Aerospace electronics weight reduction through the use of active mass damping

This paper describes the application of active damping systems to the reduction of weight of aerospace electronics. Aerospace electronics are subject to extremely harsh vibratory environments throughout their service lives. Present methods of protecting and reinforcing circuit boards from vibration and their associated stresses and strains in such applications add significant weight to these electronic systems. The vibration protection they provide is crucial, however, as the nature of aerospace vehicles requires an extremely robust, durable design to prevent premature failure of any of the components of the electronics system. By directly mounting an active mass damping system onto each circuit board, it is possible to reduce significantly the weight and volume of the complete electronic circuit board system, while maintaining equal or superior vibration protection. This paper presents results of electronic circuit board active vibration reduction of damping sinusoidal excitations near resonance, free vibration damping, as well as future strategies for the active vibration control system.