Active Segmented Trim Panels for Aircraft Interior Noise Control: Theory and Experiments

An active segmented trim panel for use as a secondary source for noise control in aircraft is designed, analyzed and tested. It consists of a rectangular segment of aircraft trim panel which is suspended by a flexible support. This support converts the stiff composite trim panel into flexibly-mounted pistons which can be driven by light-weight and low-profile force actuators. The active segmented trim panel offers an acoustic source of lower profile and lower mass, and requires only a simple modification of materials already installed on aircraft. This paper presents a summary of recent results of modeling and testing of an active trim panel configuration. Real-time noise control experiments are conducted using the active trim panels as secondary sources indicating that the present active segmented trim is a promising technology.

Gyro Drift Calibration in Low Cost Inertial System

An intelligent gyro drift calibration method for low-cost inertial system is presented in this paper. This method based on fuzzy reasoning and dynamic estimation can calibrate time-varying gyro drift in the motion of vehicle. Experiments have been done on three strapdown inertial all-attitude systems constituted of piezoelectric rate gyros. The result shows that this method is effective by which the residual of piezoelectric gyro drift can be reduced to about one percent of its original drift value.

A Survey of the Present State of Friction Modelling in the Analytical and Numerical Investigation of Brake Noise Generation

Noise and vibration have become key issues in the design of automotive braking systems. Efforts to improve present day braking systems must take noise and vibration behaviour into account. Good knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the generation of brake noise has thus become an important competitive factor in the design of automotive brake systems. The present paper summarizes some facts and hypotheses concerning the generation of brake noise. First the different brake noise phenomena are classified. Then several approaches, including models of various levels of detail which have been suggested to explain the root causes of brake noise generation are discussed in detail. It will be pointed out that friction and wear processes at the interface of brake pad and rotor play an important role in the understanding of brake noise generation. Unfortunately, our present day knowledge on these processes is quite limited. Further research of basic processes is still needed to improve the quality of analytical and numerical models of friction and wear processes, before reliable predictions of brake noise generation become possible. Based on a discussion of simple models frequently used in engineering practice, guidelines for further research in tribological modelling of the interface processes in pad/rotor interaction will be formulated.

Cancelling of Self-Excited Vibrations by Means of Parametric Excitation

The possibility of cancelling self-excited vibrations of a mechanical system using parametric excitation is discussed. A two-mass system is considered, with the top mass excited by a flow-generated self-exciting force. The parameter of the connecting stiffness between the base mass and the foundation is a harmonic function of time and represents a parametric excitation. For such a system general conditions for full vibration cancelling are derived and presented. By means of numerical simulation the system is investigated for several sets of parameters. The theoretical results are found to be in very good agreement with the results obtained by simulation. Parameter variations show the extent of the parameter space where significant vibration cancelling can be achieved and illustrate possible applications.

Brake Squeal Analysis by Finite Elements and Comparisons to Dyno Results

An approximate analysis method for brake squeal is presented. Using MSC/NASTRAN a geometric nonlinear solution is run using a friction stiffness matrix to model the contact between the pad and rotor. The friction coefficient can be pressure dependent. Next, linearized complex modes are found where the interface is set in a slip condition. Since the entire interface is set sliding, it produces the maximum friction work possible during the vibration. It is a conservative measure for stability evaluation. An averaged friction coefficient is measured and used during squeal. Dynamically unstable modes are found during squeal. They are due to friction coupling of neighboring modes. When these modes are decoupled, they are stabilized and squeal is eliminated. Good correlation with experimental results is shown. It will be shown that the complex modes baseline solution is insensitive to the type of variations in pressure and velocity that occur in a test schedule. This is due to the conservative nature of the approximation. Convective mass effects have not been included.

Some Nonlinear Effects of Magnetic Bearings

In order to get a better understanding of the dynamics of active magnetic bearing (AMB) systems under extreme operating conditions a simple, nonlinear model for a radial AMB system is investigated. Instead of the common way of linearizing the magnetic forces at the center position of the rotor with respect to rotor displacement and coil current, the fully nonlinear force to displacement and the force to current characteristics are used. The AMB system is excited by unbalance forces of the rotor. Especially for the case of large rotor eccentricities, causing large rotor displacements, the behaviour of the system is discussed. A path-following analysis of the equations of motion shows that for some combinations of parameters well-known nonlinear phenomena may occur, as, for example, symmetry breaking, period doubling and even regions of global instability can be observed.

Nonlinear Modeling and Control of Hysteresis in Active Material Systems

Active material actuators present a significant challenge to researchers interested in applying them to aerospace structures. Materials such as shape memory alloys, piezo-ceramcs and electrorheological fluids exhibit hysteresis to varying degrees. Not only do they exhibit hysteresis, but in some cases the hysteresis is non-stationary. We present a methodology that allows for design of controllers for the structural system from linear system theory. This is accomplished by compensating, or linearizing, the hysteresis nonlinearity using an adaptive model of hysteresis. Experimental results for adaptive control of shape memory alloy actuators with non-stationary hysteresis are provided.

A Non Parametric Model for Magneto Rheological Dampers

A non-parametric model for magneto-rheological (MR) dampers is presented. After discussing the merits of parametric and non-parametric models for MR dampers, the test data for a MR damper is used to develop a non-parametric model. The results of the model are compared with the test data to illustrate the accuracy of the model. The comparison shows that the non-parametric model is able to accurately predict the damper force characteristics, including the damper non-linearity and electro-magnetic saturation. It is further shown that the parametric model can be numerically solved more efficiently than the parametric models.

Application of the Mode-Acceleration Technique to the Solution of the Moving Oscillator Problem

The problem of calculating the dynamic response of a one-dimensional distributed parameter system excited by an oscillator traversing the system with an arbitrarily varying speed is investigated. An improved series representation for the solution is derived that takes into account the jump in the shear force at the point of the attachment of the oscillator, which makes it possible to efficiently calculate the distributed shear force and, where applicable, bending moment. The improvement is achieved through the introduction of the “quasi-static” solution, an approximation to the desired one, which makes it possible to apply to the moving oscillator problem the “mode-acceleration” technique conventionally used for acceleration of series in problems related to the steady-state vibration of distributed systems. Numerical results illustrating the efficiency of the method are presented.

Energy Shaping Control of Electrostatic Membrane Vibrations

A strong analytical mathematical formulation of electrostatic transducers is the necessary prerequisite for the design of feedback controllers. Based on the theory of Hamiltonian systems the mathematical model of a typical electrostatic transducer configuration with a moving membrane electrode and a rigid backplate electrode is derived. It is a well known fact that an increase in the sensitivity of the transducer often brings about also an increase in the nonlinear distortion and may occur a sticking of the membrane to the backplate electrode. In this paper, we propose a concept that gives a possible solution for these undesirable effects by using a controlled voltage source for the supply voltage of the transducer. The controller is designed by shaping the potential energy of the closed loop system. The change of the capacity of the transducer due to the motion of the membrane is considered as the sensor output.