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TSi to develop MRFE damper system for helicopters

Techno-Sciences, Inc., in collaboration with the Smart Structures Laboratory of the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center at the University of Maryland, Bell Helicopter, and other industry partners, were awarded a Phase II SBIR contract from the DARPA SBIR program office to develop a semi-active Magnetorheological Fluid-Elastic (MRFE) damper technology for production helicopters. According to Principal Investigator, Dr. Peter Chen, TSi will work closely with Bell to utilize existing, production elastomeric dampers and re-configure (retro-fit) them with low-cost, fully controllable magnetorheological functionality. The MRFE damper will increase rotor hub life, extend the stability envelope for air resonance, and extend damper life. The MRFE damper system will augment damping in-flight only when required as commanded by the controller. To enable retro-fit to existing rotor systems, the electrical power required to operate the actuator will be drawn from the DC power bus supplying the main rotor de-icing system.