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MODULE 12
ACTUATORS

OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, you will;

1. Discuss the working principles and application of actuators.

2. Compare and contrast rotary actuators, linear actuator and limited rotation
actuators.
3. Describe working principle of single acting cylinder and double acting cylinder.
4. Enumerate and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both single and
double acting cylinder
5. Illustrate the difference between single acting cylinder and double acting cylinder.

PROCEDURES: Try to read and understand the following:

INTRODUCTION

Actuators are output devices which convert energy from pressurized hydraulic oil or
compressed air into the required type of action or motion. In general, hydraulic or pneumatic
systems are used for gripping and/or moving operations in industry. These operations are
carried out by using actuators.

Actuators can be classified into three types.

 Linear actuators: These devices convert hydraulic/pneumatic energy into linear

motion.
 Rotary actuators: These devices convert hydraulic/pneumatic energy into rotary
motion.
 Actuators to operate flow control valves: these are used to control the flow and
pressure of fluids such as gases, steam or liquid.

The construction of hydraulic and pneumatic linear actuators is similar. However, they
differ at their operating pressure ranges. Typical pressure of hydraulic cylinders is about 100
bar and of pneumatic system is around 10 bar.

SINGLE ACTING CYLINDER

FIGURE 12.1 (Single acting cylinder)

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A single-acting cylinder in a reciprocating engine is a cylinder in which the working

fluid acts on one side of the piston only. A single-acting cylinder relies on the load, springs,
other cylinders, or the momentum of a flywheel, to push the piston back in the other direction.
Single-acting cylinders are found in most kinds of reciprocating engine. They are almost
universal in internal combustion engines (e.g. petrol and diesel engines) and are also used in
many external combustion engines such as Stirling engines and some steam engines. They
are also found in pumps and hydraulic rams.

These cylinders produce work in one direction of motion hence they are named as
single acting cylinders. Figure 12.1 shows the construction of a single acting cylinder. The
compressed air pushes the piston located in the cylindrical barrel causing the desired motion.
The return stroke takes place by the action of a spring.

Generally, the spring is provided on the rod side of the cylinder.

ADVANTAGES

 Simple design,
 Compact size,
 Reduction in valve and piping costs, and
 Air consumption is halved compared with the equivalent sized double-acting
cylinder.

DISADVANTAGES:

 Return spring side of the cylinder is vented to the atmosphere – may allow the
ingress of foreign matter, which may lead to malfunctioning and reducing the
life of the cylinder.
 Spring operation with extended cylinder life can become inconsistent and
provide uncertain end of stroke positions.
 Bore size and stroke of the cylinder is restricted due to limitations of the spring
size and force.
 A slight reduction of thrust due to the opposing spring force.

DOUBLE ACTING CYLINDER

FIGURE 12.2 (Double acting cylinder)

A double acting cylinder is a cylinder in which the working fluid acts alternately on
both sides of the piston. In order to connect the piston in a double-acting cylinder to an
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external mechanism, such as a crank shaft, a hole must be provided in one end of the
cylinder for the piston rod, and this is fitted with a gland or "stuffing box" to prevent escape of
the working fluid. Double-acting cylinders are common in steam engines but unusual in other
engine types. Many hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders use them where it is needed to
produce a force in both directions. A double-acting hydraulic cylinder has a port at each end,
supplied with hydraulic fluid for both the retraction and extension of the piston. A double-
acting cylinder is used where an external force is not available to retract the piston, or it can
be used where high force is required in both directions of travel.

The main parts of a hydraulic double acting cylinder are piston, piston rod, cylinder
tube, and end caps. These are shown in Figure 12.2. The piston rod is connected to piston
head and the other end extends out of the cylinder. The piston divides the cylinder into two
chambers namely the rod end side and piston end side. The seals prevent the leakage of oil
between these two chambers. The cylindrical tube is fitted with end caps. The pressurized
oil, air enters the cylinder chamber through the ports provided. In the rod end cover plate, a
wiper seal is provided to prevent the leakage of oil and entry of the contaminants into the
cylinder. The combination of wiper seal, bearing and sealing ring is called as cartridge
assembly. The end caps may be attached to the tube by threaded connection, welded
connection or tie rod connection. The piston seal prevents metal to metal contact and wear of
piston head and the tube. These seals are replaceable. End cushioning is also provided to
prevent the impact with end caps.

ADVANTAGES:

 Generally, ISO standards are based on the design of double-acting cylinders.

 A more extensive range of double-acting cylinders than for single-acting
cylinders, giving many more options of bore and stroke sizes.
 Many variations are available on the basic double-acting cylinder design.

DISADVANTAGES:

 Cannot be simply held in a mid-position,

 Air is a compressible medium – if a pneumatic cylinder is to be used as a feed
cylinder, it must be coupled to a hydraulic slave cylinder to give a constant
feed, and
 Long-stroke cylinders need adequate guiding of the piston rod.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SINGLE ACTING AND DOUBLE ACTING HYDRAULIC

CYLINDERS

1. Single Acting cylinder only extends by pressure from a pump and then retracts by the
weight of the load or by an inbuilt spring. A Double Acting cylinder uses hydraulic
power to both extend and retract.

2. A simple way to tell the cylinders apart is by looking at the number of ports. A Single
Acting cylinder will have one port for the connection of a hydraulic cylinders Hydraulic
Hose Fittings A Double Acting cylinder will have TWO ports. The first port is where
the “advance” (extend) Hydraulic Hose Fittings will attach and the second is where
the “retract” Hydraulic Hose Fittings will attach.

CYLINDER END CUSHIONS

Double acting cylinders generally contain cylinder cushions at the end of the
cylinder to slow down the movement of the piston near the end of the stroke. Figure 12.3
shows the construction of actuating cylinder with end cushions. Cushioning arrangement
avoids the damage due to the impact occurred when a fast-moving piston is stopped by the
end caps. Deceleration of the piston starts when the tapered plunger enters the opening in
the cap and closes the main fluid exit. This restricts the exhaust flow from the barrel to the
port. This throttling causes the initial speed reduction. During the last portion of the stroke
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the oil has to exhaust through an adjustable opening since main fluid exit closes. Thus, the
remaining fluid exists through the cushioning valve. Amount of cushioning can be adjusted by
means of cushion screw. A check valve is provided to achieve fast break away from the end
position during retraction motion. A bleed screw is built into the check valve to remove the air
bubbles present in a hydraulic type system.

FIGURE 12.3 (Cylinder end cushioning)

Cushioning of some sort normally is required to decelerate a cylinder's piston before it

strikes the end cap. Reducing the piston velocity as it approaches the end cap lowers the
stresses on cylinder components and reduces vibration transmitted to the machine structure.

End-of-stroke impact can be dealt with in three ways: by simple impact cushioning,
pneumatic cushioning, or by installing shock absorbers. This discussion deals with
pneumatic cushioning and is intended to serve as an instruction on how to optimize
cushioning for a given mass.

THE CONCEPT OF IDEAL CUSHIONING

Ideal pneumatic cushioning occurs when all kinetic energy is dissipated to decelerate
the piston to exactly zero velocity when it reaches the end of its travel. Any contact between
the piston and end cap would be negligible, so the piston would not rebound off the end cap.
Ideal pneumatic cushioning produces minimal noise from end cover contact, and minimum
piston deceleration time. Thus, properly adjusted pneumatic cushioning can improve the
work environment and increase machine throughput in rapid-cycle applications.

GEAR MOTOR: A ROTARY ACTUATOR

Rotary actuators convert energy of pressurized fluid into rotary motion. Rotary
actuators are similar to electric motors but are run on hydraulic or pneumatic power.

It consists of two inter meshing gears inside a housing with one gear attached to the
drive shaft. Figure 12.4 shows a schematic diagram of Gear motor. The air enters from the
inlet, causes the rotation of the meshing gear due to difference in the pressure and produces
the torque. The air exists from the exhaust port. Gear motors tend to leak at low speed,
hence are generally used for medium speed applications.

Rotary actuators transform pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric energy to mechanical

rotation. Pneumatic rotary actuators utilize the pressure of compressed air to generate
oscillatory rotary motions. The two most common configurations of pneumatic rotary
actuators include rack and pinion and vane configurations. Rack-and-pinion actuators consist
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of a piston and rack that move linearly and cause a pinion gear and output shaft to rotate.
Rack-and-pinion actuators can consist of single, double, or multiple racks. A vane actuator
consists of a vane mounted on a central shaft enclosed in a cylindrical chamber. The vane
rotates upon pressurization and continues to rotate until it reaches the end of the stroke. Air
pressure applied to the other side of the vane causes it to rotate the shaft in the opposite
direction. Key advantages of pneumatic rotary actuators are the simplicity of use, durability,
high force output, and ability to be used in hazardous environments.

FIGURE 12.4 (Gear motor)

Hydraulic rotary actuators are typically utilized for applications requiring high torques.
Common design configurations for hydraulic rotary actuators include piston type, vane type,
or gear type. In piston-type actuators, pressurized hydraulic fluid is used to displace a piston
and generate rotational motion. An example of a piston-type actuator is a swash plate motor.
In a swash plate motor, pressurized oil is used to push a piston back and forth and generate
rotation of a swash plate. The swash plate is connected to a shaft which rotates as the plate
rotates. In vane-type actuators, the operating principle is similar to that of a pneumatic rotary
actuator. Pressurized fluid is used to produce rotation of the vane which produces rotational
motion of the central shaft. In a gear-type configuration, pressurized fluid moves meshed
gears to generate rotary motion of the shaft connected to the gears. Key advantages of
hydraulic rotary actuators include simplicity of design and the ability to generate high torques
and low speeds.

Electric rotary actuators are commonly used in mechatronic systems. Examples of

rotary electrical actuators include direct current (DC) motors, synchronous and asynchronous
motors, alternating current (AC) motors, stepper motors, and servomotors. A current-carrying
conductor placed in a magnetic field will experience a force proportional to the flux density of
the magnetic field, the current flowing in the conductor, and the length of the conductor. The
force and back electromotive force (EMF) will generate rotation and associated torque

VANE MOTOR: A ROTARY ACTUATOR

A rotary vane motor consists of a rotor with sliding vanes in the slots provided on the
rotor (Fig. 12.5). The rotor is placed eccentrically with the housing. Air enters from the inlet
port, rotates the rotor and thus torque is produced. Air is then released from the exhaust port
(outlet).

A vane actuator consists of a vane mounted on a central shaft enclosed in a cylindrical

chamber. The vane rotates upon pressurization and continues to rotate until it reaches the
end of the stroke. Air pressure applied to the other side of the vane causes it to rotate the
shaft in the opposite direction.
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FIGURE 12.5 (Vane motor)

Vane actuators are easy to service because they have fewer parts and less-critical
fits than many other types of rotary actuators. Their mechanical efficiencies range from 80%
to 95%, depending on construction and application. The square corners of the vanes make
sealing a challenge, and internal bypass leakage can be common in vane-type actuators.
Position-holding may be limited without external controls. Vane-type actuators transmit
torques to 700,000 lb-in.

LIMITED ROTATION ACTUATORS

It consists of a single rotating vane connected to output shaft as shown in Figure

12.6. It is used for double acting operation and has a maximum angle of rotation of about
270°. These are generally used to actuate dampers in robotics and material handling
applications. Other type of limited rotation actuator is a rack and pinion type actuator.

FIGURE 12.6 (Semi rotary vane type actuator)

It also a type of hydraulic actuator that produces limited reciprocating rotary force and
motion; used for lifting, lowering, opening, closing, indexing, and transferring movements;
examples are the piston-rack actuator, single-vane actuator, and double-vane actuator.
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SPEED CONTROL

For an actuator, the operational speed is determined by the fluid flow rate and the
cylinder actuator area or the motor displacement. The speed can only be controlled by
adjusting the fluid flow to the actuator, because the physical dimension of the actuator is
fixed. Since the air is compressible, flow control is difficult as compared to the hydraulic
system. There are various ways of controlling the fluid flow.

Figure 12.7 shows the circuit diagram of hydraulic system developed to control the
speed of motion of a piston. Consider a pump which delivers a fluid volume of ‘V’ per minute.
The pump has a fixed displacement. The volume of fluid goes either to the pump or to the
actuator. When the direction control valve moves from its center position the actuator of area
‘A’, the piston moves with a velocity,

V
ʋ=
A

If the pump delivery volume ‘V’ can be adjusted by altering swash plate angle of a
piston pump or by using a variable displacement vane pump, no further speed control will be
needed.

FIGURE 12.7 (Speed control by pump volume)

SUMMARY

An actuator is a type of motor, typically operated by electric current, hydraulic fluid or

air pressure that's widely used in the Process Industry for moving or controlling a mechanism
or system.

Actuators take fluid, electric or some other source of power and convert it through a
motor, piston or other device to perform work. Basic versions are used to move valves to
either fully opened or fully closed positions. While actuators for control or position regulating
valves are given a positioning signal to move to any intermediate position with a high degree
of accuracy.

There are four main types of actuators that are a combination of the type of power
applied and the type of movement required at the valve.
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Single acting cylinder has a head-end port and is operated hydraulically in one
direction. When oil is pumped into a port, it pushes on a plunger, thus extending it. To return
or retract a cylinder, oil must be released to a reservoir. A plunger returns either because of
the weight of a load or from some mechanical force such as a spring. In mobile equipment,
flow to and from a single-acting cylinder is controlled by a reversing directional valve of a
single-acting type.

The Double acting cylinder must have ports at the head and rod ends. Pumping oil
into the head end moves a piston to extend a rod while any oil in the rod end is pushed out
and returned to a reservoir. To retract a rod, flow is reversed. Oil from a pump goes into a
rod end, and a head-end port is connected to allow return flow. The flow direction to and from
a double-acting cylinder can be controlled by a double acting directional valve or by actuating
a control of a reversible pump.

REFERENCES:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-_and_double-acting_cylinders
2. https://medium.com/@vcompmississaug/what-are-single-acting-double-
acting-hydraulic-cylinders-817d6e6f30a8
3. https://www.hydraulicspneumatics.com/technologies/cylinders-actuators/
article/21884150/all-about-cylinder-cushioning
4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/rotary-
actuator#:~:text=In%20a%20gear%2Dtype%20configuration,high
%20torques%20and%20low%20speeds.

ADDITIONAL READINGS

Websites:

1. https://www.hydraulicspneumatics.com/fluid-power-basics/motors-
actuators/article/21882753/engineering-essentials-rotary-actuators
2. https://www.processindustryforum.com/article/overview-article-actuators
3. http://www.modernhydraulics.net/tag/single-acting-cylinder
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EVALUATION

Name: __________________________________________ Date: _________

Course/Year: _____________________________ Score: ________

A. Read the following statements and encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. A device that actuates or moves something, and it uses some type of energy to
provide motion or to apply a force

a. Single acting cylinder

b. Actuator
c. Double acting cylinder
d. Speed control

2. It works with compressed air to actuate the piston in one direction and spring force to
return to the base position.

a. Actuator
b. Speed control
c. Double acting cylinder
d. Single acting cylinder

3. This cylinder is one where the thrust, or output force, is developed in both extending
and retracting directions

a. Speed control
b. Actuator
c. Single acting cylinder
d. Double acting cylinder

4. It is a device that develops a force and a motion through a straight

line.

a. Rotary actuator
b. Linear actuator
c. Double acting cylinder
d. Single acting cylinder

5. An actuator that produces a rotary motion or torque.

a. Linear actuator
b. Single acting cylinder
c. Double acting cylinder
d. Rotary actuator

6. This type of actuator is applied when the shaft has to rotate over a limited angle.

a. Limited rotation actuator

b. Rotary actuator
c. Linear actuator
d. Single acting cylinder
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7. Discuss the difference between single acting and double acting hydraulic cylinders

8. Enumerate and discuss the advantages of single acting cylinder and disadvantages
of double acting cylinder.
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B. Matching Type: Match column A with column B. Write the correct answer in the space
provided.

COLUMN A COLUMN B
A
_____ 9. Rotary actuator

_____ 10. Linear actuator

_____ 11. Double acting cylinder

_____ 12, Single acting cylinder

B
_____ 13. Limited rotation actuator

_____ 14. NONE

D
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