F-35 Three-Bearing Swivel Nozzle (3BSN) Door Actuator

Turnkey Design Services, LLC of Blue Island, IL proposes to replace an existing high temperature electro-hydraulic actuator on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with a smart electro-mechanical actuator. With the advancement of electronics over the last several years, aircraft system integrators have been replacing electro-hydraulic actuation systems with electro-mechanical actuation systems. Electro-mechanical actuators are now being used to control flaps, open weapon, refueling and cargo bay doors and deploy landing gear (fly-by-wire concept). They are being used in every area on the aircraft where temperature permits, however, due to motor and electronic component material limitations the temperature environment is limited. The proposed electro-mechanical smart actuator utilizes several technologies specific to high temperature applications above 200 deg C. The proposed motor is a high temperature Switch Reluctance Motor with high temperature windings. The electronics utilize silicon on insulator (SOI) and silicon carbide (SiC) technology to provide integrated motor controls and system health monitoring capability without active cooling