| 摘要 |
<p>An apparatus and method of operating devices (such as devices in a wellbore (10) or other types of devices) utilizes actuators (300, 400, 600) having expandable elements. Such expandable elements may include piezoelectric elements (306), magnetostrictive elements (406), and heat-expandable elements (602). Piezoelectric elements (306) are expandable by application of an electrical voltage; magnetostrictive elements (406) are expandable by application of a magnetic field (which may be generated by a solenoid (404) in response to an electrical current); and heat-expandable elements (602) are expandable by heat energy (e.g., infrared energy or microwave energy). The expandable elements are abutted to an operator member (152) such that when the expandable element expands, the operator member (152) is moved in a first direction, and when the expandable element contracts, the operator member (152) moves in an opposite direction.</p> |
