Airfoil Vibration Dampers program

The Airfoil Vibration Damper program has consisted of an analysis phase and a testing phase. During the analysis phase, a state-of-the-art computer code was developed, which can be used to guide designers in the placement and sizing of friction dampers. The use of this computer code was demonstrated by performing representative analyses on turbine blades from the High Pressure Oxidizer Turbopump (HPOTP) and High Pressure Fuel Turbopump (HPFTP) of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). The testing phase of the program consisted of performing friction damping tests on two different cantilever beams. Data from these tests provided an empirical check on the accuracy of the computer code developed in the analysis phase. Results of the analysis and testing showed that the computer code can accurately predict the performance of friction dampers. In addition, a valuable set of friction damping data was generated, which can be used to aid in the design of friction dampers, as well as provide benchmark test cases for future code developers.