Isolation and damping: Ground tests of an active vibration isolation system for a full-scale helicopter
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Hanks, B. R.↗
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Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Magnetic Vibration Isolator
Feedback control provides soft mount and damping of vibrations. Active magnetic suspension system centers inner structure in position and orientation with respect to principal Cartesian coordinate axes of base or outer structure, stationary with respect to building or vehicle. System helps to isolate suspended mass from vibrations of building or vehicle. Designed to isolate 500-kg experimental apparatus from vibrations of spacecraft, but also used on Earth, provided that its z axis vertical and system assisted by low-stiffness vertical spring that, in steady state, holds up inner structure at nominal vertical position.
Gerver, Michael J.↗
Experimental Comparison of two Active Vibration Control Approaches: Velocity Feedback and Negative Capacitance Shunt Damping
This paper outlines a direct, experimental comparison between two established active vibration control techniques. Active vibration control methods, many of which rely upon piezoelectric patches as actuators and/or sensors, have been widely studied, showing many advantages over passive techniques. However, few direct comparisons between different active vibration control methods have been made to determine the performance benefit of one method over another. For the comparison here, the first control method, velocity feedback, is implemented using four accelerometers that act as sensors along with an analog control circuit which drives a piezoelectric actuator. The second method, negative capacitance shunt damping, consists of a basic analog circuit which utilizes a single piezoelectric patch as both a sensor and actuator. Both of these control methods are implemented individually using the same piezoelectric actuator attached to a clamped Plexiglas window. To assess the performance of each control method, the spatially averaged velocity of the window is compared to an uncontrolled response.
Beck, Benjamin↗
Active damping of unidimensional structures
The vibration characteristics of an unidimensional structure are discussed. The cases considered are: (1) a rigid pipe in which a wave propagates, (2) an infinite string along which a transverse wave propagates, (3) a rod along which longitudinal or torsional columns propagate, and (4) generally a unidimensional propagation of some one mode of vibrations which is nondegenerating with distance. Mathematical models are developed to show the performance of the mechanical devices under various damping conditions.
Tartakovskiy, B. D.↗
Spacecraft dynamics characterization and control system failure detection, volume 1
The work under this grant has been directed to two aspects of the control of flexible spacecraft: (1) the modeling of deployed or erected structures including nonlinear joint characteristics; and (2) the detection and isolation of failures of the components of control systems for large space structures. The motivation for the first of these research tasks is the fact that very large assemblies in space will have to be built or deployed in situ. A likely scenario is, in fact, a combination of these wherein modules which are folded for transportation into orbit are erected to their final configuration and then jointed with other such erected modules to form the full assembly. Any such erectable modules will have joints. It remains to be seen whether or not joints designed for operational assemblies will have nonlinear properties, but it seems prudent to develop a methodology for dealing with that possibility. The motivation for the second of these research tasks is the fact that we foresee large assemblies in space which will require active control to damp vibrations and/or hold a desired shape. Lightweight structures will be very flexible, with many elastic modes having very low frequencies. In order to control these modes well, the control system will likely require many sensors and many actuators, probably distributed over much of the structure. The combination of a large number of control system components with long operational periods virtually guarantees that these systems will suffer control system component failures during operation. The control system must be designed to tolerate failures of some sensors and actuators, and still be able to continue to perform its function.
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Active member bridge feedback control for damping augmentation
An active damping augmentation approach using active members in a structural system is described. The problem of maximizing the vibration damping in a lightly damped structural system is considered using the analogy of impedance matching between the load and source impedances in an electrical network. The proposed active damping augmentation approach therefore consists of finding the desired active member impedances that maximize the vibration damping, and designing a feedback control in order to achieve desired active member impedances. This study uses a bridge feedback concept that feeds back a combination of signals from sensors of the axial force and relative velocity across the active member to realize the desired active member impedance. The proposed active damping augmentation approach and bridge feedback concept were demonstrated on a three-longeron softly suspended truss structure.
Chen, Gun-Shing↗
Structural Mechanics and Dynamics Branch
The 2002 annual report of the Structural Mechanics and Dynamics Branch reflects the majority of the work performed by the branch staff during the 2002 calendar year. Its purpose is to give a brief review of the branch s technical accomplishments. The Structural Mechanics and Dynamics Branch develops innovative computational tools, benchmark experimental data, and solutions to long-term barrier problems in the areas of propulsion aeroelasticity, active and passive damping, engine vibration control, rotor dynamics, magnetic suspension, structural mechanics, probabilistics, smart structures, engine system dynamics, and engine containment. Furthermore, the branch is developing a compact, nonpolluting, bearingless electric machine with electric power supplied by fuel cells for future "more electric" aircraft. An ultra-high-power-density machine that can generate projected power densities of 50 hp/lb or more, in comparison to conventional electric machines, which generate usually 0.2 hp/lb, is under development for application to electric drives for propulsive fans or propellers. In the future, propulsion and power systems will need to be lighter, to operate at higher temperatures, and to be more reliable in order to achieve higher performance and economic viability. The Structural Mechanics and Dynamics Branch is working to achieve these complex, challenging goals.
Stefko, George↗
Smart Structures for Vibration Control on Long-Term Space Exploration and Habitation Missions
The current vision for space exploration focuses on human missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. To support these goals, it is certain that new vehicles and intermediate bases will be developed, whether that means simply re-direction of the ISS as a "mission research facility" or construction of a lunar base. Since these facilities are expected to be constructed from inherently light-weight materials, this work examines some of the potential sources of vibration and noise as well as means for controlling these vibrations. Many of the operating components within these facilities, such as pumps, fans, and motors, will produce vibrations during operation. These vibrations become structure in which they are housed. Resonances can impact acoustic noise levels and noise quality within the environment, possibly affecting crew health and productivity. For long-term missions in particular, it is expected that crew members will spend significant portions of their time restrained in the structure, such as in seats. As a result, the general health and well-being of the crew can be improved by limiting the harmful effects of human exposure to long-term audible and tactile vibration input. Besides the human factor, this work also examines some operational considerations in which vibrations play an important role. Vibrations can impact the environment for science and in-situ manufacturing research within these vehicles. Since a benign vibratory environment is beneficial for most types of science experiments, there is a need for various forms of vibration control. Because the operational characteristics of a vehicle can change during a long-term mission, it is further expected that the characteristics of many of the vibratory excitations will change with time. Consequently, the form of vibration control needed to improve overall habitability and usefulness of the vehicle or element for exploration missions will rely to some degree on the vibration control system's ability to adapt. To address these needs, this work also examines the development and use of smart materials to tune the dynamic characteristics of the structure in a passive sense. One prime example is the use of an adaptive electrical shunt connected to a piezoelectric patch in order to provide tuned passive vibration damping. The work also examines the use of active vibration control, such as by applying power to that same piezoelectric patch. The overall goal is to examine the use of smart structures that can react to the environment thereby improving the overall living, working, and learning environment for these long-term missions.
Gattis, Christy B.↗
A design procedure for active control of beam vibrations
The transverse vibrations of beams is discussed and a methodology for the design of an active damping device is given. The Bernoulli-Euler equation is used to derive a transcendental transfer function, which relates a torque applied at one end of the beam to the rotational position and velocity at that point. The active damping device consists of a wire, a linear actuator and a short torque arm attached to one end of the beam. The action of the actuator varies a tension in the wire and creates a torque which opposes the rotation of the beam and thus damps vibration. A design procedure for such an active damper is given. This procedure shows the relationships and trade-offs between the actuator stroke, power required, stress levels in the wire and beam and the geometry of the beam and wire. It is shown that by consideration of the frequency response at the beam natural frequencies, the aforementioned relationships can be greatly simplified. Similarly, a simple way of estimating the effective damping ratios and eigenvalue locations of actively controlled beams is presented.
Dickerson, S. L.↗
Mechanical and Vibration Testing of Carbon Fiber Composite Material with Embedded Piezoelectric Sensors
Piezoelectric materials have been proposed as a means of decreasing turbomachinery blade vibration either through a passive damping scheme, or as part of an active vibration control system. For polymer matrix fiber composite (PMFC) blades, the piezoelectric elements could be embedded within the blade material, protecting the brittle piezoceramic material from the airflow and from debris. Before implementation of a piezoelectric element within a PMFC blade, the effect on PMFC mechanical properties needs to be understood. This study attempts to determine how the inclusion of a packaged piezoelectric patch affects the material properties of the PMFC. Composite specimens with embedded piezoelectric patches were tested in four-point bending, short beam shear, and flatwise tension configurations. Results show that the embedded piezoelectric material does decrease the strength of the composite material, especially in flatwise tension, attributable to failure at the interface or within the piezoelectric element itself. In addition, the sensing properties of the post-cured embedded piezoelectric materials were tested, and performed as expected. The piezoelectric materials include a non-flexible patch incorporating solid piezoceramic material, and two flexible patch types incorporating piezoelectric fibers. The piezoceramic material used in these patches was Navy Type-II PZT.
Duffy, Kirsten P.↗
Reduced-order filtering for flexible space structures
There is a need for feedback control of the large flexible space structures which are going to be increasingly important in the future of the space program. These structures are very lightly damped, and vibrations may persist for a long time when the system is disturbed unless an active feedback control strategy is used to damp out the vibrations. The system is best described by a partial differential equation description, but the more common approach is to use a large set of second order differential equations, where a large number of modes must be retained if the mathematics is to provide an adequate description of the dynamical process. Sensors, such as accelerometers and rate gyros, may provide data to the feedback controller so that it may respond appropriately to control the system. The data from the sensors is not perfect, but is subject to noise, called measurement noise, and the dynamical process itself is subject to disturbances referred to as process noise. Filtering the sensor signals to remove the measurement noise, and using the resulting state estimates to control the system are investigated.
Sims, Craig S.↗
Control design challenges of large space systems and spacecraft control laboratory experiment (SCOLE)
The quick suppression of the structural vibrations excited by bang-bang (BB) type time-optional slew maneuvers via modal-dashpot design of velocity output feedback control was investigated. Simulation studies were conducted, and modal dashpots were designed for the SCOLE flexible body dynamics. A two-stage approach was proposed for rapid slewing and precision pointing/retargeting of large, flexible space systems: (1) slew the whole system like a rigid body in a minimum time under specified limits on the control moments and forces, and (2) damp out the excited structural vibrations afterwards. This approach was found promising. High-power modal/dashpots can suppress very large vibrations, and can add a desirable amount of active damping to modeled modes. Unmodeled modes can also receive some concomitant active damping, as a benefit of spillover. Results also show that not all BB type rapid pointing maneuvers will excite large structural vibrations. When properly selected small forces (e.g., vernier thrusters) are used to complete the specified slew maneuver in the shortest time, even BB-type maneuvers will excite only small vibrations (e.g., 0.3 ft peak deflection for a 130 ft beam).
Lin, Jiguan Gene↗
High temperature superconductors for magnetic suspension applications
High temperature superconductors (HTS) hold the promise for applications in magnetic levitation bearings, vibration damping, and torque coupling. Traditional magnetic suspension systems require active feedback and vibration controls in which power consumption and low frequency vibration are among the major engineering concerns. HTS materials have been demonstrated to be an enabling approach towards such problems due to their flux trapping properties. In our laboratory at TCSUH, we have been conducting a series of experiments to explore various mechanical applications using HTS. We have constructed a 30 lb. model flywheel levitated by a hybrid superconducting magnetic bearing (HSMB). We are also developing a levitated and vibration-dampled platform for high precision instrumentation. These applications would be ideal for space usages where ambient temperature is adequate for HTS to operate properly under greatly reduced cryogenic requirements. We will give a general overview of these potential applications and discuss the operating principles of the HTS devices we have developed.
Mcmichael, C. K.↗
NASA Instep/mdmsc Jitter Suppression Experiment (JITTER)
The objectives are the following: (1) to develop and demonstrate in-space performance of both passive and active damping systems for suppression of micro-amplitude vibration on an actual application structure and operate despite uncertain dynamics and uncertain disturbance characteristics; and (2) to correlate ground and in-space performance - the performance metric is vibration attenuation. The goals are to achieve vibration suppression equivalent to 5 percent passive damping in selected models and 15 percent active damping in selected modes. Various aspects of this experiment are presented in viewgraph form.
White, Edward V.↗
Flutter prediction for a wing with active aileron control
A method for predicting the vibrational stability of an aircraft with an analog active aileron flutter suppression system (FSS) is expained. Active aileron refers to the use of an active control system connected to the aileron to damp vibrations. Wing vibrations are sensed by accelerometers and the information is used to deflect the aileron. Aerodynamic force caused by the aileron deflection oppose wing vibrations and effectively add additional damping to the system.
Penning, K.↗
Vibration Isolation Technology (VIT) ATD Project
A fundamental advantage for performing material processing and fluid physics experiments in an orbital environment is the reduction in gravity driven phenomena. However, experience with manned spacecraft such as the Space Transportation System (STS) has demonstrated a dynamic acceleration environment far from being characterized as a 'microgravity' platform. Vibrations and transient disturbances from crew motions, thruster firings, rotating machinery etc. can have detrimental effects on many proposed microgravity science experiments. These same disturbances are also to be expected on the future space station. The Microgravity Science and Applications Division (MSAD) of the Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications (OLMSA), NASA Headquarters recognized the need for addressing this fundamental issue. As a result an Advanced Technology Development (ATD) project was initiated in the area of Vibration Isolation Technology (VIT) to develop methodologies for meeting future microgravity science needs. The objective of the Vibration Isolation Technology ATD project was to provide technology for the isolation of microgravity science experiments by developing methods to maintain a predictable, well defined, well characterized, and reproducible low-gravity environment, consistent with the needs of the microgravity science community. Included implicitly in this objective was the goal of advising the science community and hardware developers of the fundamental need to address the importance of maintaining, and how to maintain, a microgravity environment. This document will summarize the accomplishments of the VIT ATD which is now completed. There were three specific thrusts involved in the ATD effort. An analytical effort was performed at the Marshall Space Flight Center to define the sensitivity of selected experiments to residual and dynamic accelerations. This effort was redirected about half way through the ATD focusing specifically on the sensitivity of protein crystals to a realistic orbital environment. The other two thrusts of the ATD were performed at the Lewis Research Center. The first was to develop technology in the area of reactionless mechanisms and robotics to support the eventual development of robotics for servicing microgravity science experiments. This activity was completed in 1990. The second was to develop vibration isolation and damping technology providing protection for sensitive science experiments. In conjunction with the this activity, two workshops were held. The results of these were summarized and are included in this report.
Lubomski, Joseph F.↗
Comparative analysis of on-orbit dynamic performance of several large antenna concepts
A comparative analysis of the on-orbit dynamic performance of four large anetanna concepts is presented. Among the antenna concepts evaluated are: the box truss; tetrahedral truss; warp-radial rib; and the hoop and column antenna designs. The characteristics and magnitudes of the antennas' dynamic response were evaluated in terms of structural displacements and member loads incurred during various slew-rate maneuvers. The results of the dynamic response analysis are compared to the design requirements of the Land Mobile Satellite System (LMSS) with respect to surface accuracy, decenter, defocus, and angular rocking. Comments are made on the effectiveness of structural damping and the application of active controls for vibrational response reduction. Schematic illustrations of the antenna design concepts are provided.
Andersen, G. C.↗
Vibration suppression of planar truss structures utilizing uniform damping control
A variety of methods has been devised for vibrational control of a structure using both passive and active controls. Presented in this paper is a relatively new method for vibration suppression, uniform damping control. This method consists of implementing a control law which tends to dampen each vibrational mode of the structure at the same desirable exponential rate. The unique aspects of this method are that the control law is not explicitly dependent on the structural stiffness, the control forces are directly proportional to the distribution of the structural mass, and the control law is natural and decentralized. The control law was applied to a flexible planar truss structure and the various aspects of implementation of the control law examined are: actuator/sensor number, placement, and the impact of the actuator/sensor number and placement on the necessary control 'power' requirements such as peak power loads, total power requirements, etc. Also examined are the effects of using a limited number of active members in terms of the vibrational performance when compared with the 'ideal' distributed control law.
Andersen, G. C.↗