The application of piezoelectric actuators for active vibration control (AVC) of rotating machinery is examined. Theory is derived and the resulting predictions are shown to agree closely with results of tests performed on the air turbine driven-overhung rotor. The test results show significant reduction in unbalance, transient, and subsynchronous responses. Results from a 30 hour endurance test support the AVC system reliability. Various aspects of the electromechanical stability of the control system are also discussed and illustrated. Finally, application of the AVC system to an actual jet engine is discussed.

The vibrations of a flexible rotor are controlled using piezoelectric actuators. The controller includes active analog components and a hybrid interface with a digital computer. The computer utilizes a grid search algorithm to select feedback gains that minimize a vibration norm at a specific operating speed. These gains are then downloaded as active stiffnesses and dampings with a linear fit throughout the operating speed range to obtain a very effective vibration control.

A high speed damper test rig has been assembled at Texas A&M University to develop rotordynamic dampers for rocket engine turbopumps that operate at cryogenic temperatures, such as those used in the space shuttle main engines (SSMEs). Damping is difficult to obtain in this class of turbomachinery due to the low temperature and viscosity of the operating fluid. An impact damper has been designed and tested as a means to obtain effective damping in a rotorbearing system. The performance and behavior of the impact damper is verified experimentally in a cryogenic test rig at Texas A&M. Analytical investigations indicate a strong amplitude dependence on the performance of the impact damper. An optimum operating amplitude exists and is determined both analytically and experimentally. In addition, the damper performance is characterized by an equivalent viscous damping coefficient. The test results prove the impact damper to be a viable means to suppress vibration in a cryogenic rotorbearing system.

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