Design, Modeling, and Simulation of a Novel Electromagnetic Linear Actuator for Linear Motion

This paper presents the design, modeling, and simulation of a compact Electromagnetic Linear Actuator (ELA) and its application to a linear motion mechanism. The proposed actuator consists of a coil and a permanent magnet and can generate a linear motion when an alternating current is applied to the coil. Its overall dimensions are 20 mm (W) $\times15$ mm (H) $\times15$ mm (D) while the weight is 7 g. The proposed actuator can be controlled in terms of position using an open-loop system. A mathematical model is created for the proposed actuator, and theoretical analysis is performed to examine the actuator dynamic model. The simulation results are validated experimentally by manufacturing a physical prototype. Therefore, the proposed actuator generates an electromagnetic force of 0.1 N at 10 V (0.07 A), then our actuator able to achieve a displacement of 0.2 mm. Moreover, the experimental resonance frequency is measured at 70 Hz and the bandwidth of 80 Hz. Finally, the overall system performance is evaluated by integrating the developed actuator into the linear motion mechanism. We investigate the stick-slip motion of the linear mechanism without feedback control, dedicating sufficient time to both the slip phase and the stick phase. The experimental results show that the linear motion mechanism travels with speed 6 mm $s<^>{-1}$ with a frequency of 30 Hz.