Performance Comparison between Piezoelectric and Elastomeric Lag Dampers on Ground Resonance Stability of Helicopter

Abstract

In this study, a piezoelectric lag damper using damping characteristics in piezoelectric ceramics is proposed to alleviate ground resonance instability. The piezoelectric passive damper consists of piezoelectric elements and electrical circuits such as resistors and inductors in a series. By bonding the piezoelectric ceramics to the rotor flexures, piezoelectric strain energy is converted to electrical energy and dissipated through an electrical network. To verify the effect of the piezoelectric damper on rotating blades, experiments for the aeroelastic stability of the rotor blades were carried out. The experiment results for rotor blades with the piezoelectric damper show that the piezoelectric damper has a strong stabilizing effect on the inherently weakly lag-mode damping of the blades. The performance of piezoelectric and elastomeric lag dampers on ground resonance instability are compared and modal frequency and modal damping with respect to rotating speed are shown.

On the controllers' design to stabilize ground resonance helicopter

“…According to the literature, for this problem aerodynamic effects can be neglected (Coleman and Feingold, 1956; Hammond,. 1974; Janowski and Tongue, 1988; Gandhi and Malovrh, 1999; Kim and Yun, 2001; Kunz, 2002; Zhao et al., 2004; Bielawa, 2006; Bauchau et al., 2010; Sanches et al., 2011, 2012, 2014; Bergeot et al., 2016, 2017); however, this is dependent on the levels of flexibility and rotor speed. Also, the fuselage and the blade structural damping are neglected because the dissipative nature of damping contributes to stabilize the system.…”

“…Considering the first-time derivative of equation (1) and introducing the result into equation (2c), the blade's kinetic energy is accounted for. Then, substituting the energy expressions (equations (2a)–(3c)) in the Lagrange's equations (equations (38a)–(38c)) considering the absence of external forces acting on the system, the equations of motion can be derived as Following Coleman and Feingold (1956), Hammond (1974), Janowski and Tongue (1988), Gandhi and Malovrh (1999); Kim and Yun (2001), Kunz (2002), Zhao et al. (2004), Bielawa (2006), Bauchau et al.…”

“…Following Coleman and Feingold (1956), Hammond (1974), Janowski and Tongue (1988), Gandhi and Malovrh (1999); Kim and Yun (2001), Kunz (2002), Zhao et al. (2004), Bielawa (2006), Bauchau et al.…”

“…(2017) studied the application of nonlinear energy sinks absorbers mounted on the blades for GR suppression. Kim and Yun (2001) proposed the use of a new lag damper based on piezoelectric actuation and a shunt circuit, and compare the results with a classical elastomeric lag damper. According to these studies, passive lag dampers are designed to work under particular conditions and their performance can be substantially reduced when they are applied in different situations.…”