Variable Amplitude Passive Aircraft Vibration and Noise Reduction

Over the last decade, considerable research efforts using Active and Passive techniques have been directed towards understanding and mitigating the propeller aircraft interior noise problem. Active techniques, especially those employing piezoelectric materials have proved to be very effective because of low weight and ease of integration, while passive techniques are pursued because of their simplicity and their adaptability. However, these techniques have only been explored at the fundamental level; but their structural integration with aircraft platforms have not been addressed to date.In this effort, TDA has teamed up with Professor Massimo Ruzzene, Director of the Vibration and Wave Propagation Laboratory at Georgia Tech, to develop a passive Tunable Vibration Absorber (TVA) where mechanically resonating elements and piezoelectric shunts are integrated to the load-carrying structural components to attenuate noise and vibrations over a desired broad range of frequencies, while avoiding performance reductions at high amplitudes. Both piezoelectric shunts and internally resonating mechanisms have shown great potentials for providing materials and structures with unusual mechanical properties and superior dynamic performance. This computational and experimental effort will build upon existing configurations, to develop a noise and vibration attenuation technology that will be effective, durable and applicable to both new and legacy aircraft.