LIVE - LIQUID INERTIA VIBRATION ELIMINATOR

A revolutionary new approach to vibration isolation has been developed at Bell Helicopter Textron (BHT). This approach eliminates the bearings, levers, and most of the non-linearities associated with classical mechanically amplified mass isolators from which devices such as BHT's Nodal Beam, Raman's DAVI, and Boeing Vertol's IRIS have been derived. In addition, this approach allows for a very compact installation and large reduction in weight compared to a Nodal Beam, DAVI, or IRIS. It has no exposed moving arms or tuning weight, and motion stops are inherent to the design for safety. This paper covers the initial research and development of a scaled system, the design and testing of a prototype installation on a BHT Model 206B helicopter, and a comparison with a standard 206B of the degree of isolation and the reduction in vibration levels achieved.