Decentralized active feedback control approach for vibration and noise reduction through an aircraft fuselage

Abstract

Active noise control has been commonly implemented with fully coupled, feed‐forward approach, which employs reference sensors on the fuselage/source and error microphones in the radiated field. Implementation limitations include: complexity, delay/causality, and use of microphone error sensors. An alternative approach of feedback control utilizing sensors located on each panel may overcome most of these problems. The sensors on each panel should estimate the sound radiation from the panel and also should de‐couple the control from the neighbor actuator signals by primarily observing the control signals on the panel to which it is attached. With this sensing arrangement, multiple, independent single input single output feedback loops applied to each panel in conjunction with an actuator and sound radiation sensor can be utilized. Causality problems are overcome by utilizing feedback control approach with sensors located on the panel as feedback sensors. This paper will present results from laboratory tests, conducted on an aircraft fuselage, which showed that a multiple SISO feedback control approach can provide global reductions of broadband interior noise. These tests demonstrated that the actuator, sensor, and control hardware technology is mature and can be integrated into a reliable, compact system.