Design and analysis of linear actuator for active vibration cancellation

This study was conducted to develop a permanent magnet (PM) linear actuator for active vibration cancellation in automotive applications. To meet the system requirements and physical constraints, the actuator was designed using the high energy density magnets, MAGNEQUENCH-3 (MQ3). The magnetic circuit of the actuator was modeled using finite element-based magnetic field analysis. The actuator was built and tested and the results confirmed the predicted performance. Because of the presently high cost of MQ3 magnets, a parametric study was then conducted to determine possible design trade-offs and the impact of using ferrite magnet material on actuator size and performance.