, ball screws) which improve affordability and reduce maintenance. The PMLSA has long-and-thin geometry, and permits optimal motor allocation in parallel to the vessel longitudinal axis. The motor can be also embedded in the rod linking dual rudders. Motor size can be scaled for different drive ratings, and more units can be placed in parallel to achieve greater boost and redundancy. The stator is made of three-phase modules for easy replacement in case of faults. Multiple winding sections fed by independent inverters provide redundancy. The magnets are fixed to a moving axis (thruster) made of solid steel thanks to very low feeding frequencies and low iron losses. The mechanical structure has been kept simple and rugged. The expected efficiency is superior with respect to oil drives in a large working area [9]. The inverter-controlled drive may also permit the design of autopilots with more complex roll stabilization functions. This paper points out the main drawbacks of classical oilfed actuators and the reasons for trying new solutions. The mechanical structure of the new drive is shown, and FEM analysis for magnetic optimization and high thrust per volume maximization are reported. A companion paper [9] shows the electric design and sizing (winding and inverters) and analyzes motor efficiency and dynamic rudder control. II. PRESENT-DAY RUDDER AND FIN HYDRAULIC ACTUATORS A typical hydraulic plant [1] used on board for rudder steering is shown in Fig. 1 (a similar scheme holds for fin drives). This drive belongs to a very large ship (the 147mlong MMI's Etna). Table I shows the rated data. The vane motor [2] is fed by two oil-pumps. Two-way electro-valves control the pump oil flow, so the vane motor motion can be reversed. A pilot-operated check valve is embedded in the motor, for automatic oil flow stop. Other valves (pressurerelief type) make safe the oil circuit. Fig. 2 shows energy flows and efficiencies for single-pump rated operation. Note the large energy waste due to many energy conversion stages and pressure drops on the valves. Fig. 3 shows the overall torque-speed curves and efficiencies obtained by analyzing the hydraulic circuit in different operating points. Alternative oil drives use hydraulic cylinders (pistontype or RAM-type) and torque arms, instead of vane motors, when the highest torques are needed on the largest ships [13]. However all the hydrostatic transmissions share common drawbacks such as [1], [2]:

Manuscript received March 9, 2012. This work was supported in part by the Italian Ministry of Defence, General Direction of Naval Equipments (NAVARM) under Contract Rep. N. 19712 (December 19, 2007). C. Bruzzese is with the Department of Astronautic, Electrical and Energy Engineering, University of Rome Sapienza, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184-Rome, Italy (e-mail: claudio.bruzzese@uniroma1.it).

978-1-4673-0141-1/12/$26.00 2012 IEEE

554

-Oil is used as force-fluid, whose periodic refill or replacement is fatiguing, time-consuming and costly. -Oil leaks are frequent and must be timely detected. -Seals and filters must be routinely checked and replaced (vane motor seals replacement require motor dismounting). -Air intrusion in the oil circuit is dangerous for both actuator and pumps (especially for screw pumps; this fact makes oil refill a very delicate and complicate procedure). -The overall plant efficiency is low. -Plant weight and size are very large; plant encumbrance is heavily increased by pipes, valves, bulky oil tanks, etc. -Plant complexity and cost is high due to many mechanical components and connections. -Maintenance is heavy and troublesome. The hydraulics requires usually 60% of the total maintenance, whereas the electric motors only 20% (vibration and insulation check); the remaining 20% is for polishing and varnishing. -Plant control is sluggish. In the plant of Fig.1, as the signal from the command bridge does not allow enough time for the pump to switch on and off, a continuously running pump is required with oil recirculating in the electrovalve and relevant no-load losses and energy waste during long trips [10]. III. RECENT PROPOSALS OF ELECTRIC DRIVES WITH GEARS Despite their drawbacks, oil drives develop very high torques (vane motors) or forces (pistons), which are required for rudder or fin actuation. They are usually robust and affordable (if continuous maintenance is granted), and the operating principle is simple. Any alternative proposal of new drives must take in account these features.

induction motor

218 l/min

pump valve P

vane-motor valve pipes A1 A2 A

44bar

pressure-relief valve rudder 322kNm

145Nm

59bar

ship grid

i.m.
1750rpm

p.

75 bar

two-way electrovalve

pilotoperated check valve

75 bar

v.m.

r.

0.387rpm T B

B1

B2
16.1kW 13kW

29.4kW

26.5kW

21.4kW

im=90%

p=81%

vp=75%

vm=80%

Fig. 2. Hydraulic circuit of the drive in Fig.1, single-pump rated operation. Powers and efficiencies are shown. Overall plant efficiency = 44.3%.
Tm(kNm) (%)
604 STALL

46.2%

44.3%

maximum power operating point rated power operating point

vane motor pressure-relief valve opening

462

MAXIMUM TORQUE

34Kw 26Kw
pump pressurerelief valve opening VUOTO

322 RATED TORQUE

17Kw 13Kw

0.35 0.39 0.47

SINGLE-PUMP OPERATION

0.7

0.77

0.94

TWO-PUMPS OPERATION

m (rpm)

Fig. 3. Torque-speed curves of the drive in Fig.1, with one and two pumps turned on. Output powers and efficiencies are also shown.

A.

Rotating Electric Actuators Recent all-electric drives proposed to replace vane motors concern multistage epicyclic gears coupled with high-torque permanent magnet motors to obtain high-torque low-speed output [11]. However, epicyclic gears are delicate and suffer for problems related to oil lubrication, vibrations, gear wear, unbalanced radial loads, etc. [12]. External oil circuits and heat exchangers are needed for oil filtering and cooling. An oil expansion tank is required. Oil leaks can be a problem. Moreover, any reparation could be difficult and also requiring complete dismounting of the drive. B. Linear Electric Actuators Hydraulic cylinders can be in some case replaced by rotary motors coupled to ball-screw gears. Additional speedreduction gears are needed between motor and screw. Recirculating balls are required to achieve the high axial thrust without screw seizure. The latter is due to the strong friction between the sliding elements, and to the thermal expansion. The heat causes deformation of bodies, abrasions and surface roughness, and so more friction. Lubrication is mandatory. The gear is immersed in oil bath, also to prevent infiltration of dust and gearbox binding. Careful maintenance is needed. The temperature must be monitored. Many mechanical parts increase the cost. Commercial realizations [4] achieve maximum thrust around a ten of tonnes. The highest thrusts are available for limited strokes. The mechanical problems become insurmountable over given thrust levels, where hydraulic solutions finally prevail. IV. DESIGN STEPS The design from scratch of a new type of PMLSA has
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Fig. 1. Hydraulic rudder drive (HS180X2S-plant on board Ship Etna, 2002). Upper view. The vane motor (in the middle) is mounted on the rudder shaft, and is fed by two induction motor-powered screw pumps (main and backup pump). A third oil supply (diesel pump, not shown) is provided, for redundancy. The gravitational oil tank is shown upward. Another reservoir tank and two 'starter' boxes with switchboards, motor protections, and alarms complete the plant. (With permission of the MMI). TABLE I RUDDER PLANT HS180X2S RATED DATA Rated mechanical power (two pumps) Rated electric power (two pumps) Rated efficiency Rated speed (two pumps) Rated operating torque Maximum operating torque Mechanical design torque Overall weight Volume (excluding pipes) Plant footprint (excluding auxiliaries) 26kW 59kW (440V, 60Hz) 44.3% 0.77rpm 322kNm 462kNm 604kNm 4300kg 3m3 9m2

been carried out through the following steps: 1) Design of the modular magnetic structure with high force-per-volume output by using FEM analysis. 2) Design of the mechanical structure for direct forcetorque conversion; based on the maximum torque required on the rudder stock, the actuator maximum force and size, and arm length were carried out. 3) Winding design, taking in account the needed current density in the slots and the supply voltage available onboard ship; multi-inverter feeding through commercially available three-phase inverters was implemented. The rule governing points 1)-3) was to maintain machine structure and operation as simple as possible. The machine must be modular and easily dismounted. All mechanical, magnetic, and electric parts must be simple and rugged. The PMLSA should not require a cooling system. Maintenance must be easy and sporadic and redundancy is mandatory. V. A. NEW DIRECT-DRIVE CONCEPT

B.

PMLSA Sizing The actuator in Fig. 4 is sized to replace the plant in Fig. 1. The maximum operating torque in Table I is 462kNm. In the next Section, it is shown that the PMLSA features an electromagnetic thrust of about 157kN per square meter of active air gap surface, when the rms slot current density is 5A/mm2. The chosen tiller length is 1.5m, and the maximum steering angle is 37.5 o. For a raw sizing, the force is considered applied to a mean lever arm of constant length. The PMLSA sizing is summarized as follows: minimum lever arm: 1.19m maximum lever arm: 1.5m mean lever arm: 1.345m maximum thrust: 462kNm/1.345m = 343.5kN air gap active area: 343.5kN/157kN/m2 = 2.19m2 mover active width: 0.5m mover active length: 2.19m2/0.5m/2 = 2.19m2.25m The final length has been rounded to include an integer number of modules (module length = 0.25m). VI. MAGNETIC OPTIMIZATION A. Starting Geometry and FEM Analysis Details A very high absolute thrust was the main goal of motor
PROTECTIVE COVER ARM RUDDER STOCK MOVER HEAD ROTARYPRISMATIC JOINT

Mechanical Structure The concept proposed in this paper for rudder actuation through direct force-torque conversion is shown in Fig. 4. The linear motor is a flat double-sided PMLSA with moving magnets, longitudinal stator lamination and uniformly distributed slots. Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the actuator, with main components as follows: 1. Thrust axis (ferromagnetic solid steel) 2. Samarium-Cobalt magnets 3. Cylindrical roller slide bearings, on double row 4. Removable bearing supports 5. Linear bearing cages 6. Frame lateral axes (non-magnetic solid steel) 7. Stator stack modules (laminated) 8. Stack-holding covers 9. Modular three-phase winding 10. Ground-mounted feet. The thrust axis is held in place by four rows of cylindrical bearings, adequately inclined to withstand both horizontal and vertical thrusts. The rollers run in raceways directly threaded on the thrust axis, and on removable supports fixed to the frame. The stator is composed of several single-polepair winding modules, Fig. 6. The modules are fixed to the covers, which are locked with screws on the frame axes. The latter download the force to ground through support feet. The modules are easily removed and replaced. Due to component modularity, few spare pieces are needed. The mover head in Fig. 4 holds a sliding element pivoted to the arm, so realizing a rotary-prismatic coupling. This arrangement is better than the usual solution [13] with nonpivoted arm, since the thrust force remains parallel to the PMLSA axis, and the reaction torque on the mover is smaller. Long life joints can be used, protecting rubbing surfaces with PTFE (Teflon). Alternatively, steel-to-steel joints can be used, providing for periodical greasing. A brake system can be added for service or safety reasons. A conventional mechanical device can be placed on the rudder stock (band brake, brake blocks, etc.), or a specially designed device can be used to lock the torque arm (Fig. 4). The brake can be electrically actuated. An hermetic cover (plate or glass resin) protects mover head and tiller from pollution (dust, oil, saltiness, etc.). The whole machine is easily dismantled for maintenance or repair. Any piece is simple to manufacture, machining tolerances can be kept large. The mechanical design has been carried out in accordance with naval rules [10].
556

BRAKE

STATOR WINDINGS

SLIDER

MOVER WITH MAGNETS Fig. 4. Proposed PMLSA-based steering gear (sizes in mm).

Fig. 5. PMLSA cross-sectional view (sizes in mm).

Fig. 6. PMLSA 3D-view, with a stator module dismounted.

Fig. 7. Geometric parameters used in the optimization process..

optimization. Finite elements analysis was used for force calculation and force density enhancement by parametric variation of the module geometry as shown in Fig. 7. The winding is three-phase single-layer full-pitch with 2p poles and one slot per pole-phase which grants high MMF amplitude with simple construction [3]. A winding module is distributed in six slots with phase order +A, -C, +B, -A, +C, -B, and with proper self-contained end-connections. The machine is fed by a VSI inverter which provides sinusoidal currents and low-speed smooth operation with reduced force ripple. The current is in electric quadrature with the magnet flux, due to the field oriented vector control. Classical design formulas based on linear models [3] were not useful for accurate machine design, due to very high slots and variable saturation along the trapezoidal teeth. So, the design has been entirely carried out through an automatic optimization algorithm in the FEM simulation environment Maxwell V.14. A starting geometry (Fig.7 and Table II) was obtained after a preliminary trial-and error sizing work by FEM analysis, and taking in account (1) where F=total force, F'= thrusting force per unit of air gap area, p=pole pairs, x=pole pair pitch, L=iron stack depth, B=rms air gap flux density fundamental value and J'=rms air gap linear current density [3]. A good starting geometry was useful to speed-up the optimization process, however the process changed deeply both starting shape and sizes.
F '= F =B J ' . Lx p

with minimum clearances suggested in [10]. Model materials were Samarium-Cobalt magnets and solid ferritic stainless steel for the mover, laminated electric steel for the stator core and copper with slot filling factor 0.9 for the winding. B. Preliminary Simulations of the Starting Geometry The PMLSA module in Fig.7 is simulated in condition of maximum electromagnetic horizontal thrust, by non-linear magnetostatic analysis. The force is computed through virtual work method. The maximum force corresponds to the maximum rudder torque in Table I. This force should be given by an overload-level current density in the windings, which should be tolerated on a short-term basis without cooling. A maximum rms value of 5A/mm2 has been conservatively chosen, which is about twice the value usually accepted for continuous duty in industrial motors. The inverter must limit the current below the maximum to avoid overheating and magnet fault. Force calculation for the starting geometry produced the following results (Fig.8): F' = Fx/S = 24.1kN / 0.168m2 = 143.2kN/m2. Fvol = Fx/V = 24.1kN / (0.168*0.225m3) = 636.5kN/m3. where Fx is the computed thrusting force, S is the air gap area, Fvol is the volumetric force density, and V is module volume. Fig. 8-a shows that saturation mainly affects the teeth upward, due to the winding current (a heavy saturation can be allowed in the overload short-term condition, for better material utilization in rated operation). The lower iron differential permeability impedes the magnet flux to reach the back iron at some extent, as shown in Fig.8-b. The stator leakage flux also increases, and an effect of partial magnetic decoupling between stator and magnets takes place, with obvious force limitation. Better performances are obtained by improving the tooth shape as in Fig. 9. Tooth width is reduced at the bottom (10mm) and increased in the top (18mm). The saturation moves downward in the trapezoidal teeth (Fig.9-a), and the magnet flux linkage increases (Fig. 9-b). Slot area and total current remain the same, and the thrusting force increases of about 5%: F' = Fx/S = 25.2kN / 0.168m2 = 150kN/m2. Fvol = Fx/V = 25.2kN / (0.168*0.225m3) = 666.5kN/m3.

(1)

The mover thickness was defined through mechanical stress calculations. The air gap was fixed in accordance
TABLE II GEOMETRIC PARAMETERS AND STARTING VALUES item mover height module width magnet width magnet eight air gap length stator eight slot eight slot/tooth width stator yoke eight parameter fixed k1 k2 k3 fixed k4 k5 (k1/12)2a k4-k5 starting value(mm) 20 168 70 50 3 152 112 14 40

557

geometry.

Fig. 10 shows F' varying with the parameter a (2a= tooth width variation). In the following, the parameter space is fully explored to find a best-performance geometry. C. Automatic Optimization of the PMLSA Geometry The object-function which has been minimized is a cost function defined as the inverse of the machine volumetric force density: 2F' 2F F vol= = h L x ph (2)

160 155 150

where h is the double-sided machine eight. Maxwell uses a sequential non-linear programming algorithm called Response Surface Method (RSM) to obtain functional minimization. The RSM algorithm supposes a continuous variation space for the parameters, inside predefined boundaries and with given constraints. Table III shows the basic geometric constraints between the parameters of Fig.7. The RSM algorithm builds up a local approximation of the cost function through a Taylor series (response surface), based on the results of previous simulations. The gradient of the response surface is used to estimate the position of new points with lower cost. The search becomes more and more accurate close to local minima; when the gradient goes below a given tolerance, the algorithm starts analyzing new regions of the predefined space, to avoid trapping on local minima. The process ends when a user-defined maximum
TABLE III GEOMETRIC CONSTRAINTS FOR FIG. 7 tooth minimum width stator joke gap between magnets k1/12-2a k4k5 k1/2k2 >0 >0 > 5mm

558

F'(kN/m2)

145 140 135 130 125

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 a(mm) 7 Fig. 10. Specific thrusting force F' variation with the parameter a.

120

number of steps is reached. The final result is a database reporting the best point obtained. The strategy adopted in this paper for parameter variation range setting is as follows. Initially a range spanning 50% around the starting values in Table II (point Xstart in Fig. 11) was selected with a trial max step number=50. The optimization process found a best point X1 shown in Fig. 12 and Table IV. Fig.13 shows the geometry. Table IV shows that two parameters of X1, i.e. k2, k3, reached the boundary of the selected variation range (Fig. 11). In fact the RSM follows the gradient unless a boundary is reached; in the latter case, it slides on the boundary until another parameter limit is touched. Since the minimum cost point was over the boundary, a new search was started with variation range 50% of parameter values of X1. The optimum point Popt (Fig. 14) was obtained which is not on a boundary (Table IV). The whole procedure was repeated by starting from other two points (Y start, Zstart) very distant from Xstart in the parameter space (parameters were respectively 25% and 200% of values in Table II), again obtaining convergence to P opt as in Fig. 11. So, Popt was retained as the best result of the optimization process. The position of Popt in the parameter space depends, however, by

250 225 200 175 150 125 100 75 50 25 Y1 Ystart 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 Y2 Y3 Xstart X1 Poptimum Z3 Z2

k3%
Zstart Z1

flux linkage. By using data of Popt in Table IV, we obtain the specific force used for PMLSA sizing in Section V-B: Fvol = 1047kN/m3 Fmodule = 1047kN/m3*0.0375m3 = 39.24kN F' = 39.24kN / 0.25m2 = 157kN/m2. Finally, Fig. 19 shows the force performance of the optimized module with varying current density. The rated force is obtained with only 2.8A/mm2. VII. BACK-IRON FLUX DISTRIBUTION

The back iron flux can be minimized through a terminal half-magnet on the mover, Fig.20. The half-magnet balances the fluxes in the back-iron, so the stator joke eight can be sized for half-pole flux, with material and weight saving.

k1 %
225 250

Fig. 11. Optimization trajectories on the parameter plane (k1%, k3%).

Fig. 13. Best point X1.

Fig. 12. Optimization results. The force density obtained from each FEM simulation has been plotted on the correspondent module volume. The best point of each simulation set (marked with a given color) is evidenced.

the particular fixed sizes imposed (air gap and mover thickness, gap between magnets); so, by changing the fixed parameters, a different optimum will be obtained. Fig.s 15, 16 show that the fixed parameters actually limit Fvol in the points Y1, Y2, Y3. The fixed sizes becomes relatively disproportionate (in particular the mover axis eight does not contribute to increase the thrust). The flux density is smaller due to the large air gap, magnets are less exploited and the saturation is less uniformly distributed between teeth and back-iron with respect to Fig. 14. Points Z2, Z3 (Fig.s 17, 18) present instead too high saturation in the iron and also not-well exploited magnets. The optimum geometry module in Fig. 14 features 1047kN/m3, i.e. +50% with respect to the starting model. The flux density is higher in teeth and back-iron with more uniform saturation. Iron and magnets are exploited at best, with maximum magnet
TABLE IV BEST POINT FOR ANY RANGE OF PARAMETER VARIATION Best Point X1 Y1 Y2 Y3 Z1 Z2 Z3 Poptimum a k1 k2 [mm] [mm] [mm] 2,98 220 104 0,35 84.2 30,3 1,24 88,8 39,4 1,62 153 69,6 6,34 365 173 4,39 255 123 3,18 220 105 3,17 249 119 k3 [mm] 25 17,7 15,2 26,1 77,3 62,5 50,7 22,7 k4 [mm] 109 55,2 55,6 76,8 232 191 152 104 k5 [mm] 86,9 48,1 47,1 61,1 183 157 127 79,7 Volume Fvol [m3] [kN/m3] 0,0345 1032 0,0068 778 0,0083 852 0,0193 959 0,1213 760 0,0704 769 0,0496 847 0,0375 1047

Fig. 14. Best point Popt (optimum).

Fig. 15. Left: Best point Y1. Right: Best point Y2.

Fig. 16. Best point Y3.

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0o

a)

90

b)

180o
Fig. 17. Best point Z2.

c)

270o

d)

360o

Fig. 18. Best point Z3.

300 250 200

e) Fig.20. a)-e)Flux distribution in the back iron for various mover positions. [6] I. Martins, J. Esteves, G. D. Marques, and F. P. da Silva, Permanent-Magnets linear actuators applicability in automobile active suspensions, IEEE Trans. Veh. Tech., vol. 55, no. 1, pp 8694, Jan. 2006. K. Suzuki, Y-J Kim, and H. Dohmeki, Driving method of permanent-magnet linear synchronous motor with the stationary discontinuous armature for long-distance transportation system, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 59, no. 5, pp 2227-2235, May 2012. R. Vermaak and M. J. Kamper, Design aspects of a novel topology air-cored permanent magnet linear generator for direct drive wave energy converters, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 59, no. 5, pp 2104-2115, May 2012. C. Bruzzese, Efficiency Analysis of a Permanent-Magnet Linear Actuator for Ship Steering Gears, submitted to ICEM 2012, Sept. 25, Marseille, France. Rules for The Classification of Naval Ships - Part C Machinery, Systems and Fire Protection Steering Gear, Ch. 1, Sec. 11, RINAMIL 2007. CMC Marine, Stabilis Electra Electrical Fin Stabilizer [Online] Available: http://www.cmcmarine.com/docs/download/ cmc-marinestabiliselectra-brochure.pdf. Brevini Riduttori, High Torque Planetary Gears, S-Series Complete Catalog and Application Notes. [Online]. Available: http://files.brevini.com/fatch/20061019115248.zip. Hatlapa Marine Equipment, Steering Gears RAM Type Poseidon ST. [Online]. Available: http://www.hatlapa.de/products/steeringgear/223/steering-gear-downloads/EN/file.php?ID=893.

F'(kN/m2)

[7]

150 100 50 0

overload rated
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Jmax(A/mm2)

[8]

[9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Fig. 19. Specific thrusting force F' as function of Jmax=2J.

VIII. CONCLUSION This paper proposed a novel PMLSA for ship rudder steering gears through direct force-torque conversion. The motor structure is shown. The magnetic optimization by FEM analysis proves that very high absolute thrusts can be obtained which are competitive with the performances of oil-drives. Future work will concern the thermal analysis of the PMLSA, based on the services required. A laboratory reduced-scale prototype is under development for testing. IX. REFERENCES
[1] C. Bruzzese, Innovative solutions for on-board electromechanical actuators (ISO)Phases 1-2, Research report, Contract Rep. N. 19712 for the Italian Ministry of Defence, General Direction of Naval Equipments (NAVARM), Jan 23, 2012. A. Akers, M. Gassman, and R. Smith, Hydraulic Power System Analysis. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis, 2006. I. Boldea, and S. A. Nasar, Linear Electric Actuators and Generators. Cambridge University Press, 2005. Atlanta Linear Actuators, High Thrust Linear Actuators. [Online]. Available: http://www.atlantadrives.com/pdf/ads_linear-eh8.pdf. J. R. Quesada and J.-F. Charpentier, Finite difference study of unconventional structures of permanent-magnet linear machines for electromagnetic aircraft launch system, IEEE Trans. Magn., vol. 41, no. 1, pp 478-483, Jan. 2005.

X.

BIOGRAPHIES

[2] [3] [4] [5]

Claudio Bruzzese (S'05-M'08) received the M.Sc. (cum laude) and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Rome Sapienza, Rome, Italy, in 2002 and 2008, respectively. In 2002, he was with the National Transmission Network Management Company. Since September 2002, he has been with the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Rome Sapienza, as Researcher Associate, and in 2011-2012 as Assistant Professor. He has been consultant for the Italian Ministry of Defense, and developed projects for the Military Research National Program. His interests cover diagnostics of power induction and synchronous machines, railway and naval power systems, linear drives, and electromechanical design and advanced modeling. He has authored or coauthored more than 40 technical papers, and holds four patents. Dr. Bruzzese is a Registered Professional Engineer in Italy. He is member of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society.

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