Acoustic-induced vibrations pose a significant risk to launch vehicle hardware and payload reliability during critical phases such as lift-off and transonic phase. Reducing such vibrations is especially challenging when the hardware has already been fabricated, limiting the possibility of structural redesign. This study demonstrates a practical post-fabrication solution using a thin viscoelastic polymer coating applied externally to fully assembled hardware.
Comprehensive evaluations were conducted using both acoustic testing and Experimental Modal Analysis (EMA) before and after coating application. During acoustic test, a substantial decrease in structure response from 150Hz to 2000Hz, with a reduction of approximately 50% in the grms values was observed for the coated structure demonstrating significant vibration mitigation over a wide frequency range. In contrast, EMA measurements using impact excitation revealed that the response transfer functions did not show a significant reduction within the band considered and modal properties remained largely unchanged upto 200 Hz, indicating that the coating did not significantly alter the structural properties. The apparent enigma calls for a detailed study. A brief overview on the results and the plausible reasons are detailed in the paper. Out of the probable causes, the observed vibration reduction can be primarily attributed to the operational damping and mass addition effects of the PC10 coating.
These findings highlight an effective and practical approach for mitigating acoustic-induced vibrations in aerospace structures, with direct application to launch vehicle stages and other aerospace hardware where post-fabrication solutions are critically needed.