The measurement and control of helicopter blade modal response using blade-mounted accelerometers

The measurement of helicopter blade flapping, bending, and lag modal acceleration and displacement response using blade-mounted accelerometers is described. It is shown that knowledge of the blade mode shapes is sufficient to permit separation of the modal contributions to the accelerometer signals using matrix inversion. The application of the Mckillip (1985) filter to the identification of modal rate response is described. Finally, the design of flapping, bending, and lag mode controllers utilizing the conventional mesh plate is presented. The measurement technique is illustrated using flight test results obtained using a Black Hawk helicopter.