Satellite Ultraquiet Isolation Technology Experiment

Vibration-induced failures occur frequently in critical avionics modules and sensors in high performance aircraft, often resulting in loss of mission, a downed aircraft, and costly repairs. We propose to augment passive isolation mounts for these devices by adding active piezoelectric elements. This synergistic combination could lead to a dramatic reduction in avionics and sensor failures caused by shock and vibration. Purely passive isolation schemes are constrained by tradeoffs among break frequency, static stiffness, and sway space. Added active elements will enhance performance by relaxing these constraints. Phase I will begin with identification of system-level requirements and device-level requirements. Realistic disturbance data will be supplied by an aircraft manufacturing firm that has been enlisted as a subcontractor. A prototype passive/active mount, consisting of a piezoelectric actuator inseries with a passive soft mount, will be designed, built, tested, and evaluated. In Phase II, power and control electronics will be redesigned to function using availble aircraft resources. A set of mounts suitable for isolating an electronics rack will be developed and demonstrated to be effective under conditions duplicating the flight environment.