| 摘要 |
An actuator adaptable for tunable stiffness control is provided, including a stiffness element including a smart material, and a magnetically actuated biasing element. The biasing element is configured to provide a non-linear or variable bias force on the stiffness element. The smart material may be a shape memory alloy, and the biasing element may be configured to include a permanent magnet, an electromagnet, a magnetic shape memory alloy, or a combination of these. The stiffness element and the biasing element of the actuator may be configured in parallel with each other, or may be configured in series with each other. The bias force may be provided in response to an input defined by one or more of fatigue, functional degradation, aging, shakedown, elongation, and operating environment of the stiffness element of the actuator, or defined by an operating characteristic of the actuator or a device controlled by the actuator. |
