Optimal Design and Experimental Research on a New Hybrid Electromagnetic Actuator for Vehicles

In this study, a new hybrid electromagnetic actuator (HEMA) that integrates a cylindrical permanent magnet linear synchronous motor and a hydraulic damper is proposed and designed to solve the problem of poor reliability of a linear electromagnetic actuator. A modified skyhook control that matches the structure of the HEMA is adopted, and the performance parameters are optimized. Then, the relationships among structural parameters of the HEMA are analyzed using equivalent magnetic circuit method. On the basis of these relationships, multiple alternative groups of structural parameters are obtained. Moreover, finite element models are established in Ansoft Maxwell software. The structural parameters of the HEMA are optimized and determined to produce the peak electromagnetic thrust force that the linear motor requires. Finally, a prototype is developed on the basis of the optimized results for the bench test. Test results show that the linear motor tracks the desired force effectively. In contrast to the passive damper, the body acceleration and suspension working space of HEMA are decreased by 20.6% and 13.3%, respectively. The dynamic tire load is increased by 16%, which is in a reasonable range. And compared with LEMA, the body acceleration is increased by 2.73%, but the suspension working space and dynamic tire load are reduced by 1.1% and 38.1%. All the results above mentioned demonstrate that the HEMA can considerably improve the vehicle dynamic performance.