Thrust Control and Vibration Damping Using a Wingtip Electric Proprotor

Vibration damping in rotorcraft structures can reduce failures and instabilities and improve the ride comfort for passengers. This paper introduces the novel idea of damping vibration using electric proprotors on eVTOL aircraft without compromising the rotors ability to provide thrust. The equations of motion of a propeller attached to the tip of a uniform cantilever beam through a brushed DC motor are obtained from the extended Hamilton’s principle and solved analytically in the frequency domain. Feeding back the beam tip angular rate to the motor voltage is shown to stabilize all transverse beam vibration modes using Lyapunov’s direct method. The overall control consists of the inner rate feedback damping loop with an outer rotor speed control loop. The model and theoretical stability predictions are validated with small-scale lab experiments. The experimental results show that the closed loop damping in the first mode is two times higher than open loop. The torque bandwidth of the electric motor exceeds 100 Hz so the damping performance on the first mode (5.6 Hz) is very good. Damping on the second mode, however, is not improved due to the 40 Hz bandwidth of the angular rate sensor. The rotor speed frequency response rolls off at 20 dB/dec, indicating smaller vibration induced rotor speed variations at high frequency. Experimental step response results match the frequency domain damping predictions and show only 0.8% rotor speed variation for a 3% initial tip displacement.

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Work Title Thrust Control and Vibration Damping Using a Wingtip Electric Proprotor
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Changik Cho
  2. Chris Rahn
  3. Edward Smith
  4. Joseph P. Cusumano
Keyword
  1. Aerodynamic damping
  2. Closed loop control
  3. Rotary wing aircraft
  4. Electric motors
  5. Transverse vibrations
  6. Frequency response functions
  7. Sensors
  8. Helicopters
  9. Control moment gyros
  10. Cantilever beam
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum Session: Aeromechanics of Rotorcraft and Vertical Lift Aircraft
Publication Date January 19, 2023
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-1891
Deposited February 12, 2024

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Version 1
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  • Created
  • Added AIAA_Scitech_draft__Changik_Cho_rev0601.pdf
  • Added Creator Changik Cho
  • Added Creator C Rahn
  • Added Creator E Smith
  • Added Creator Joseph P Cusumano
  • Published
  • Updated Description Show Changes
    Description
    • Vibration damping in rotorcraft structures can reduce failures and instabilities and improve the ride comfort for passengers. This paper introduces the novel idea of damping vibration using electric proprotors on eVTOL aircraft without compromising the rotors ability to provide thrust. The equations of motion of a propeller attached to the tip of a uniform cantilever beam through a brushed DC motor are obtained from the extended Hamilton’s principle and solved analytically in the frequency domain. Feeding back the beam tip angular rate to the motor voltage is shown to stabilize all transverse beam vibration modes using Lyapunov’s direct method. The overall control consists of the inner rate feedback damping loop with an outer rotor speed control loop. The model and theoretical stability predictions are validated with small-scale lab experiments. The experimental results show that the closed loop damping in the first mode is two times higher than open loop. The torque bandwidth of the electric motor exceeds 100 Hz so the damping performance on the first mode (5.6 Hz) is very good. Damping on the second mode, however, is not improved due to the 40 Hz bandwidth of the angular rate sensor. The rotor speed frequency response rolls off at 20 dB/dec, indicating smaller vibration induced rotor speed variations at high frequency. Experimental step response results match the frequency domain damping predictions and show only 0.8% rotor speed variation for a 3% initial tip displacement.
  • Deleted Creator Changik Cho
  • Deleted Creator C Rahn
  • Deleted Creator E Smith
  • Added Creator Changik Cho
  • Added Creator Chris Rahn
  • Added Creator Edward Smith
  • Updated Keyword Show Changes
    Keyword
    • Aerodynamic damping, Closed loop control, Rotary wing aircraft, Electric motors, Transverse vibrations, Frequency response functions, Sensors, Helicopters, Control moment gyros, Cantilever beam
  • Renamed Creator Joseph P. Cusumano Show Changes
    • Joseph P Cusumano
    • Joseph P. Cusumano
  • Updated