Recent advances in Eurocopter’s passive and active vibration control

Peter Konstanzer∗ Bernhard Enenkl

peter.konstanzer@eurocopter.com bernhard.enenkl@eurocopter.com

EUROCOPTER DEUTSCHLAND GmbH, Munich, Germany

Pierre-Antoine Aubourg Paul Cranga

pierre-antoine.aubourg@eurocopter.com paul.cranga@eurocopter.com

EUROCOPTER SAS, Marignane, France

Abstract

This paper is about recent advances in Eurocopter’s research activities on passive and active vibration
control systems. Emphasis is placed on the reduction of rotor-induced vibrations which is still one of the
key challenges in helicopter dynamics. Both passive and active means for the reduction of vibrations
are discussed.

A short review of the rotor-induced vibration problem is given with a link to typical vibration
characteristics of Eurocopter helicopters. The concepts and means to influence and control vibrations
are outlined.

The main focus of this paper is on recent advances on i) vibration control at the rotor, ii) vibration control
at the transmission and iii) vibration control at the fuselage.

In the section “vibration control at the rotor”, vibrations are attacked at their source – the rotor itself.
Advanced passive and active rotor dynamic layouts are of interest. Here, a 5-bladed bearingless vs. 4-
bladed main rotor system on EC145 as well as an active flap rotor on the hingeless system of BK117
are discussed. For each system, key parameters of the design, data of the test configuration and test
environment and in particular results on vibration reduction are presented. A substantial reduction of the
exciting hub loads is achieved thus providing superior airframe vibration levels.

In the section “vibration control at the transmission”, a new generation of pylon isolation system is
presented. This passive system based on the SARIB principle combines advantages of efficiency,
lightness, reliability and low cost design. This technology consists of a compact suspension and a
flapping mass integrated in each gear box strut. It provides an important attenuation of the vibrations for
all hub loads components and it was successfully tested in-flight.

In the section “vibration control at the fuselage”, active anti-vibration control systems (AVCS) installed in
the fuselage are presented. The systems rely on single-port active devices which are capable to
generate inertia-based control forces which induce a secondary vibration field to compensate the
vibration disturbance. Here, systems based on electromagnetic actuation technology for EC225 as well
as Piezo-ceramic technology demonstrated on EC135 are presented.

∗
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
th
Presented at the American Helicopter Society 64 Annual Forum, Montréal, Canada, April 29 – May 1, 2008. Copyright © 2008 by the
American Helicopter Society International, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Introduction
Rotor-induced vibration is still one of the main
challenges for a passenger friendly helicopter
cabin.
The reason for this is threefold: Firstly, helicopters
are subject to a highly asymmetric, turbulent
aerodynamic environment resulting in high
vibratory loads. Secondly, the requirement to
design for minimum weight leads to flexible
airframe structures with high modal density and
considerable dynamic response. Thirdly, the
passenger is in very close proximity to the
disturbing sources and has a high level of
perception in the frequency range of interest.
Extensive research has been conducted on various
concepts of vibration control, see [1]. Following the
announcement of the “helicopter ride revolution”,
see [2], vibration reduction from 0.4g acceleration
amplitudes to values as low as 0.05g has been
targeted. This stepwise reduction is associated
with technological key milestones such as
- optimal tuning
- dynamic absorbers
- rotor isolation
- active control technology
The “jet smooth ride” levels below 0.05g are today
still not achieved for production type helicopters.
This paper is about recent advances in
Eurocopter’s research activities on vibration
control. Both passive and active means are
discussed. These innovative means enable
Eurocopter to realize the highly desired “jet smooth
ride” levels.
The focus of this paper is on recent advances on
vibration control
- at the rotor
- at the transmission
- at the fuselage
where “recent” refers to technology which has
been flight tested during the last four years.
In the section “vibration control at the rotor”, a 5-
bladed bearingless versus a 4-bladed main rotor
system on EC145 as well as the active flap rotor
on the hingeless system of BK117 are discussed.
In the section “vibration control at the
transmission”, a new generation of a pylon
isolation system is presented. In the section
“vibration control at the fuselage”, active anti-
vibration control systems (AVCS) installed in the
fuselage are presented based on electromagnetic
actuation technology applied to EC225 and Piezo-
ceramic actuation technology demonstrated on
EC135.
For each system, the concept, key parameters of
the design, the dynamic layout, a description of the
test environment as well as flight test results are
presented. In this paper, techniques such as
fuselage dynamics tuning, rotor blade pendulum
absorbers, cabin dynamic vibration absorbers as
well as “standard” anti-resonance isolation system
(e.g. ARIS and SARIB®) are considered as state-
of-the-art and are not addressed.
Rotor-induced vibrations and means of control
Rotor-induced vibration is the oscillatory response
of the airframe to periodically varying aerodynamic
loads acting on the rotor blades, see [3,4].
Whereas in hover flight less oscillating
aerodynamic loads are generated, the asymmetric
aerodynamic environment in forward flight leads to
considerable higher harmonic loads. Due to these
aerodynamic loads, the rotor blades execute a
forced oscillation where higher harmonic blade root
loads are generated. Transmitted to the non-
rotating frame at harmonics which are a multiple of
the blade passage frequency, higher harmonic hub
loads in their part excite the airframe structure. In
Figure 1, a typical amplitude spectrum obtained
from flight measurements shows the
characteristics for a BO105 with a 4-bladed rotor
system.
Figure 1: Vertical cabin vibration spectrum in level
flight of BO105
The typical vibration characteristics at different
flight speed regimes are given in Figure 2. The
flight test results are obtained with a 3/rev blade
pendulum absorber. There are two regimes, low
speed flight and high speed flight, where the
vibration levels are challenging.

Figure 2: Variation of rotor-induced cabin vibrations
with flight speed of BO105
Vibration control at the rotor
In this section, vibrations are attacked at their
source – the rotor itself. Advanced passive and
active rotor dynamic layouts are of interest.
Passive rotor
Concept
The bearingless main rotor is in service on EC135
as a successor of the hingeless concept of BO105,
BK117, and EC145. A research project called ATR
was launched to further improve the bearingless
technology in terms of weight, cost, and handling
qualities, see [5]. Related to vibration excitation
two main targets were addressed. The blade
number was increased to 5 promising a strongly
decreased aerodynamic excitation in conjunction
with a much easier dynamic blade tuning in the
frame of an enlarged rotor speed range.
Additionally, a reduction of the moment
transmissibility was aspired by keeping the
equivalent hinge offset as low as possible.
Compared to the 4-bladed rotor a reduction of
vibratory hub loads in the range of 70% was
envisaged.
Design
The flexbeam is the key element of a bearingless
rotor (see Figure 3). The flat cross section at the
hub area is acting like a flapping hinge. The more
outboard H-shaped beam is very soft in torsion and
represents the pitch bearing and the lead-lag hinge
as well. The pitching of the blade is controlled via
the cuff which encloses the flexbeam. The pitch
link and the shear restraint bearing are located at
the inboard end in conjunction with an elastomeric
lead-lag damper providing adequate structural
damping for stability reasons. The flexbeam is
attached by 5 bolts at the rotor hub. Unlike to the
one piece design of the EC135 the flexbeam and
the rotor blade are separated in this case allowing
a full folding of the 5-bladed rotor. Because only an
EC145 helicopter could be taken as a test bed the
main parameters of the rotor like diameter and tip
speed had to be fitted. Contrarily, the initial design
was based on an increased diameter and reduced
tip speed.
Rotor Hub Lead Lag Damper
Control Cuff
Blade
Attachment
Hub Pitch Flexelement
Attach-
Link
ment Flapping Lead Lag Rotor
Hinge Hinge Blade
Figure 3: Hub design of the ATR
Layout & Validation
In advance of flight testing bench tests confirmed
the function and the strength of the key
components. One test simulated the blade pitching
in the centrifugal field. A pitch angle of 8 ± 29° was
applied under the nominal longitudinal load, which
overestimates the twist by 30%.The first test in the
centrifugal field took place on a whirl tower. Figure
4 gives an image of the rotor on the test rig. The
main reason for the whirl tower test is to check the
aeroelastic properties of the isolated rotor, such as
the natural frequencies and the lead-lag damping
as well as the bending and control loads at
different collective and cyclic angle settings.
Figure 4: Whirl tower test of the ATR
Concerning the vibration behaviour the dynamic with respect to ground resonance was confirmed.
tuning of the blades is of importance. Figure 5 After becoming airborne the air resonance stability
shows a comparison of calculated natural was checked. During 20 test flights the vibration
frequencies and test results. The harmonic behaviour, the handling qualities, the flight loads,
oscillations of the blades generate forces and the required power, and the noise emission was
moments at the centre of the rotor, exciting the air surveyed. The flight test vehicle is shown in
frame via mast and gear box. In order to keep the Figure 6.
vibrations away from the cabin it is most beneficial
to minimize the loads at the rotor hub. There are
various means for reducing the loads in the
rotating frame, like a thorough tuning of the blade
bending natural frequencies or the use of
absorbers. But the most efficient way is to increase
the number of blades, because the amplitudes of
the air loads significantly decrease with increasing
harmonic number.

50

40
Frequency - Hz

30

Figure 6: ATR research rotor on EC145

20

10 Flight test results

Regarding the vibration behaviour the
0
corresponding hub loads are of interest. Figure 7
0 25 50 75
Rotor Speed - % nominal
100
gives a comparison of the in general most
important load component in the rotating frame,
Figure 5: Dynamic Blade tuning of the ATR which is the
(N-1)/rev hub moment. N is the number of blades.
The data confirm the expected reduction in the
Additionally, the dynamic tuning of the blades is range of about 70% for the 5-bladed rotor.
easier and avoids the use of tuning masses. It Absorbers as used in the production helicopter
lowers the capability of the blade to transfer the were not applied in both cases.
loads towards the hub. In case of a 5-bladed rotor
the harmonic excitation with 4, 5, and 6/rev are 1200
responsible for the residual loads at the rotor
(N-1)/rev Mast Bending Moment

centre. 1000
4-Bladed
5-Bladed BMR
800

600
Test environment
After removing the production rotor system the new 400
rotor including mast and controls was installed on
200
an EC145 helicopter using approximately 50
gauges for monitoring of test data. Sensors in the 0
rotating frame measured the blade bending 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
moments, the mast moment and the control loads, Level Flight Speed - KTAS
whereas in the fixed frame mainly the vibrations
were analyzed. During ground tests the track and Figure 7: (N-1)/rev mast bending moments of 4-
balance of the rotor was adjusted and the stability and 5-bladed rotors (w/o blade absorbers)
The vibratory response of the air frame strongly A better assessment of vibrations acting on
depends on the N/rev frequency and on the passengers and crew members offers the so called
applied hub loads as well as on the gross mass Intrusion Index, which takes into account the
and centre of mass location. Frequency and loads frequency as well as the orientation of the applied
are changed with a 5-bladed system. Figure 8 and accelerations. A level of 1 corresponds well with a
Figure 9 show the vertical and lateral 5/rev good crew rating. Especially at high speeds the
accelerations during level flight. The Intrusion Index was found far below 1, see Figure
accelerometers were located on the cabin floor 10. Besides the in general low acceleration level
behind the crew seats and in the aft cabin. The the increased frequency at 32 Hz (5/rev)
vibration levels stay far below the commonly decreases the Index as well.
accepted 0.1g limit for most flight conditions.
Active rotor
0.25

Pilot Concept
Copilot
The concept of the active flap rotor for vibration
z - Acceleration - g (5/rev)

0.20
Aft Cabin
control is to compensate vibratory hub loads by
0.15
secondary hub loads generated by aerodynamic
0.10
on-blade actuation [6-12]. Although the electro-
hydraulic system of the BO105 behaved well
0.05 during the experimental campaign, a promising
actuation concept for future applications was seen
0.00 in Piezo-actuated trailing edge flaps. For the new
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
experimental rotor system a BK117 was selected
Flight Speed - kts IAS
as test bed which has a Boelkow type hub as well.
Figure 8: Vertical 5/rev accelerations on the cabin An important design parameter is the radial
floor during level flight position of the flap. Parametric studies revealed
0.25 that for BVI noise reduction purposes the flap
should be shifted as close as possible to the blade
Co-/ Pilot
tip. Due to the blade tip design with a swept back
y - Acceleration - g (5/rev)

0.20 Aft Cabin

planform, the outboard end of the flap was limited
0.15
to radius station 4.9 m (0.89R). In contrary the
most beneficial location for vibration control is in
0.10
the mid range span at 4 m (0.73R). Flap chord and
0.05
the torsional stiffness of the blade impact the blade
response as well. Lower torsional blade stiffness
0.00 and smaller flap chords support the servo effect of
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 the flap and help to limit the required actuator
Flight Speed - kts IAS
power [6].
Figure 9: Lateral 5/rev acceleration on the cabin
floor during level flight
2.0

Pilot
Copilot
1.5 Aft Cabin

Slot in the
Intrusion Index -

1.0
Trailing Edge

0.5

0.0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Flight Speed - kts IAS
Figure 11: Installation of the flap units from the
Figure 10: Intrusion Index on the cabin floor trailing edge
Design
The flap actuator has to withstand high mechanical
loads and should feature low volume and slim
shape to fit into the blade cross section. A Piezo-
ceramic system was chosen due to its good
controllability and efficiency as well as its
remaining inherent stiffness in case of a power
loss. Basis for the implementation of the flaps was
frequencies and inplane damping as well as the
capabilities of the active flap units. During the first
tests the flaps were deflected with steady
inclination to check the influence on the blade track
and blade control forces. Later on the flaps were
run with frequencies up to the eighth rotor
harmonic.
Hub Electronics Flaps with Piezo Actuators

the EC145 main rotor. The design of the blade was

modified to integrate the active trailing edge flaps.
The flap system consists of three identical units. Blade Tip Sensors Blade Sensors
Hub Sensors
Flap Unit Sensors

Dedicated studies revealed that one pair of Piezo-

electric actuators are able to run a flap of 300 mm Control
Airframe Sensors Transmission Device

radial extension and a chord of 50 mm. The trailing

Panel Energy and Signal Trans-
mission, Azimuth Sensor

edge of the blade was cut out and the foam was
substituted by a flat box which is open at the aft
Terminal Signal Processing
(Laptop) Telemetry,

side. After inserting the units into the blade, (see

Data Recording
Control Controller

Figure 11) all the parts are screwed and sealed to Display
Unit
Outboard
Sensors
Power Converter, Control
Interface, I/O-Signal-Board,

ensure the stiffness and strength requirements of Shaft Encoder Interface

the blade, as well as the protection of the flap Figure 13: System architecture of the test
actuation system against humidity. The helicopter
actuator/flap unit is self-contained and can be run
on bench outside of the blade. The most important
Test environment
design targets were a high structural stiffness, low
friction of the bearings, no mechanical play, and A sketch of the system architecture of the BK117
low mass of the unit. One pair of Piezo-electric test helicopter is shown in Figure 13. Besides the
actuators located at a most forward chordwise rotor with active flaps and the applied sensors, a
position act via tension rods on the flap, see cylindrical compartment is mounted on the rotor
Figure 12. hub. It houses the signal conditioning and
processing as well as the power distribution to the
individual flap units. The electric power is
Preload
transferred by a brushless transducer and the data
Frame
Adjustment link is established by a bi-directional optical system
[7].
Each blade is equipped with sensors monitoring
important parameters like actuator forces and
strokes, flap angles, accelerations at the hub,
blade surface pressure, structure born noise, blade
Piezo bending moments, torsional moments, and blade
Actuator
Flap
control forces. The airframe contains sensors for
Tension Rod
accelerations, control loads, control angles and
noise. The system is completely independent from
the primary flight control and thus it is not a flight
Figure 12: Flap unit assembly safety critical item. In case of malfunction or loss of
electric power of the actuation system, an
uncomfortable vibration level may appear but it will
Layout & Validation not influence the controllability and safety of the
During the development process all main parts helicopter. After securing a safe operation of the
such as actuators, housing, flaps, tension rods, aircraft on ground which includes the balancing of
data pick-ups, wiring, power supply, and controllers the rotor and checking of ground resonance
had to undergo subsidiary test procedures. stability, the system was activated the first time.
Performance tests under realistic loads The helicopter became airborne with some hover
demonstrated a life time adequate for an flights, followed by air resonance tests and checks
experimental system. The goal of the tests on the of the handling qualities.
whirl tower was to evaluate the aeroelastic Although vibration suppression means were not
properties of the blades such as natural
installed, the vibration level was rated acceptable
by the crew. The official first flight of a helicopter
with active trailing edge flaps took place in
September 2005. The airborne demonstrator is
depicted in Figure 14.
The system modelling and identification is based
on comprehensive rotor models (e.g. CAMRAD II)
and Matlab scripts for open loop system transfer
function identification from flight test data. The
general structure of the vibration controller is
shown in Figure 15.

Transformation
Vibration Controller IBC IBC
(Disturbance Rejection)
into Rotating IBC Actuation
System

Hub Loads
4 Flap Bending

Transformation
into Fixed System

Flap Bending
Moments

Shaft Moments
2 Shaft Moments
Figure 14: BK117 S7045 with active flaps rotor
Figure 15: Schematic view of the vibration control
system
Individual blade control is an efficient means for
reducing annoying rotor-induced vibrations. The
selected control concept has the aim to eliminate Flight test results
the 4/rev hub loads as far as possible. The limited At first open loop flight tests were performed. The
number of control variables restricts the design of establishment of a reliable 4/rev transfer matrix is a
disturbance rejection controllers to the roll and crucial task for the design of the disturbance
pitch moment and to the vertical force at the hub. rejection controller. Figure 16 shows results in a
Robust disturbance rejection control of these three representative manner for collective flap actuation
parameters leads to the implementation of dynamic with a control voltage of 40%.
compensators in the feedback loop. The
compensators are derived from the internal model 2.5
principle and are realised as notch filters for
modelling the sinusoidal nature of the disturbances
2
at the blade passage frequency. The core of the
vibration controller is formulated in the non-rotating Reference
Fz - kN

system using multi-blade coordinates for blade 1.5 Level

sensors and actuation control data.
The vibration controller consists of washout filters
for pre-conditioning the sensor signals, of notch
filters acting as servo compensators, and of the
static gain matrix. In [9] a semi-empirical procedure
has been developed for the determination of the
optimal gain matrix based on flight test results. In
[12] a model-based control system design based
on H∞-control has been developed and tested, too.
The required 4/rev hub loads are derived from
shaft bending moments, as well as from flap and
lead-lag bending moments. The control algorithms
have been developed based on system modelling
and identification, controller design and simulation,
and realtime code generation.
1
0.5
0
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360
Flap Actuation ϕIBC - Deg
Figure 16: Vertical hub force vs. IBC phase in level
flight at 100 kts
The transfer matrix was defined assuming a linear
relationship between input and output. The
identified model agrees well with the appropriate
test data which is shown for example in Figure 17.
The controlled 4/rev hub loads during level flight
conditions are plotted in Figure 18.
 4/rev Roll Moment (Fixed System)
0.8
ϕIBC
Identified Reference

Roll Moment My - kNm

Control On
0.6
Measurement

0.4

0.2

0
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
Flight Speed - kts (IAS)

4/rev Pitch Moment (Fixed System)

0.8
Figure 17: Comparison of 4/rev pitch moments at
100 kts (identified vs. measurement) Reference
Pitch Moment Mx - kNm Control On
0.6
A significant reduction of up to 90% could be
demonstrated, when the IBC control system was
0.4
engaged. The corresponding 4/rev gearbox
vibrations are depicted in Figure 19. A remarkable
enhancement is obtained especially in longitudinal 0.2
and lateral direction. In Figure 20 the vertical 4/rev
accelerations in the cabin at the co-pilot position
are shown. The vibrations drop down to values 0
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
below 0.05g. The remaining accelerations may be Flight Speed - kts (IAS)
explained by the still existing not-controlled hub
loads like lateral hub forces and the moment Mz. 4/rev Vertical Force (Fixed System)
Overall the achieved low vibration levels were 3

confirmed by the flight test crew’s excellent rating.

2.5 Reference
The robustness of the IBC controller was Control On
Vertical Force Fz - kN

demonstrated in a wide range of the flight

2
envelope. The results show that the controller
efficiently rejects the vibratory hub loads (Mx, My, 1.5
Fz) and reduces the cabin accelerations below the
0.1g level. The reference values are without 1
pendulum absorbers which are used in serial
aircrafts. The flight tests were aimed on testing the 0.5
complete collective and cyclic disturbance rejection
control for Fz, Mx, and My, simultaneously. They 0
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
will be continued with an advanced controller and Flight Speed - kts (IAS)
further optimized parameters. Figure 18: Controlled hub loads vs. flight speed
 4/rev Gearbox Vibration (x-Direction) Vibration control at the transmission
1

Reference Concept
0.8 Control On
The DAVI principle has been largely used over the
last 30 years through numerous and various
VGOX - g

0.6
designs, see [13,14]. This isolation system is
0.4
generally integrated to the pylon assembly to filter
the dynamic loads transmitted to the airframe.
0.2 Compared to the classic vibration absorber, DAVI
interest lies in the ability to generate important
0
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
inertial forces with low tuning mass thanks to an
Flight Speed - kts (IAS) amplification of the mass movement, see
Figure 21.
4/rev Gearbox Vibration(y-Direction)
(y-Dirction)
1

Reference
Amplification ratio:
0.8 Control On
Main Gear
c Box
λ=
Tuning mass
VGOY - g

0.6 a
a
0.4
Suspension
stiffness c
0.2

0
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
Flight Speed - kts (IAS) Fuselage
4/rev Gearbox Vibration (z-Direction)
1

0.8
Reference
Control On
Figure 21: DAVI principle

Eurocopter has already developed and certified

VGOZ - g

0.6

two concepts of isolation system: ARIS and

0.4
SARIB®.
0.2
ARIS system is based on hydraulic amplification by
using two concentrical cylinders, see [15]. The
0
40 50 60 70 80 90
Flight Speed - kts (IAS)
100 110 120
amplification is provided by the ratio of the two
cylinder section areas. The light twin multi-mission
Figure 19: 4/rev gearbox vibrations vs. level flight aircraft EC135 is equipped with ARIS.
speed
SARIB® system uses a mechanical lever
4/rev Cabin Vibration (z-Direction)
implementation, see Figure 22. The military
0.2 helicopters NH90 and Tiger are equipped with
Reference
SARIB®. The system is composed of four individual
0.15
Control On units equally spaced around the main gear box
(MGB), see Figure 23. Each unit is made of a leaf
VKZCO - g

spring and an arm supporting a flapping mass. The

0.1
leaf is connected by pivot links to the structure
fitting and to the MGB strut. The leaf tip is
0.05
supported by the lower part of MGB. Elastomeric
bearings are mounted at each connection to permit
0
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
small rotations or displacements under high static
Flight Speed - kts (IAS) loads. A membrane permits the motion of the MGB
Figure 20: Vertical 4/rev cabin vibration vs. level (vertical displacement and pitching and rolling
flight speed rotations) and to transmit the torque.
 Pivot Design
The torque tube leads to a very compact design. It
GB strut Support
simplifies the integration on the MGB upper deck
Flapping MGB
mas and permits the compatibility with all MGB
accessories. The elastomeric bearings are
c
removed at the leaf tip and the number of metallic
a parts is very limited which has a significant impact
Fitting
Membrane
on the cost and the weight of the complete system.
Fuselage The simplicity of the design permits to have a
system which is reliable and maintenance free.
SARIB leaf
The system is tuned by adjusting the number of
Figure 22: SARIB principle washers.
Tuning mass:
Cylinder weight and washers
MGB struts
Flapping mass
Stiffener

Torque tube
MGB strut housing

Support arm
Membrane

Bearings block Structure fitting

SARIB
Figure 23: NH90 SARIB
Figure 25: Torque Tube SARIB®
®
SARIB and ARIS are very efficient to reduce
fuselage vibrations because they are able to filter The Torque Tube SARIB® system is sized by using
all hub load components. These systems are in an analytical model and from in-flight identified hub
particular suitable for 3 or 4 bladed rotor. loads. The model permits to perform quickly
sweepings on different parameters and to optimize
These two last years much effort was put to the the system architecture.
simplification and the cost reduction of SARIB®. The amplification ratio is a compromise between
These investigations lead to a new concept in the minimization of the tuning mass, the
which the leaf spring is replaced by a torque tube acceleration of the tuning mass and the anti-
spring, Figures 24 and 25. The system is so called resonance width. It is set at about 8.
Torque Tube SARIB®. A low stiffness of the suspension permits to
minimize the weight of the flapping mass but the
Pivot
MGB displacements must remain acceptable in
MGB strut flight to avoid important misalignments with engine
shafts and potential couplings with the flight control
MGB
Flapping mass kinematics. The ratio between the vertical stiffness
c and the aircraft weight is set at 550 daN/mm/tons.
Fitting a
Laboratory tests
Fuselage
A first test is undertaken on an isolated SARIB®
Torque Tube unit to validate its design. For this test the structure
Membrane
fitting is fixed on a bench and the action of the
Figure 24: Torque Tube SARIB® principle MGB strut is replaced by a hydraulic actuator. The
Torque Tube SARIB® can be subjected
simultaneously to static loads and to a dynamic
excitation, see Figure 26.
 compromise which is easily reached. A deep and
wide antiresonance is created on the complete
airframe around the N/rev, see Figure 28.
The comparison with a shake test reference shows
that the Torque Tube SARIB® system provides an
excellent attenuation of the vibration levels, see
Figure 29.

N/rev

Figure 26: Test rig of an isolated Torque Tube

SARIB® unit

The dynamic behavior of the system is analyzed by

performing frequency sweeping. Loads transmitted Figure 28: Frequency Response of the airframe for
to the structure fitting and to torque tube, and the different hub loads components
accelerations of the flapping mass are measured.
Figure 27 shows that the loads can be entirely
cancelled by the inertia forces of the flapping
mass.

1 N/rev
0.9

0.8
Reduced transmitted load

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Frequency (Hz)

Figure 27: Transmitted load by an isolated Torque Figure 29: Frequency Response of the airframe
tube SARIB unit versus excitation frequency with and without Torque Tube SARIB

A shake test is performed on an aircraft equipped

with the complete isolation system. The main Flight test results
objective is to check the efficiency of the Torque During the first flights the tuning is slightly refined
Tube SARIB® in the real environment and to define through an iterative process which combines flight
a tuning for each component (moments, out and in- test data and simulation. As previously observed
plane forces). Due to the layout of the 4 units the during the shake tests, the system provides a
optimal tuning is not exactly the same for each significant vibration reduction and a high level of
component and the optimal tuning is the result of a comfort, see Figure 30. The wide SARIB®
antiresonance permits to be not too much sensitive
to the slight rotor speed variation and to be Vibration control at the fuselage
independent of the aircraft configuration (weight,
center of gravity).
In this section, active anti-vibration control systems
0.3
Pilot seat (AVCS) installed in the fuselage are presented.
0.1 g Reference
The systems rely on single-port active devices
Aircraft equiped with Torque Tube SARIB which are capable to generate inertia-based
control forces which induce a secondary vibration
Vibration level (g)

0.2

field to compensate the vibration disturbance. The

AVCS consists of, see Figure 31:
0.1

- Accelerometers located at relevant structure

areas to measure the vibration level.
0
60.00 80.00 100.00 120.00 140.00 160.00
- A reference signal correlated with the frequency
Flight speed (Kts)
of the vibration to be minimized.
0.3
Cabin rear
- An embedded computer which determines the
appropriate command for the actuators.
Vibration level (g)

0.2
- An amplifier of the command signal.

- A set of actuators which generate dynamic

0.1
forces.

The potential reduction of vibration thanks to AVCS

0
60.00 80.00 100.00 120.00 140.00 160.00
is very high because the actuators can deliver
Flight speed (Kts) exactly the loads at the right amplitude and phase
in order to counteract the primary vibrations. It is
Figure 30: Vibration level versus flight speed well suitable for rotor speed variation. This system
is easy to maintain because it is directly integrated
The low cost design, the compactness and the to the structure (not mounted on the upper deck or
efficiency of the Torque Tube SARIB® makes this on the rotor) and it can be continually monitored by
isolation system very attractive. the crew.

Electromagnetic AVCS

Concept
The first AVCS developed and certified by
Eurocopter is based on an electromagnetic
actuator. This force generator is made of a
magnetic inertial mass supported by a spring and
controlled by an electromagnetic field generated by
a coil, see Figure 32.
The stiffness of the spring elements and the
magnet mass are chosen in such a way that the
resonance frequency of the system is close to the
frequency range of the vibrations to be controlled,
Figure 31: EC225 AVCS see Figure 33. It permits to provide important
dynamics effort with small currents and so to
minimize the required power.
 Dynamic force paid to the attachment of the force generators to
transmit efficiently the loads into the structure.
Aimant
MagnetPermanent For the EC225 production version the system
M1 CoilBobine includes 3 actuators (one in the cockpit and two
other ones at the cabin rear) and 4
i accelerometers, see Figure 34. The AVCS system
V
is the only anti-vibration system mounted on
EC225. It represents less than 0.8% of the total
mass of the aircraft. The electrical consumption
remains low which makes AVCS very competitive.

Spring
Elément défo

Circuitcircuit
Control de contrôle

Figure 32: AVCS – electromagnetic actuator

10 Gain H0
Module

Amplification
Zone d'amplification
0.1

0.01
Fréquence
Frequency [Hz](Hz)
0.001
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Figure 33: Transfer function of an electro-magnetic

actuator

Application to EC225
EC225 is the latest member of the Super Puma
family and it entered in its civil and military version RH Side LH Side
in 2005. This 11 tons helicopter benefits from the
latest technological innovations. Thanks to
electromagnetic AVCS, EC225 is a helicopter with
a new generation of anti-vibration system. EC225
is also equipped with a five bladed Spheriflex®
rotor, new avionic and autopilot systems. Its power
plant with two Turbomeca Makila 2A engines
provides 14% more power than the previous
versions and the new main gear box permits to fly
30 minutes following an accidental loss of oil [16].
Figure 34: Layout of the electromagnetic AVCS on
EC225
Layout of the forces generators and the
accelerometers
In order to evaluate the number of actuators and Flight test results
their optimal location, a Finite Element model has Flight tests were necessary to tune the internal
been developed and validated with shake test parameters of the control loop (convergence
results. Simulations in closed loop have been parameters, internal gain). Very low vibration levels
performed in order to evaluate accurately the are reached. With the AVCS active accelerations
dynamic forces to be provided to control the are divided by about 2 and are always below 0.1 g
vertical airframe vibrations. Particular attention was independent of flight speed, see Figure 35.
Thanks to the 5 bladed Spheriflex® rotor and the Hub load
AVCS, the EC225 enjoys extra low vibration levels excitation
which do not worsen in turns or at high speed.
Cockpit

AVCS OFF
0.1 g
AVCS ON

Cabin Piezo-active
force Sensor Outputs
Force Generator Inputs Sensors
(Accelerations)
generator

Power Vibration
Power
Supply Controller
Controller

Figure 36: Piezo-AVCS concept

Based on an active leaf-spring design, as shown in

Figure 37, the force generator produces control
forces by the inertia of its attached mass.

Flight speed (kts)

Figure 35: Vibration level with and without AVCS

versus flight speed

Piezo-AVCS on EC135

Figure 37: Piezo-active inertial force generator

Concept
The concept of the Piezo-Active Anti-Vibration Design
Control System (Piezo-AVCS) is shown in Figure Series production Piezo-ceramic elements
36. Rotor induced vibrations in the cabin are embedded into a GFRP structure provide direct
actively reduced by a secondary vibration field electrical control over the control forces. Since no
generated through Piezo-active inertial force moving parts are involved, this smart actuation
generators. Using acceleration sensors, this technology comprises some highly attractive
remote controlled system ensures the reduction of features, e.g.
vibrations at desired locations, i.e. at the pilots’ and
passengers’ seats as well as in the rear - no wear, no friction
compartment for search & rescue tasks. - high life time
The foundation for this Piezo-AVCS is an efficient - silent actuation
force generator which is realized by innovative - direct electrical control
actuation technology, namely Piezo-ceramic - extremely accurate
actuation, see [17]. - very high bandwidth
Prototype hardware is manufactured in a variety of
geometrical dimensions as seen from the prototype
line presented in Figure 38. The underlying
technology based on Piezo-ceramic multilayer
monolithic actuators has been retained unchanged
for all prototypes. The prototype line ranges from
preliminary test articles over endurance test
articles to full-scale hardware. Single-mass as well
as dual-mass inertial force generators have been
manufactured and investigated.
The test rig with an installed dual-mass force
generator is depicted in Figure 40. The force
generator is installed on a test platform which is
subjected to a disturbance induced by a hydraulic
actuator. Base acceleration is fed back via a
controller and a power amplifier driving the Piezo-
active force generator. The control objective of this
closed-loop test system is to minimize the base
acceleration aB despite of the disturbance force Fd
through the application of the control force FG.

preliminary test
articles
endurance test
articles

single
mass

single
mass

full scale hardware

dual mass

Figure 38: Prototype line

Figure 40: Test rig

Layout & Validation Figure 41 shows the transfer function of the

The Piezo-active force generators are disturbance force on the base acceleration for the
characterized and tested in the laboratory with uncontrolled as well as the controlled case. As
respect to their frequency response characteristics seen, a passive transmission zero of the test
and their control force output as well as their system is present at about 29.5Hz corresponding
endurance capability. The schematic of the test rig to the force generator eigenfrequency.
is given in Figure 39.
-20
-25
-30
Force generated
| - dB

-35
-40
- dB

Mass aM1 aM Mass

d

-45
FG 26dB
|a | / |F

Accel. 1 Accel. 2 -50

M2 14dB
Gain

M -55
B

- Uncontrolled
-60
- Controlled
-65
Dual Leaf Force Generator Base-Accel. aB - Simulated
-70
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Test Fd Disturbance
Platform force 180
150
) - deg

Hydraulics 120
90
60
d deg

30
Phase(a– /F

0
B

-30
-60
Base
phase

-90 Transmission
Vibration -120
Zero
Power Feedback -150
-180
Controller 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
Amplifier
frequency -- Hz
Frequency Hz
28 V DC 4/rev
Figure 41: Transfer function (dist. force on base
Figure 39: Test rig schematic accel. aB/Fd)
Within the operating frequency range (25 to 27Hz),
the controlled system provides about 26dB
reduction with respect to the uncontrolled case.
Moreover, this is about 14dB lower than the
minimum at the passive transmission zero. Figure
42 shows the force generator performance at high
voltage levels. Driving the dual-mass force
generator in near-resonance condition leads to
high control force amplitudes. This force level can
be achieved down to 90% of the resonance
frequency, i.e. down to 26.3Hz applying maximum
input voltage. For frequencies between 26.3Hz and
As reference, a non-serial prototype of EC135 is
used. Figure 44 shows the flight test results over
rotor rpm, i.e. lateral vibrations in y-direction in the
pilot/copilot plane, the passenger seat plane as
well as the rear compartment plane.
Co/pilot
0.25
0.2

y-vib - g
0.15
the resonance frequency of 29Hz the maximum
force level is achieved at reduced input voltage
levels. 0.1

1800
0.05
1600

1400
0
1200 99 99.5 100 100.5 101 101.5
1000
Force

800

600
Passenger
0.25
400

200 EC135 Prototype

0
0.2 EC135 w Piezo-AVCS
25 26 27 28 29 30

Frequency - Hz
y-vib - g

0.15
Figure 42: Force amplitude vs. frequency for
various input voltage levels 0.1

0.05
Flight test results
The Piezo-AVCS is flight-tested on an EC135 0
99 99.5 100 100.5 101 101.5
prototype aircraft, see Figure 43. The system is
installed in the cabin for the reduction of lateral
rotor-induced vibrations at 4/rev.
Rear Compartment
0.25

0.2
y-vib - g

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
99 99.5 100 100.5 101 101.5
RPM - % nom

Figure 43: Piezo-AVCS prototype helicopter Figure 44: Vibration levels (flight measurement)
over rotor speed
 As seen, the Piezo-AVCS ensures a considerable
Co/pilot vibration reduction over the entire rpm range down
0.15
to levels lower than 0.05g. In particular, in the
pilot/copilot plane the substantial improvement with
respect to the reference is clearly visible. Whereas
0.1 the vibration level of the reference depends on the
y-vib - g

rotor rpm, the Piezo-AVCS ensures very low

vibration levels independent of the rotor rpm. This
improvement also holds when lateral vibrations are
0.05 plotted over flight speed, as presented in Figure
45. Also here, vibration levels lower than 0.05g are
achieved over the whole flight speed range in
pilot/copilot, passenger and rear compartment
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 plane.

Passenger Conclusions
0.15
EC135 Prototype Recent advances in Eurocopter’s research
EC135 w Piezo-AVCS activities on passive and active vibration control
systems have been presented. A wide portfolio of
0.1 highly attractive vibration control means support
y-vib - g

Eurocopter’s success by innovation. All systems

provide a further considerable reduction of rotor-
induced vibrations down to levels of 0.05g and
0.05 ensure Eurocopter to achieve the long-envisaged
jet-smooth ride comfort.

0 All means are highly efficient, minimum weight and

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 extremely cost competitive. Which one is the best
depends on whether retrofit or upgrade or entirely
new solutions are required. Some of the techniques
Rear Compartment may be combined such as a 5-bladed bearingless
0.15 main rotor with AVCS.

Among all techniques, active rotor control is

definitely pathbreaking and the road to success is
0.1 multi-functionality, i.e. apart from vibration
y-vib - g

reduction, external noise reduction, rotor stability

enhancement, load alleviation as well as power
saving will push this technology.
0.05
In future, the greening of air transport will demand
for wider rotor rpm ranges in order to optimize for
0 both low external noise levels and high fuel
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 efficiency. In order to adapt to these rpm
TAS - kts variations, the spread of active systems will further
Figure 45: Vibration levels (flight measurement) increase and substitute more and more passive
over flight speed systems with fixed frequency tuning.
 References
[1] Strehlow, H., Mehlhose, R., Znika,
P., Roth, D., “Review of MBB’s
Passive and Active Vibration Control
Activities”, The Royal Aeronautical
Society in London, January 1990.
[2] Balke, H., “The Helicopter Ride
Revolution”, The American Helicopter
Society Northeast Region, November
1981.
[3] Reichert, G., “Helicopter Vibration
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[4] Loewy, R. G., “Helicopter Vibrations:
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Journal of the American Helicopter
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28th European Rotorcraft Forum,
Bristol, United Kingdom, September
2002.
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Vibration Control for Active
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2005.
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European Rotorcraft Forum,
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Edge Flaps”,
33rd European Rotorcraft Forum,
2007.
[13] Jones, R., “Control of Helicopter
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National Aerospace Engineering and
Manufacturing Meeting,
Los Angeles, California, 1973.
[14] Desjardins, R. A., Hooper, W. E.,
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Vibration Reduction”,
34th AHS Annual Forum,
Washington D.C., May 1978.
[15] Braun, D., “Development of
Antiresonance Force Isolators for
Helicopter Vibration Reduction”,
6th European Rotorcraft and
Powered Lift Forum, September
1980.
[16] Vignal, B., “Development And
Qualification Of Active Vibration
Control System for the Eurocopter
EC225/EC725”,
61st AHS Annual Forum, Grapevine,
TX, USA, June 2005.
[17] Konstanzer, P., Grünewald, M.,
Jänker, P., Storm, P., “Piezo
Tunable Vibration Absorber System
for Aircraft Interior Noise Reduction”,
Euronoise 2006, Finland, 2006.