Development of an electro-pneumatic system for the practical training of pneumatic processes in the university environment

Abstract

This article describes the implementation of an electro-pneumatic test bench, which allows the availability of a physical environment to promote learning. The aim of the paper is to create a tool that enables practical training and research of pneumatic processes for university students in the field of engineering. The control and automation system of the test bench is made up of wired logic panels, timers, and programmable logic controllers, which are integrated into a control board configured at 24 V (direct current) to guarantee safety. Additionally, ergonomic principles were considered for the construction of the electro-pneumatic bench, thus favoring the accessibility and safety of the users. Based on national and international regulations, working pressure of 9 bar and an approximate pressure drop of 0.07 bar were defined. The construction of the test bench is considered an educational strategy to facilitate and accelerate the learning process of the students. Additionally, the development of the electro-pneumatic bench allowed the dynamic characterization of double-acting actuators by integrating experimental data and numerical models. This allowed the detailed analysis of the displacement, velocity, and acceleration variables in this type of actuator, which contributes to the physical study of pneumatic systems.