Abstract <p>The elastic support–dry friction damper (ESDFD) offers a promising solution for aero-engine rotor vibration control by providing tunable stiffness and damping. However, its practical application is hindered by incomplete engineering integration, simplified dynamic modeling, and control strategies that do not adequately account for rotor modal evolution under variable operating conditions. To address these issues, this study proposes an integrated ESDFD configuration and a corresponding adaptive control approach for aero-engine rotor systems. First, an improved ESDFD structure is developed. It incorporates damper sealing, axial clearance management, and elastic support stiffness design under realistic installation constraints, while also enhancing the capability to apply and modulate the normal force. Second, a finite element-based dynamic model of the ESDFD–rotor system is established. The model integrates a dry friction contact description with the electromechanical properties of piezoelectric actuators, enabling accurate characterization of the coupled stiffness and damping behavior. Third, a model-free adaptive control strategy is formulated. This strategy considers rotor operating characteristics and damper working principles, allowing adaptive selection of appropriate modal reference quantities to maintain rotor stability near critical speeds. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed configuration and control strategy achieve up to a 40.75% reduction in vibration amplitude and a 29.7% reduction in control response time compared with an unimproved scheme. The proposed methodology provides a practical framework for active vibration control of aero-engine rotors and is also applicable to other high-speed rotating systems.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>