Aircraft multi-axis modal suppression system

• Main Authors: JOHN, HO K, KIOUMARS, NAJMABADI, CHUONG, TRAN B
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 06.01.2010
• Subjects: AEROPLANES; AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; CONTROLLING; COSMONAUTICS; HELICOPTERS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; REGULATING; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES; TRANSPORTING

Vibrations due to excitation of the natural modes of an aircraft's body are suppressed by an active multi-axis modal suppression system. Dedicated sensors are positioned in the aircraft at optimal locations for sensing modal induced vibrations. The sensor produced signals are processed through control logic which, in response thereto, and in response to aircraft inertial, velocity and altitude related signals produces output control signals. The control signals effect control surface deployment creating forces to suppress the natural mode induced vibrations on multiple geometric axis's. More particularly, symmetric and anti-symmetric control surface deployments are used on one or more geoaietric axis's to damp lateral, longitudinal, vertical and most importantly torsional vibrational modes.