Airframe vibration and damping characteristics of flight and laboratory test structures
Vibration damping levels over a wide frequency band for complex built-up structures are extremely difficult to predict. In this work, rotorcraft airframe structures were targeted for vibration based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technology development and implementation. Damping
is a critical parameter for understanding the vibration characteristics of a structure and realistic damping levels must be established for the application of relevant vibration based damage detection simulations and laboratory testbed based assessments to be made. The goal of this investigation
was to quantify the vibra¬tion and damping characteristics of an actual flight system structure, compare and contrast the results to laboratory development test structures, and identify any important trends and discrepancies. Experimental modal analysis and decay techniques were applied
to a UH-60 Blackhawk airframe in a “flight” conflguration. Structural mobility, resonance frequencies, modal damping, and high frequency one third octave band decay based damping levels were mea¬sured and quantified. Similar measurements were also made on laboratory test structures
used for technology development and verification testing. The mea¬sured (flight configuration) airframe damping loss factors varied from approx¬imately 0.01 to 0.10 over the frequency range 2 to 10,000 Hz. The flight vehicle damping characteristics were compared and contrasted with
laboratory test structures, quantifying the damping effects due to built-up structure complexity. Methods for enhancing the laboratory test structures were also investigated showing positive results.
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: The Pennsylvania State University
Publication date: 10 January 2012
NCEJ is a peer reviewed Technical journal published every two months. The papers published in NCEJ cover general topics related to noise control engineering, ranging from fundamental research to applied case studies and histories.
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