Yaw Damper

System

Prepared By: Nor Aina Musa

TABLE OF CONTENT
• Purpose of Yaw Damper System
• Dutch Roll Phenomenon
• Sensing
• Signal Processing
• Synchronization and Interlock
• B737-200 Yaw Damper System

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Upon completion of this subject, students should be able to:
• Explain the purpose and principle operation of Yaw Damper System.
• Describe the sensor used by Yaw Damper System.
• Describe signal processing, interlock and syncronization.
• Describe why Yaw Damper System used series actuator

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 Introduction

• The yaw damper system keeps the airplane stable

around the airplane yaw (vertical) axis.
• During flight, the yaw damper commands rudder
movement in proportion to and opposite to the airplane yaw moment.
• This keeps unwanted yaw motion to a minimum and makes the flight
smoother.
• The unwanted airplane yaw motion is caused by Dutch roll or Air turbulence.
• The system operates for all phases of flight and is normally engaged on the
ground before takeoff

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Dutch Roll Phenomenon
• A sudden gust or a short uncoordinated rudder deflection produces yawing motion
and initiates the Dutch Roll oscillation
• Dutch Roll is an oscillation in yaw and roll exhibited by modern passenger transport
aircraft which generally have:-
– High wing loading
– High degree of sweepback more than 35°
– Mass distributed span wise towards the wing tips due to engines mounted on
pods under the wings
– Operate at high altitudes.
• When the aircraft is disturbed in yaw the wing on the outside of the yaw will
develop greater lift because of its increased speed.
• This results in a roll in the same direction as the yaw.

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• Assuming that aircraft yawed to port, it will roll in the same direction.

• The fin(vertical stabilizer) and effective keel surface of the aircraft tends to correct
the yaw to the extend that an over-swing occurs and start a yaw and a roll to
starboard.

• Thus every period of yaw, will caused further displacement in roll resulting motion
combination of rolling and yawing oscillations which have same frequency but out
of phase with each other.

• The frequency of oscillation depends on the aircraft type but will generally lie in
the range of 0.2 to 0.3 Hz.

• The vertical stabilizer and the rudder (if kept in a fixed streamline position) develop
opposing forces that tend to offset the yawing motion; but as a result of inertia of
the aircraft’s motion, stabilization is regained in the form of a damped oscillation

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• For some aircraft, the natural damping of the Dutch Roll tendency is depend not
only on the size of the vertical stabilizer and rudder, but also on the aircraft’s
speed; the damping being more responsive at high speed than low speed.

• It is therefore necessary to require displacement of the rudder to further assist the

vertical stabilizer in its stabilizing function and is referred to as yaw damping.

• These aircraft utilize 2-axis automatic control system with control about the third
axis i.e rudder control being provided by a sub-system called a yaw damper.

• The Yaw Damper System is fitted to aircraft is to reduce this oscillation to

acceptable proportions.

• The yaw motion is sense by a yaw rate gyro and this data send to a computer
which developed a signal to move the rudder to oppose the yaw.

• It can be operated independently of the automatic control system

– so that in the event of flying manually, Dutch roll tendencies can still be counteracted
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Basic Construction
• The yaw rate signal is fed to a Dutch Roll filter which passes back those signals of
the frequency associated with Dutch roll
• The output of the filter is gain controlled inversely proportional to airspeed.
• The resultant signal from the computer is fed to the yaw damper actuator (A/P
servo).
• As the yaw damper actuator moves, the position transducer supplies the feedback
signal to cancel the signal from the yaw rate gyro.
• When the oscillation stops, the feedback signal returns the rudder to the original
position.

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• Figure bellow show a Dutch Roll filter.
• The yaw rate signal is fed to a Dutch Roll filter which passes only those signals of
the frequency associated with Dutch roll for the aircraft type.
• The output of the filter is gain controlled inversely proportional to airspeed.

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Sensing
• Figure bellow show an aircraft rate gyro output when it is making a constant
rate of turn.
• The rate gyro output below the flight path is represented by the 400 Hz synchro
signal developed during this flight path. During a constant rate of turn, the
output is of particular phase with a constant amplitude.
• Bellow is the rate gyro signal demodulated and filtered by Dutch Roll filter.

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• While the rate of turn changes (at the left) from straight ahead and is building to a
constant rate of turn, the Dutch Roll filter output builds up, then falls off to nothing
when the rate of turn becomes constant. While the rate of turn (at the right) is
changing from constant right to straight ahead, the Dutch Roll filter builds up with
the opposite polarity, then falls off to nothing when the rate of turn becomes
constant (straight ahead).
• When the constant rate of turn changes to constant straight ahead flight, a
capacitor discharges. During the time the capacitor is discharging, the dc input to
the modulator changes from a null to a negative.

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• Figure bellow shows the flight path and the changing turns that occur during a
Dutch Roll.
• In a Dutch Roll manoeuvre the rate of turn is constantly changing. It begins at the
left with no rate of turn, builds up to a maximum rate of turn right (top of first
loop), changes to a zero rate of turn midway between the first top loop and the
bottom loop, then develops into a maximum rate of turn left at the bottom of the
bottom loop.

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• Since the rate of turn is constantly changing, the output of the rate gyro is
constantly changing. The 400 Hz signal graph begins at the left with no output
because there is no rate of turn, builds to a maximum rate of one phase (right
turn) falls off to a null midway between turns, then builds up to a maximum rate of
the other phase (left turn).
• The dc graph at the bottom is the Dutch Roll output resulting from the rate gyro
input. The dc polarities are greatest when the rate of turn is greatest, and reverse
when the direction of turn (phase of gyro signal) reverses.

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• Figure bellow show a Dutch Roll sensor using an accelerometer.
• The accelerometer sense the acceleration of the aircraft in the yaw axis and then
send this data to the Yaw Damper Computer (YD).
• The YD Computer processes this data and inverse it with the airspeed signal from
the ADC and fed it to the servomotor to move the rudder and at the same time the
rudder displacement is feedback to the YD computer

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• Figure bellow show a Dutch Roll sensor using a Rate gyro and Resolver.
• The Rate Gyro sense the aircraft rate of yaw which will cause it to precess and move
the inner Gimbal. This movement is transferred to the Resolver rotor.
• The movement of the Resolver rotor will induced a voltage proportional to the yaw
rate to it stator which then send this data to the Yaw Damper Computer (YD).
• The YD Computer processes this data and inverse it with the airspeed signal from the
ADC and fed it to the hydraulic actuator to move the rudder and at the same time
the rudder displacement is feedback to the YD computer

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• LVDT is Linear Voltage Differential Transformer.
• LVDT is used in an AFCS is to provide a position feedback signal from the actuator
to the flight computer.
• LVDT primary winding is supplied with a constant AC signal.
• Two secondary windings are connected in series which causes voltages induced
into the secondary windings to oppose each other.
• The core of the LVDT is connected to the control valve actuator in a servo-actuator.
• When the control valve moves it will change the position of the core relative to the
two secondary windings thus provide an output.
• Output from the LVDT contains direction and displacement information.
• The direction of movement is signified by the output phase and the amount of
displacement by the signal amplitude

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• Figure above is a sectional view of an E & I pickoff accelerometer.
• The armature is spring-loaded to a null position by two leaf springs.
• The output windings are connected in phase opposition to each other so that
when the armature is in a null position, the resultant output signal is null.
• Movement to one side or the other causes the amplitude of one phase to exceed
the other and the output is the difference in the two phases.

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Signal Processing
• The signal produced by an error detection device cannot be applied to a servo
motor until further computation or modification of the signals is carried out.
• This modification is referred to as "signal processing".
• Various types of aircraft have different handling characteristics and these
characteristics will change with the prevailing flight conditions.
• Therefore, in a flight control system it is necessary to incorporate a signal
processing system which may have some, or all of the following functions:
– Demodulation, Integrating, Summing, Amplifying, Limiting and Gain control

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• Demodulation is the process of converting AC error signals to DC control signals
with the same phase/phase relationship (modulation is the reverse of this
function).
• lntegrating is used to obtain simulated attitude information or to correct any
sustained errors.
• Amplifying or amplification refers to increasing the electrical error signals to a level
high enough to operate the servo-actuators.
• Summing refers to the combination of two or more error signals eg. a summing
point could combine the following three signals; versine, roll rate and roll
displacement and then provide a single output.
• Limiting refers to ensuring that certain parameter changes are kept within
prescribed limits.
• Gain control refers to adapting system responses to suit the handling qualities or
flight path of an aircraft.

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Synchronization and Interlock
• Synchronization and Interlock control are two methods an autopilot system uses to
ensure engagement is accomplished in a safe manner.
• Synchronization : aligns the attitude reference of the autopilot to that of the
actual aircraft position.
• This is required to prevent any harsh aircraft maneuvering on system engagement
during flight.
• Interlock Control: prevents the engagement of the autopilot until a number of pre-
engage requirements are met to ensure the autopilot system is in a condition
where it may safely take control of the aircraft.
• This is essential as it prevents the autopilot from being engaged if a fault condition
exists in any of the systems that provide information to the autopilot system.

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Synchronizing network

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Series and Parallel Actuators
• Series actuators (used for rudder control) are constructed so that when they
operate they DO NOT move the cockpit controls (rudder pedals).
• However, parallel actuators (used for aileron and elevator control DO move the
cockpit controls (stick or yoke).
• The reason series actuators are used is that when the yaw damper is operating it
will be continuously applying corrections to the rudder channel, if the rudder
pedals were moved in parallel with this movement they would be in a state of
continuous motion.

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• The yaw damper is switched on by placing the yaw damper switch to "ON".
• Hydraulic power must be available and the flight control switch most be "ON".
• Two seconds after the yaw damper is "ON" the YAW DAMPER light should go OFF.
• The engagement is monitored by a power monitor circuit in the A/P accessory unit.
• If ac power is lost for more than two seconds, the YAW DAMPER light illuminates
and the yaw damper switch returns to OFF.
• The yaw rate gyro senses oscillations in the yaw axis.
• The signal is filtered, then gain programmed by the CADC inversely proportional to
the airspeed.
• It is then amplified and applied to the transfer valve.
• The transfer valve ports hydraulic pressure to move the yaw damper actuator.
• The yaw damper actuator output is summed with rudder pedal input to move the
main actuator which controls the rudder, but there is no mechanical feedback to
move the rudder pedals.

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• As the yaw damper actuator moves, the position transducer supplies the feedback
signal to cancel the signal from the yaw rate gyro.
• When the oscillation stops, the feedback signal return the rudder to the original
position.
• A Test switch may be used to simulate an oscillation by applying torque to the gyro.
• The feedback signal is monitored by the test indicator.

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 END

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