Module 5: Principles of Active Vibration Control
  Lecture 22: Introduction to Active Vibration Control: Organization
 


CSI Case Study: The NASA- LaRC experiment

  • In 1990 NASA- LaRC designed an experiment in the space-shuttle to prove the efficacy of Active Vibration Control system in a typical flexible multi-body system consisting of two biaxial pointing tracking mechanisms at each end.

  • The experiment is known as Middeck Active Control Experiment (MACE) as explained below:

Figure 22.2: A schematic view of MACE

 

Highlights of the MACE experiment

  • The test article is initially stored in the middeck and later supported by an umbilical cord.
  • The two loads are rotated by two biaxial gimbal motors. During rotation, the first flexible mode at 2Hz also gets excited.
  • During rotation, the vibration of the flexible arms are controlled by the torque wheels and varying the length of an active member.