Optimization selection approach for distribution of actuators in active vibration control of helicopter

The control of vibration in helicopters which consists of reducing vibration levels below the acceptable limit is one of the key problems. Active control of helicopter vibrations, with actuators in the air frame structure, is appealing in terms of simplicity, airworthiness, and effectiveness. In the field of active control of structural response (ACSR), actuator locations have an important influence on the control effect. Aiming at the optimization selection of distribution of actuators in ACSR for helicopter, an optimal design method is presented based on the theory of least squares estimation and finite element. In the method, the number and location of actuators are treated as design variables, and the forces of actuators are defined as restriction condition. The method is used to analyze the actuator optimization selection of helicopter. The results show that the vibration acceleration responses can be reduced by appropriately distributing the actuators. The optimization selection method can effectively reduce the number of actuators and find their relevant optimization locations, and at the same time the effect of vibration reduction maintains almost the same as before. So the control scale of hardware and the weight of system can be reduced distinctly.