Higher Harmonic Control and Actuation System for the Navy H-60 Helicopters

Future Army rotorcraft/air-vehicle systems will require advances in survivability, operability and supportability. SatCon Technology Corporation proposes to design, fabricate, and demonstrate an integrated swashplate hydraulic actuation system for control of helicopter vibrations which will allow improvements in all three these areas. This system will improve operability by improving maneuverability, agility, and speed; improve supportability by increasing reliability; and improve survivability by decreasing noise signature. In conventional helicopters, control of the rotor is achieved by the use of a swashplate. For a number of rotor control problems, however, the existing hydraulically actuated swashplate is sub-optimal. Due to the limited frequency response of the swashplate's hydraulic actuators, existing swashplates have insufficient bandwidth to provide active control of higher harmonic helicopter rotor vibrations. However, the actuator bandwidth problem can be alleviated if the existing hydraulic actuators are replaced with a modern state-of-the-art hydraulic System. This approach requires a minimum modification of the existing hardware while achieving a significant reduction in the vibration of the fuselage. Phase I will consist of prove of concept, initial design, and detailed planning for phase II. Phase II will consist of design, fabrication, and testing of the prototype hardware.