Reducing vibration and noise is key to the goal of gaining public acceptance of the rotorcraft as a routine mode of transport. A Boeing team has now successfully made use of advanced materials to develop and test a new helicopter rotor that could go a long way toward unlocking the vehicle’s potential.
The smart material actuated rotor technology (Smart) system, developed jointly by Boeing and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is claimed to reduce vibration by up to 80 percent–delivering an “almost jet-smooth ride”–and cut noise by a full 10 decibels during takeoff and landing. This is achieved by using electrically controlled, on-blade trailing-edge flaps that react to sensor signals and thus improve the rotor system’s vibratory, acoustic and aerodynamic performance.
According to William Warmbrodt, chief of the aeromechanics branch at NASA Ames, “This technology-development program evaluates the potential of dynamically morphing blade structures to achieve revolutionary improvements in rotorcraft performance and mission capability.”
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