Leonardo's 'Project Comfort' to Reduce Noise and Vibration in helicopters

Leonardo and an Italian polytechnic, Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi) will collaborate on developing technologies for reducing noise and vibration besides reducing pilot workload.

The goal of the programme is to demonstrate a significant vibration and internal noise reduction, through the coordinated use of passive and active systems.

The 'Project Comfort' program will be concentrated on three areas: the rotor, from which the vibrations originate; the main gear box attachments, through which rotor vibrations are transmitted into the helicopter structure thereby reducing the level of comfort, and finally pressure on the airframe itself.

The project will also focus on the mechanical components utilising new lighter materials, bringing advantages in terms of production costs and installation.

 A further research project on predictive helicopter maintenance based on its health status will be launched by 2018.

The reference platform for the study is the AW139 helicopter.