Efficient Implementation and H∞ On-Blade Control Design of the EC-145 Rotor for Vibration Reduction

Abstract

This thesis presents the development and implementation of a comprehensive helicopter active rotor model, and the design of robust control laws operating on a wide region of the cruise flight envelope for reduction of vibration originated by the main rotor. The vibration mitigation methods are tested on a hingeless analytical rotor model of the four-blade Airbus EC-145 helicopter demonstrator, with the main rotor blades mounted with active trailing-edge flaps. The model was implemented in MATLAB and Simulink and has been validated against the more comprehensive model CAMRAD II (Comprehensive Analytical Model of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics) and flight test data. The integrals of blade-element aerodynamic forces were solved analytically and implemented in closed-form for improved accuracy and computational efficiency.