Aircraft Actuation System Counteracts Rotor Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft rotor rotation generates vibratory loads that cause discomfort and damage due to the transmission of vibrations through the airframe, and as gearbox dimensions miniaturize, generating suitable anti-vibration moments becomes challenging.
Innovation Solution
An anti-vibration moment generating actuation system is implemented, with actuation elements placed in a fairing between co-axial rotors and on the gearbox, using single-point actuators oriented in orthogonal directions to produce adjustable anti-vibration moments that counter rotor rotation vibrations, controlled by an active vibration control system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If gearbox dimensions are miniaturized, then device size is reduced, but the ability to generate suitable anti-vibration moments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the actuator arrangement from a single location to multiple locations including the fairing structure, effectively utilizing three-dimensional space to maximize the moment arm distance between actuators and the rotor axis, thereby generating sufficient anti-vibration moments despite compact gearbox dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs actuators that generate counteracting forces and moments to neutralize the vibratory loads produced by rotor rotation, with the anti-vibration moment being equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the vibration-generating moment
2Force
If multiple actuators are distributed in three-dimensional space, then anti-vibration moment generation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates actuators into the fairing structure that serves dual purposes: aerodynamic function and vibration counteraction, thereby reducing overall system complexity despite the distributed actuator arrangement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple actuator functions into a coordinated control system that manages transverse and longitudinal actuators together, simplifying the control architecture while achieving comprehensive vibration suppression
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft is provided and includes an airframe, an engine, a drive portion driven by the engine, a rotor apparatus, which includes a rotor rotatable relative to the airframe and a fairing, a gearbox disposed to transmit rotational energy from the drive portion to the rotor to drive the rotor to rotate relative to the airframe and which generates a rotor rotation vibration, support members by which the gearbox is disposed on the airframe and an actuation system including actuation elements disposed at the fairing, the actuation system being configured to generate an anti-vibration moment using the actuation elements disposed at the fairing to counter the rotor rotation vibration.