Smart Helicopter Rotors

Exploiting the piezoelectric materials tom minimize vibration in rotor-blade actuators, this book demonstrates the potential of smart helicopter rotors to achieve the smoothness of ride associated with jet-engined, fixed-wing aircraft. Vibration control is effected using the concepts of trailing-edge flaps and active-twist. The authors' optimization-based approach shows the advantage of multiple trailing-edge flaps and algorithms for full-authority control of dual trailing-edge-flap actuators are presented. Hysteresis nonlinearity in piezoelectric stack actuators is highlighted and compensated for by use of another algorithm. The idea of response surfaces provides for optimal placement of trailing-edge flaps.§The concept of active twist involves the employment of piezoelectrically induced shear actuation in rotating beams. Shear is then demonstrated for a thin-walled aerofoil-section rotor blade under feedback-control vibration minimization. Active twist is shown to be significant in reducing vibration caused by dynamic stall. The exposition of ideas, materials and algorithms in this monograph is supported by extensive reporting of results from numerical simulations of smart helicopter rotors.§This monograph will be a valuable source of reference for researchers and engineers with backgrounds in aerospace, mechananical and electrical engineering interested in smart materials and vibration control.