Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

Despite the prevalence of well-established and explored navigation systems, alternative localization methods are currently the focus of intensive research. This interest is driven by geopolitical challenges and increasingly sophisticated applications of mobile robots and uncrewed aerial vehicles. This study investigates the problem of real-time positioning in GPS-denied environments. Based on the mapped magnetic anomaly field and using Bayesian formalism for data fusion, the localization obtained from embedded sensors is corrected to reduce cumulative errors. The proposed method has minimal computational cost and a minimal number of tunable parameters. The paper introduces it and demonstrates its effectiveness in a laboratory study. Experimental tests, using a system equipped with an Inertial Measurement Unit, demonstrated a significant reduction in localization uncertainty. The improvement was especially notable in areas with large, smooth variations in the magnetic field. Finally, the accuracy of the method is analyzed, and its performance is compared to a particle filter.

Sensor fusion, Bayesian inference, Real-time positioning, Magnetic anomaly, Intelligent navigation system

The study investigates the problem of decentralized semi-active control of free vibration. The control scheme is designed for implementation in a modular controller architecture, where a collection of subcontrollers is employed, with each subcontroller being associated with a subsystem that represents a component of the vibrating structure. Each subcontroller uses state feedback from adjacent subsystem sensors to perform vibration suppression and energy harvesting using a switching control law. Furthermore, the assumption is made that neighbouring subcontrollers exchange information collaboratively to estimate the effects of coupling forces, achieving control efficiency comparable to that of a centralized approach. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on a modular suspension platform equipped with semi-active dampers and electromagnetic energy harvesters. The approach is evaluated under various free vibration scenarios, encompassing faulty measurement conditions, and is compared to passive and heuristic state-feedback control strategies. The results confirm that the proposed method attains a superior control performance, independent of the degree of decentralization in the adopted controller architecture, rendering it a viable solution for addressing large-scale semi-active control problems.

Vibration control,Energy harvesting,Adaptive control,Semi-active control,Decentralized controller

The problem of adaptive semi-active control of transient structural vibration induced by unknown harmonic excitation is studied. The controller adaptation is attained by using a specially designed reinforcement learning algorithm that adjusts the parameters of a switching control policy to guarantee efficient dissipation of the structural energy. This algorithm relies on an efficient gradient-based sequence that accelerates the learning protocol and results in suboptimal control. The performance of this method is examined through numerical experiments for a span structure that is equipped with a semi-active device of controlled stiffness and damping parameters. The experiments cover a selection of control learning scenarios and comparisons to optimal open-loop and heuristic state-feedback control strategies. This study has confirmed that the developed method has high stabilizing performance, and the relatively low computational burden of the incorporated iterative learning algorithm facilitates its application to multi–degree-of-freedom structures.

reinforcement learning,semi-active control,optimisation,vibration suppression,bilinear system

Structural vibrations have adverse effects and can lead to catastrophic failures. Among various methods for mitigation of vibrations, the semi-active control approaches have the advantage of not requiring a large external power supply. In this paper, we propose and test a sliding mode control method for the semi-active mitigation of vibrations in frame structures. The control forces are generated in a purely dissipative manner by means of on/off type actuators that take the form of controllable structural nodes. These nodes are essentially lockable hinges, modeled as viscous dampers, which are capable of the on/off control of the transmission of bending moments between the adjacent beams. The control aim is formulated in terms of the displacement of a selected degree of freedom. A numerically effective model of such a node is developed, and the proposed control method is verified in a numerical experiment of a four-story shear structure subjected to repeated random seismic excitations. In terms of the root-mean-square displacement, the control reduced the response by 48.4-78.4% on average, depending on the number and placement of the applied actuators. The peak mean amplitude at the first mode of natural vibrations was reduced by as much as 70.6-96.5%. Such efficiency levels confirm that the proposed control method can effectively mitigate vibrations in frame structures.

semi-active control,sliding mode control,structural control,controllable nodes,on/off nodes,damping of vibrations

In this study, a novel modal control strategy by means of semi-actively lockable joints is proposed. The control strategy allows for a directed flow of energy between vibrational modes, which makes it suitable not only for vibration attenuation purposes but also for energy scavenging driven by electromechanical energy harvesters. The proposed control strategy is an extension of the prestress-accumulation release (PAR) technique; however, it introduces also new concepts that increase the efficiency of the overall control system. Contrary to the PAR, the proposed method requires measurement of both strains in the vicinity of the semi-active joints and translational velocities that provide global information about system behavior. The latter aspect requires the control system to be organized within a hierarchical feedback architecture. The benefit from this higher complexity of the control system is its better performance compared to the PAR. The proposed semi-active modal control not only attenuates structural vibration faster, but it also achieves this goal with a smaller number of switches implemented in the joints. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology has been demonstrated on structures equipped with two lockable joints. Two practical examples have been investigated: one employs the concept of vibration-based energy harvesting for a two-story frame structure, while the second one reduces vibration of an eight-story frame structure subjected to kinematic excitation.

energy harvesting, lockable joint, modal coupling, semi-active control, vibration attenuation

The article presents an investigation of the stabilization of a cantilever pipe discharging fluid using electromagnetic actuators of the transformer type. With the flow velocity reaching a critical value, the straight equilibrium position of the pipe becomes unstable, and self-excited lateral vibrations arise. Supplying voltage to the actuators yields two opposite effects. First, each of the actuators attracts the pipe, thus introduces the effect of negative stiffness which destabilizes the middle equilibrium. Second, lateral vibrations change the gap in magnetic circuits of the actuators, which leads to oscillations of magnetic field in the cores and the electromagnetic phenomena of induction and hysteresis that impede the motion of the pipe. The combination of these two non-linear effects is ambiguous, so the problem is explored both theoretically and experimentally. First, a mathematical model of the system in form of a partial differential equation governing the dynamics of the pipe coupled with two ordinary differential equations of electro-magnetodynamics of the actuators is presented. Then, the equation of the pipe’s dynamics is discretized using the Galerkin procedure, and the resultant set of ordinary equations is solved numerically. It has been shown that the overall effect of actuators action is positive: the critical flow velocity has been increased and the amplitude of post-critical vibrations reduced. These results have been validated experimentally on a test stand.

fluid-structure interaction, pipe, flow, dynamic stability, electromagnetic actuator

A novel method for adaptive semi-active vibration control of structures subjected to a movingload is studied. The velocity of the load is assumed to be time-varying. The controller consistsof an internal model of the moving load, which is being frequently updated to accommodatechanges in the load's velocity. The control method relies on a near-optimal switching con-trol law that is based on the solution to the algebraic Lyapunov equation. The infinite-horizonformulation of the control problem enables us to use efficient numerical algorithms for adap-tive recomputing of the control signal. The asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system andperformance improvement in comparison to the passive method are analysed and formallyproven. The controller is tested by means of numerical experiments involving a flexible beamequipped with a set of semi-active viscous dampers. We investigate three distinct simulationscenarios, which correspond to highly non-uniform motions of the load that consist of accel-eration, deceleration and temporary halt phases. The results of the simulations are comparedto passive and optimal open-loop strategies.

vibration control, adaptive control, semi-active control, moving load, stabilisation

A scalable optimal control method for structural vibration mitigation is studied. The method relies on a structure's partitioning that leads to a set of dynamically interconnected subsystems. Each subsystem is operated with an individual subcontroller that collects the local state information and collaborates with the neighboring subcontrollers to estimate a short time prediction of the interconnecting forces defining the subsystem's boundary conditions. Using the extended model that represents the subsystem's dynamics together with the evolution of its boundary conditions, each subcontroller computes the control decision based on the solution to a finite‐time horizon optimal control problem. In order to cope with the changes in the boundary conditions, the optimal solution is computed repetitively according to the receding horizon scheme. The method is validated numerically for a cantilever structure equipped with actively controlled electromagnetic actuators and subjected to a variety of initial condition scenarios. The performance of the designed controller is tested by comparisons to the centralized and isolated decentralized controllers. The introduced system partitioning and distributed controller allow performing parallel computing which makes the method fully scalable and applicable to large‐scale structures. The computational complexity of the designed distributed control is studied for different settings in the modeling of the subsystem's boundary conditions.

active control, distributed control, modular structure, scalable optimization, stabilization

The problem of decentralized semi‐active stabilization of vibration of a beam structure is studied. The decentralized controller's architecture is attained by means of optimal system modelling. In this approach, based on a specially designed and optimized set of basis functions, the solution to the continuous Euler-Bernoulli beam equation is approximated by a discrete system, where the mass and stiffness matrices ensure that the assumed stabilizing control law can be operated by using solely the local state information. The performance of the method is examined through numerical experiments for a series of free‐vibration scenarios with comparison to competitive decentralized and centralized control strategies. The performance impact of the selection of the parameters of the optimal system model is also studied. The designed method allows practical modular arrangements of the control system and is applicable to large‐scale structures.

bilinear system, decentralized control, polynomial basis, semi-active control, stabilization

This paper describes a semi-active control strategy that allows to transfer the vibration energy from an arbitrarily induced to a selected structural mode. The intended aim of the proposed control strategy is energy harvesting from structural vibrations. Another potential application is related to structural safety. In the paper, a mathematical model is first introduced to describe the phenomenon of vibrational energy transfer, and then, based on this model, an efficient semi-active control strategy is proposed. Finally, some problems related to measurement techniques are discussed. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is demonstrated in an example of energy transfer between vibrational modes of a three-bar planar frame structure.

vibration energy, modal control, lockable joint, modal coupling

A novel semi-active control method for mitigating structural vibration is studied. The method relies on distributed state information patterns and the solution to a suboptimal control problem that aims at replicating the switched structures of the optimal open-loop stabilizing controls. The optimality conditions and the method of solution of the suboptimal problem are discussed. The performance of this method is examined by means of numerical experiments performed for a double cantilever system equipped with a set of semi-active elastomers with controlled viscoelastic properties. The experiments were carried out for different controller architectures and a series of initial conditions. In terms of the assumed objectives, the proposed distributed control strategy significantly outperforms the passive damping strategies and is competitive with a standard centralized control. The proposed approach is general to a class of bilinear control systems concerned with smart structural elements. The practical aspects of the designed distributed controller are highlighted.

distributed control, optimal control, bilinear system, stabilization, semi-active structure

A novel adaptive control for structures subjected to seismic excitation is presented. The aim of the control is to provide a high stabilizing performance involving a limited computational burden while allowing for frequent update of the control decision to cope with the changes in the excitation characteristics. Consequently, the control is based on a computationally efficient solution to the infinite-horizon linear optimal control problem, which employs the autoregressive model for excitation signals and the alpha-shift method for a performance index. Based on numerical simulations involving an actively controlled 20-story building subjected to different earthquake scenarios, we demonstrate that the adaptive control outperforms the standard LQG and H∞ regulators. Our analysis of the controller's computational complexity has confirmed that the presented method can be successfully implemented in large-scale structures that are equipped with active control devices. Our follow up research will validate the performance of the designed control on a real environment platform and we will design an adaptive controller to mitigate vibration in semi-active structures.

adaptive control, structural control, autoregressive model, vibration, optimal stabilization

Torsional vibrations induced in drilling systems are detrimental to the condition of the machine and to the effectiveness of the engineering process. The cause of vibrations is a nonlinear and unknown friction between a drill string and the environment, containing jumps in its characteristics. Nonlinear behaviour of the friction coefficient results in self-excited vibration and causes undesirable stick-slip oscillations. The aim of this paper is to present a novel adaptive technique of controlling vibrating systems. The scheme is based on the linear quadratic regulator and uses direct measurements of the friction torque to synthesize its linear dynamic approximation. This approach allows generating a control law that takes into account the impact of the friction on the system dynamics and optimally steers the system to the desired trajectory. The controller's performance is examined via numerical simulations of the stabilization of the drilling system. The proposed solution outperforms the comparative LQG regulator in terms of the minimization of the assumed cost functional and the overall stability of the control system under the nonlinear disturbance.

vibration control, adaptive control, linear-quadratic-regulator, drilling control

An application of electromagnetic devices of the motional type (i.e. eddy-current dampers) to improve the dynamic stability of a cantilever pipe discharging fluid is proposed. When the flow velocity reaches a critical value, this system loses stability through the flutter. A contactless damping device is used. This actuator is made of a conducting plate attached to the pipe that moves together with it within the perpendicular magnetic field that is generated by the controlled electromagnets. During the motion the eddy currents in the plate and a resultant drag force of a viscous character are generated. First, an optimal control problem that aims to stabilise the system with the optimal rate of decrease of the system’s energy is posed and solved. Then a state-feedback parametrization of the obtained optimal control, which can be used in a closed-loop scheme is proposed. The effectiveness of the designed optimal controller is validated by making a comparison with the corresponding passive solutions on the specially designed and constructed experimental test stand of a pipe conveying air.

fluid–structure interaction, electromagnetic device, eddy-current damper, optimal control, stabilisation, smart structure

This paper proposes a quantitative criterion for optimization of actuator placement for the Prestress–Accumulation Release (PAR) strategy of mitigation of vibrations. The PAR strategy is a recently developed semi-active control approach that relies on controlled redistribution of vibration energy into high-order modes, which are high-frequency and thus effectively dissipated by means of the natural mechanisms of material damping. The energy transfer is achieved by a controlled temporary removal of selected structural constraints. This paper considers a short-time decoupling of rotational degrees of freedom in a frame node so that the bending moments temporarily cease to be transferred between the involved beams. We propose and test a quantitative criterion for placement of such actuators. The criterion is based on local modal strain energy that can be released into high-order modes. The numerical time complexity is linear with respect to the number of actuators and potential placements, which facilitates quick analysis in case of large structures.

semi-active control, damping of vibrations, actuator placement, smart structures, prestress-accumulation release (PAR)

A method of vibration reduction based on activation of an MRE block that couples twin cantilever beams at their free ends is investigated. Four types of magnetorheological elastomers have been manufactured, and their rheological properties in a range of magnetic field intensities are established. Free vibrations of several double-beam structures with controllable damping members made of these MREs are investigated, and a method of semiactive control of such structures is proposed. The effects of compression of the elastomers and alignment of the magnets used to activate them are reported. The mathematical modeling of the system is verified experimentally.

The problem of the optimal semi-active control of a structure subjected to a moving load is studied. The control is realized by a change of damping of the structure's supports. The objective is to provide a smooth passage for vehicles and extend the time needed for the safety service of the carrying structures. In contrast to the previous works of the author, in this paper, the model used takes into account time-varying passage speeds, which allows a broader application, in particular, to robotics. The study of the optimal control problem produces a practical condition that justifies whether, for a given set of parameters, the controlled system can outperform its passively damped equivalent. For the optimization, an efficient method of parametrized switching times is developed and tested via a numerical example. The designed optimal control is examined on a real test stand. The experiments are carried out for three different passage scenarios. In terms of the assumed metrics the proposed method outperforms the passive case by over 40%.

optimal control, structural control, semi-active control, vibration control, moving load

A novel method of decentralized structural vibration control is presented. The control is assumed to be realized by a semi-active device. The objective is to stabilize a vibrating system with the optimal rates of decrease of the energy. The controller relies on an easily implemented decentralized switched state-feedback control law. It uses a set of communication channels to exchange the state information between the neighboring subcontrollers. The performance of the designed method is validated by means of numerical experiments performed for a double cantilever system equipped with a set of elastomers with controlled viscoelastic properties. In terms of the assumed objectives, the proposed control strategy significantly outperforms the passive damping cases and is competitive with a standard centralized control. The presented methodology can be applied to a class of bilinear control systems concerned with smart structural elements.

structural control, decentralized control, smart structures, modular structures, stabilization

This paper deals with the problem of applying electromagnetic devices of the motional type to improve the dynamic stability of a pipe conveying air. When the flow velocity reaches a critical value, the steady equilibrium position becomes unstable, and self-excited lateral vibrations arise. In contrast, electromagnetic devices of the transformer type have been demonstrated to be highly effective in the passive stabilization of such a system, as well as the active stabilization of similar non-conservative systems with a follower force. In the present paper, we apply a pair of motional devices made of a conducting plate which is attached to the pipe and moves together with it within the perpendicular magnetic field generated by the controlled electromagnets. This motion generates eddy currents in the plates and a drag force of a viscous character. In this setting, we first investigate the possibility of designing a stabilizing control within the region of the magnetic field where every passive solution results in an unstable or conservative state. For that purpose, we determine a practical condition justifying the existence of a stabilizing control for a given set of system parameters. Later we pose and solve an optimal control problem aiming at stabilizing the system with the optimal rate of decrease of the system's energy. The solution is examined by means of numerical simulations performed within the three regions of the flow velocity: low subcritical, where the Coriolis acceleration of the conveyed fluid generates the predominate damping force; high subcritical, where the inertia of the fluid begins to dominate the dynamics of the system; and low supercritical,where unstable flutter vibrations start to arise. The effectiveness of the designed optimal controller is validated by comparisons with the corresponding passive solutions.

fluid–structure interaction, electromagnetic device, optimal control, stabilization, smart structure

A Mindlin plate subjected to a pair of inertial loads traveling at a constant high speed in opposite directions along arbitrary trajectory, straight or curved, is presented. The masses represent vehicles passing a bridge or track plates. A numerical solution is obtained using the space-time finite element method, since it allows a clear and simple derivation of the characteristic matrices of the time-stepping procedure. The transition from one spatial finite element to another must be energetically consistent. In the case of the moving inertial load the classical time-integration schemes are methodologically difficult, since we consider the Dirac delta term with a moving argument. The proposed numerical approach provides the correct definition of force equilibrium in the time interval. The given approach closes the problem of the numerical analysis of vibration of a structure subjected to inertial loads moving arbitrarily with acceleration. The results obtained for a massless and an inertial load traveling over a Mindlin plate at various speeds are compared with benchmark results obtained for a Kirchhoff plate. The pair of inertial forces traveling in opposite directions causes displacements and stresses more than twice as large as their corresponding quantities observed for the passage of a single mass.

Mindlin plate, mass moving at varying speed, arbitrary trajectory, inertial load, space–time finite element method

Reducing displacements of a plate vibrating under a pair of masses traveling in opposite directions can be improved by adding a smart subsoil instead of a classical damping layer. We propose a material that acts according to the instantaneous state of the plate, i.e., its displacements and velocity. Such an intelligent damping layer reduces vertical displacements even by 40%–60%, depending on the type of load and the assumed objective function. Existing materials enable the application of the proposed layer in a semi-active mode. The passive mode can be applied with materials exhibiting direction-dependent viscosity.

plate vibration, moving load, intelligent damping layer, semi-active damping

In this paper, a semi-active method to control the vibrations of twin beams connected at their tips by a smart damping element is investigated. The damping element can be made of a magnetorheological elastomer or a smart material of another type, for instance, vacuum packed particles. What is crucial is the ability to modify the storage and loss moduli of the damping block by means of devices attached directly to the vibrating structure. First, a simple dynamical model of the system is proposed. The continuous model is discretized using the Galerkin procedure. Then, a practical state-feedback control law is developed. The control strategy aims at achieving the best instantaneous energy dissipation of the system. Numerical simulations confirm its effectiveness in reducing free vibrations. The proposed control strategy appears to be robust in the sense that its application does not require any knowledge of the initial conditions imposed on the structure, and its performance is better than passive solutions, especially for the system induced in the first mode.

Vibration control, Double-beam structure, Sandwich beam, Magnetorheological elastomer, Semi-active damping, Stabilization

The problem of adaptive optimal semiactive control of a structure subjected to a moving load is studied. The control is realised by a change of damping of the structure's supports. The results presented in the previous works of the authors demonstrate that switched optimal controls can be very efficient at reducing the vibration levels of the structure. On the other hand, these controls exhibit a high sensitivity to changes of the speed of the travelling load. The aim of this paper is to develop an algorithm that enables real-time adaptation of the optimal controls according to both the measured speed of the travelling load and the estimated state of the structure. The control objective is to provide smooth passage for the vehicles and reduce the material stresses on the carrying structures. The designed adaptive algorithm uses reference optimal controls computed for constant speeds and a set of functions describing the sensitivity of the system dynamics to the measured parameters. The convergence of the algorithm, as well as aspects of its implementation, is studied. The performance of the proposed method is validated by means of numerical simulations conducted for different travelling speed scenarios. In the assumed objective functional, the proposed adaptive controller can outperform the reference optimal solutions by over 50%. The practicality of the proposed method should attract the attention of practising engineers.

adaptive control, moving load, online optimal control, sensitivity analysis, structural vibration control

In this paper, a control method to stabilize the vibration of adjacent structures is presented. The control is realized by changes of the stiffness parameters of the structure׳s couplers. A pulse excitation applied to the coupled adjacent beams is imposed as the kinematic excitation. For such a representation, the designed control law provides the best rate of energy dissipation. By means of a stability analysis, the performance in different structural settings is studied. The efficiency of the proposed strategy is examined via numerical simulations. In terms of the assumed energy metric, the controlled structure outperforms its passively damped equivalent by over 50 percent. The functionality of the proposed control strategy should attract the attention of practising engineers who seek solutions to upgrade existing damping systems.

vibration, damping, smart materials, control, semi-active

A novel type of pneumatic device filled with granular material is proposed in the implementation of a switched control strategy to stabilize the vibration of slender structures. The analytically obtained control law for the airtight, elastic, granular coupler is implemented in a test structure with a relay-type control logic. In the experiment, the deformable granular coupler semi-actively damps an initially deflected pair of adjacent, aluminum beams. Two cases of initial excitation are considered, showing an improvement of up to 33 percent in vibration abatement efficiency compared to the passive case. Although this semi-active device is conceptually simple, its ease of operation and low cost should attract the attention of engineers who seek solutions that can be used to build new structures and upgrade existing ones.

A control method to stabilize vibration of a double cantilever system with a set of smart damping blocks is designed and numerically evaluated. The externally controlled magnetorheological sheared elastomer damping block is considered, but other smart materials can be used as well. The robust bang-bang control law for stabilization the bilinear system is elaborated. The key feature of the closed loop controller is the efficiency for different types of initial excitement. By employing the finite element model, the performance of the controller is validated for strong wind blow load and concentrated impact excitement of the particular point of one of the beams. For each of the excitations, the closed loop control outperforms the optimal passive damping case by over 27% for the considered energy metric.

In this paper, an online adaptive continuous-time control algorithm will be studied in the vibration control problem. The examined algorithm is a Reinforcement Learning based scheme able to adapt to the changing system’s dynamics and providing control converging to the optimal control. Firstly, a brief description of the algorithm is provided. Then, the algorithm is studied by the numeric simulation. The controlled model is a simple conjugate oscillator with a sudden change of its rigidity. The effectiveness of the adaptation of the algorithm is compared to the simulation results of controlling the same object by the traditional Linear Quadratic Regulator. Because of the lack of constraints for a system size or its linearity, this algorithm is suitable for optimal stabilization of more complex vibrating structures.

Vibration control, Adaptive control, Optimal control, Policy iterations, Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation

In this paper, we study the problem of optimal balancing of vehicle density in freeway traffic. The optimization is performed in a distributed manner by utilizing the controllability properties of the freeway network represented by the Cell Transmission Model. By using these properties, we identify the subsystems to be controlled by local ramp meters. The optimization problem is then formulated as a noncooperative Nash game that is solved by decomposing it into a set of two-players hierarchical and competitive games. The process of optimization employs the communication channels matching the switching structure of system interconnectivity. By defining the internal model for the boundary flows, local optimal control problems are efficiently solved by utilizing the method of linear quadratic regulator. The developed control strategy is tested via numerical simulations in two scenarios for uniformly congested and transient traffic.

This paper presents a novel distributed control method that adapts the structures subjected to traveling loads. The adaptation is realized by changes of the damping of the structure’s supports. The control objective is to provide smooth passage of vehicles and to extend the safe life-time of the carrying structures. The results presented in the previous works of the author exhibited high performance of supports with an open-loop switching damping policy. In this paper, the goal is to develop a state feedback strategy that is significantly less sensitive to the system parameters and much simpler for practical implementation. Further efforts are put into designing a distributed controller architecture, where only the local and the relevant neighboring states are used to compute the control decisions. The proposed controller is validated experimentally. It exhibits high performance in a wide range of travel speeds. The practicality of the proposed solution should attract the attention of practicing engineers.

The paper deals with the problem of stabilization of vibrations of the load carrying structure via adaptive damping performed with a smart material. The properties of such a material must ensure reduction of vibrations, especially accelerations and displacements of selected stationary or follower points in a higher range than in the case of the material with homogeneous bilateral characteristics. Analytical calculations and numerical simulations proved the efficiency of the approach. Results obtained with the testing system equipped with magnetorheological controlled dampers will allow us to prove experimentally assumed control strategies and rheological properties of the filling material.

control, moving inertial load, vibrations, smart materials

This paper presents a new method for the semi-active control of the span system of linear guideways subjected to a travelling load. Two elastic beams are coupled by a set of controlled dampers. The relative velocity of the spans provides an opportunity for efficient control via semi-active suspension. The magnitude of the moving force is assumed to be constant by neglecting inertial forces. The response of the system is solved in modal space. The full analytical solution is based on the power series method and can be given over an arbitrary time interval. The control strategy is formulated by using bilinear optimal control theory. As a result, bang-bang controls are taken into account. The final solution is obtained as a numerical mean value. Several examples demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method. The controlled system outperforms passive solutions over a wide range. Due to the simplicity of its design, the presented solution should be interesting to engineers.

Semi-active control, Smart suspension system, Vibration control, Linear guideway, Moving load

The paper presents a method for computing the response of a 1D elastic continuum supported by a set of semi-active viscous dampers and induced by a load travelling over it. The magnitude of the moving force has been assumed to be constant by neglect of the inertia forces. Full analytical solution is based on the power series method and is given in an arbitrary time interval. The time-marching scheme allows us to continue a solution in successive layers with initial conditions taken from the end of previous stages. The semi-active open loop control strategy is proposed. Shapes of damping functions are defined as a form of piecewise constant function. The control strategy is suboptimal and it outperforms the passive case. Numerical results are presented for the cases of a string and a Bernoulli–Euler beam.

In this paper we address a group of recent research focused on the semi active control problems in carrying structures systems subjected to a travelling load. The magnitude of the moving force is assumed to be constant by neglecting inertial forces. The response of the system is solved in modal space. The optimal control problem is stated and it is solved by using of Pontryagin Maximum Principle. Switching control method is verified by numerical examples. The controlled system widely outperforms passive solutions. Due to its simplicity in practical design, the presented solution should be interesting to engineers.

Semi-active control, structural control, optimization, moving load

This contribution applies the machine learning technique of reinforcement learning for simultaneous damage detection and control of structures. The proposed system consists of two components. The control component is responsible for semi-active mitigation of vibrations. The control law is determined experimentally in a trial-and-error interaction with a simulated environment. The process is data-driven: the control agent iteratively improves its control law based on the observed results of past control actions. The robustness relies on the accuracy of the structural model used for training. The control efficiency can decrease if the physical structure is damaged and diverges from the model, that is, when effective control may be most required. Thus, the second component of the proposed system monitors the structure to detect damages and inform the control component. The approach is tested in a numerical experiment of a shear-building under random seismic-type excitation. A semi-active tuned mass damper (TMD) is used as an actuator, and a classical TMD serves as a reference.

semi-active control, structural control, structural monitoring, reinforcement learning, machine learning

This contribution presents a semi-active control technique intended for mitigation of structural vibrations. The control law is derived in a repeated trial-and-error interaction between the control agent and a simulated environment. The experience-based training approach is used which is the defining feature of the machine learning techniques of reinforcement learning (RL), implemented here using the framework provided by Deep Q Learning (DQN). The involved artificial neural network not only determines the control action, but additionally identifies structural damages, which is a nontrivial task due to the nonlinearity of the control. This requires a specific multi-head architecture, which allows the network to be damage-aware, and a specific training procedure, where the memory pool preserved for the RL stage of experience replay is populated with not only the observations, control actions, and rewards, but also with the momentary status of structural damage. Such an approach can be used to explicitly promote the damage-awareness of the control agent. The proposed technique is tested and verified in a numerical example of a shear-type building model subjected to a random seismic-type excitation. A tuned mass damper (TMD) with a controllable level of viscous damping is used to implement the semi-active actuation, and the optimally tuned classical TMD provides the reference response.

semi-active control, tuned mass damper (TMD), reinforcement learning, damage identification

This paper considers structural control by reinforcement learning. The aim is to mitigate vibrations of a shear building subjected to an earthquake-like excitation and fitted with a semi-active tuned mass damper (TMD). The control force is coupled with the structural response, making the problem intrinsically nonlinear and challenging to solve using classical methods. Structural control by reinforcement learning has not been extensively explored yet. Here, Deep-Q-Learning is used, which appriximates the Q-function with a neural network and optimizes initially random control sequences through interaction with the controlled system. For safety reasons, training must be performed using an inevitably inexact numerical model instead of the real structure. It is thus crucial to assess the robustness of the control with respect to measurement noise and model errors. It is verified to significantly outperform an optimally tuned conventional TMD, and the key outcome is the high robustness to measurement noise and model error.

structural control, semi-active control, reinforcement learning, tuned mass damper (TMD)

This contribution presents a sliding-mode control approach for the mitigation of vibrations in frame-like structures. The control is implemented in a semi-active manner, that is, without significant external control forces and substantial power consumption, which are typical for active control approaches. Here, the control is achieved through dynamic, lowcost modification of properties at selected structural nodes. The employed actuators have the untypical form of two-state hinges, which can switch between two extreme states: no transfer of bending moments (effectively a hinge) and full transfer of bending moments (a locked hinge or a typical frame node). Consequently, the control forces are dissipative and coupled to the response. Previous research in this area focused on purely energetic considerations, aiming for global damping of vibrations. In contrast, this paper formulates the control objective in terms of local displacements of a selected degree of freedom, which can be interpreted as the task of isolating it from external excitations. This formulation is employed to define the target sliding hyperplane. The state of the actuators is chosen such that the effective control forces push the structural state toward the target hyperplane. The approach is verified in a numerical example of a six-story shear-type structure subjected to random seismic excitation.

Structural control, Semi-active control, Sliding mode control, On/off nodes

This contribution presents an approach to structural control based on reinforcement learning. Reinforcement learning, a rapidly developing branch of machine learning, is based on the paradigm of learning through interaction with the environment. Here, it is applied in the context of semi-active structural control, where the considered actuators take the form of viscous dampers with a controllable level of damping. The control forces are thus coupled with the structural response, and the formulation is intrinsically nonlinear. The related optimum control problems are usually more difficult than in the case of active structural control systems, which generate and apply arbitrary external control forces. Analytical derivation of the optimum semi-active control is thus rarely possible, so that many control algorithms applied in practice are suboptimal and/or heuristic in nature. Here, an effective control strategy is developed by means of the Q-learning approach. The control algorithm is determined in interaction with the controlled system, that is, by applying initially random control sequences in order to observe, process, and optimize their effects. Such an approach seems to be new and relatively unexplored in the field of structural control. Verification is performed in a numerical experiment, where the Q-learning procedures interact with an independently simulated finite element model of a structure equipped with a tuned mass damper (TMD) and a controllable viscous damper. The results attest to a performance significantly better than that of an optimally tuned conventional TMD.

Reinforcement Learning, Semi-active control, Structural control, Damping, Vibration

Motivated by the limited flight time of battery-powered multi-rotor UAVs, in this paper we address the problem of generating energy-optimal trajectories for a planar quadrotor. More specifically, by considering an accurate electrical model for the brushless DC motors and rest-to-rest maneuvers between two predefined boundary states, we explicitly compute the minimum-energy curves by adopting a free and a fixed end-time optimal control formulation. The numerical solution of these optimal control problems hinges upon a simple yet effective indirect projected gradient method. Simulation experiments illustrate the theory in a variety of realistic flight scenarios.

Torsional vibrations of steam turbo-generator rotor-shaft-lines coupled with bending vibrations of exhaust blades still constitute an important operational problem for this type of rotor-machines. Therefore, this work proposes a relatively simple approach for efficient suppression and control of transient and steady-state turbo-generator shaft torsional vibrations excited by short circuits in a generator or power-lines, faulty synchronization, negative sequence currents and by sub-synchronous resonances in the turbo-generator-electric network system. This target has been achieved by means of semi-actively controlled rotary dampers with the magneto-rheological fluid. Regular operation of such devices installed in a given turbo-generator rotor-shaft line enables suppression of dangerous torsional oscillations.

control of torsional vibrations, the turbo-generator, rotary magneto-rheological dampers, Bi-directional active torsional vibration damper

An efficient suboptimal semi-active control for mitigating structural vibration is studied. The control relies on a practical state-feedback switching law and, as demonstrated in the previous research, it guarantees the asymptotic stability. The focus of this work is to provide the qualitative and quantitative analysis on the control’s optimality in the sense of an energy-related performance index. Firstly, a method for optimal selection of the passive strategy that underlies a design of the control’s switching law is proposed. Next, the conditions asserting the performance of the semi-active control are formulated and proven. Finally, the controller’s performance is validated by numerical experiments involving a 2DOF semi-active structure, where the suboptimal control is compared to the optimal open-loop solution and a heuristic strategy.

This contribution proposes a semi-active control approach for a directed energy transfer between structural vibrational modes. The motivation is the intended localization of the vibration energy in a selected mode for the purpose of energy harvesting and mitigation of structural vibrations. The proposed control strategy aims at the instantaneous maximization of the energy transfer to the target mode. It is based on an untypical approach of dynamic structural reconfiguration and implemented using a semi-actively controllable node: a lockable joint. Such a joint, depending on the control signal, can act as a hinge or as a typical frame node. Effectively, it provides thus an on/off ability to control the transfer of bending moments between the adjacent structural elements. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated in a numerical example of a plane frame structure.

Modal control, Semi-active control, Lockable joints, Energy harvesting

The paper deals with the adaptive optimal semi-active control of the slender vibrating structures subjected to the moving loads. The deflection of the structure is governed by Euler-Bernoulli beam equation approximated by the system of bilinear ordinary differential equations. The damping function of the structure support is chosen as the control function. The optimal control problem consists in finding such bang-bang control function to minimize the energy as well as the vibrations of the carrying structure. Although the switched optimal control is a very efficient tool in the reduction of structure vibrations it is very sensitive with respect to changes of the speed of the traveling load. This paper deals with the development of the adaptive descent type algorithm that enables the update of the optimal controls in real time based on the measured speed of the traveling load or structure's state. The proposed algorithm uses reference optimal controls computed for the constant speeds and the set of functions describing the sensitivity of the system dynamics with respect to the measured parameters. Numerical computations are carried out for different speed scenarios of the moving load. The obtained numerical results indicate that the proposed adaptive controller can significantly outperform the reference optimal solutions.

In the paper, a dynamic electromechanical interaction between the selected kind of rotating machines and their driving electric motors is investigated. These are the high-speed beater mills and crushers as well as blowers, pumps and compressors, all driven by the asynchronous motors through elastic couplings with linear and non-linear characteristics. In particular, there is considered an influence of negative electromagnetic damping generated by the motor on a possibility of excitation of resonant torsional vibrations. Moreover, for the asynchronous motor in transient and steady-state operating conditions, there are tested several control strategies which are based on the closed-loop vector and scalar principles. The theoretical calculations have been performed by means of the advanced structural mechanical models. Conclusions drawn from the computational results can be very useful during a design phase of these devices as well as helpful for their users during a regular maintenance.

Rotor-machine, Asynchronous motor, Electromechanical interaction, Torsional vibrations, Control strategies

A novel semi-active control method for mitigation of structural vibration is studied. The method relies on distributed state information patterns and solutions to optimal control problem that aims at replicating the structures of the optimal open-loop switched stabilizing controls. The performance of the designed method is validated by means of numerical experiments performed for a double cantilever system equipped with a set of semi-active elastomers with controlled viscoelastic properties.

In this paper, a novel control algorithm for vibration attenuation is presented. The proposed scheme is developed to control linear systems with a presence of an external disturbance. The goal of the control is to steer the system to prescribed reference trajectory by minimizing associated quadratic performance index. The synthesis of the control law consists of two steps. At the first step, past measures of disturbance are used to develop a local linear approximation of dynamics of the disturbance signal. Weights of the associated auto-regressive model are calculated by the least-square algorithm. At the second step, the calculated model is used to obtain a linear time-invariant approximation of the control system. The receding horizon control law is then calculated by using finite horizon Linear Quadratic Regulator. The algorithm is verified numerically for a torsional vibrating system under nonlinear, time-varying friction. The results of the simulation are compared to a standard Linear Quadratic Gaussian control.

The paper presents a novel collaborative control method that adapts the structures subjected to traveling loads. The adaptation is realized by changes of the damping of the structure's supports. The control objective is to provide smooth passage of vehicles and to extend the safe life-time of the carrying structures. The control method utilizes a distributed architecture where the local controllers communicate along the circular graph. The proposed controller is validated experimentally. It is simple for practical realization and exhibits the performance comparable to that provided by the optimal centralized strategies presented in [1] and [2].

This paper presents the application of the idea of optimal balancing of traffic density distribution. The idea was previously studied in the papers [1], [2], and here it is implemented to the Grenoble South Ring in the context of the Grenoble Traffic Lab. The traffic on the ring is represented by the Cell Transmission Model that was tuned by using real data and Aimsun micro-simulator. A special attention is paid to the calibration of a flow merging model. A large-scale optimization problem is solved by using decomposition methods and it is implemented by introducing combinatorial procedures. The main difficulties in the implementation as well as the limitations of the designed software are highlighted. Finally, the results of different traffic scenarios on the Grenoble South Ring are presented.

The problem of equilibrium points for the Cell Transmission Model is studied. The structure of equilibrium sets is analyzed in terms of model parameters and boundary conditions. The goal is to determine constant input flows, so that the resultant steady state of vehicle density is uniformly distributed along a freeway. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of one-to-one relation between input flow and density are derived. The equilibrium sets are described by formulas that allow to design a desired balanced density. A numerical example for the case of a two-cell system is presented.

Traffic control, Vectors, Vehicles, Equations, Boundary conditions, Steady-state

In this paper, we study the problem of optimal balancing of traffic density distributions. The optimization is carried out over the sets of equilibrium points for the Cell Transmission Traffic Model. The goal is to find the optimal balanced density distribution that maximizes the Total Travel Distance. The optimization is executed in two steps. At the first step, we consider a nonlinear problem to find a uniform density distribution that maximizes the Total Travel Distance. The second step is to solve the constrained quadratic problem to find the near balanced optimal equilibrium point. At both steps, we use decomposition methods. The quadratic optimization problem is solved by using the Dual Problem. The computational algorithms associated to such a problem are given.

Traffic control, Optimization, Vectors, Vehicles, Equations, Boundary conditions

The paper deals with the problem of stabilization of vibrations of the load carrying structure via adaptive damping performed with a smart material. The properties of such a material must ensure reduction of vibrations, especially accelerations and displacements of selected stationary or follower points in a higher range than in the case of the material with homogeneous bilateral characteristics. Analytical calculations and numerical simulations proved the efficiency of the approach. Results obtained with the testing system equipped with magnetorheological controlled dampers will allow us to prove experimentally assumed control strategies and rheological properties of the filling material.

control, moving inertial load, vibrations, smart materials

This contribution reviews a recently proposed semi-active control approach based on the Prestress-Accumulation Release strategy, which aims at damping of structural vibrations by promoting vibration energy transfer from lower- into higher-order modes that have significant material damping. Unlike typical semi-active control, which focuses on local dissipation in actuators, the aim is to trigger natural global damping mechanisms. The actuators are controllable truss-frame nodes: lockable hinges that can change their mode of operation from a frame node (locked hinge) into truss node (free rotation). Sudden removal of such a kinematic constraint releases the accumulated bending energy into high-frequency quickly damped local vibrations. Two formulations are reviewed: decentralized with local-only feedback, and global, which aims at a targeted energy transfer between specific modes. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness using free, forced harmonic and random vibrations.

This contribution reviews a recently proposed control strategy for mitigation of vibrations based on the Prestress-Accumulation Release (PAR) approach [1]. The control is executed by means of semi-actively controllable truss-frame nodes. Such nodes have an on/off ability to transfer bending moments: they are able to temporary switch their operational characteristics between the truss-like and the frame-like behaviors. The focus is not on local energy dissipation in the nodes treated as friction dampers, but rather on stimulating the global transfer of vibration energy to high-order modes. Such modes are high-frequency and thus highly dissipative by means of the standard mechanisms of material damping. The transfer is triggered by temporary switches to the truss-like state performed at the moments of a high local bending strain. A sudden removal of a kinematic constraint releases the locally accumulated strain energy into high-frequency and quickly damped vibrations.
The first formulation investigated global control laws [1]. Recent approaches generalized it to decen-tralized control with a local-only feedback, which was tested in damping of free vibrations [2] as well as forced vibrations [3]. Recently, a global formulation was proposed that aims at a targeted energy transfer between specific vibration modes [4], and attempts were made to go beyond skeletal struc-tures [5]. Numerical and experimental results will be presented to confirm the high effectiveness of the approach in mitigation of free, forced random and forced harmonic vibrations.

Torsional vibrations of steam turbo-generator rotor-shaft-lines coupled with bending vibrations of exhaust blades still constitute an important operational problem for this type of rotor-machines. Therefore, this work proposes a relatively simple approach for efficient suppression and control of transient and steady-state turbo-generator-shaft torsional vibrations excited by short circuits in a generator or power-lines, faulty synchronization, negative sequence currents and by sub-synchronous resonances in the turbo-generator-electric network system. This target has been achieved by means of semi-actively controlled rotary dampers with the magneto-rheological fluid. Regular operation of such devices installed in a given turbo-generator rotor-shaft-line enables suppression of dangerous torsional oscillations.

control of torsional vibrations, turbo-generator, shaft-lines vibrations, rotary magneto-rheological dampers, new rotary dampers

The knowledge about torsional vibrations of drive transmission systems of railway vehicles is of a great importance in the dynamics of such mechanical systems. To ensure a reliability and unconditional security of high speed electric multiple unit (HSEMU) drive by AC motors, the electromagnetic output traction force and torques should drive stably. Otherwise, the shaft train vibration caused by motor torque ripple will affect a fatigue life of this device and the operation on the driven object. In the paper, a dynamic interaction between the torsionally vibrating HST drive sys-tem and the driving asynchronous motor was investigated. The results of wheelset torsional vibration analysis have shown that the first mode with torsional eigenfre-quency of the considered wheelset with electric motor is equal to109 Hz and the sec-ond torsional eigenfrequency is equal to 680 Hz. The basic torsional eigenvibration property is that the first wheel vibration direction is opposite to that of second wheel. The second torsional eigenvibration property is that the vibration directions of two wheels are coincident and the direction of electric motor connection elements is op-posite to the wheels. In the paper there was shown that static torque characteristics of the AC motor are correlated with its electromagnetic negative damping zones. This negative damping can be responsible for instability of the entire drive train. Concern-ing the transient and steady-state dynamic responses determined for the considered HST drive system, one can state that the studied phenomenon of electromechanical interactions should become an object of further investigations.

Railway drive system,The direct-drive, Electromechanical coupling, AC motors

In the present work, we propose a distributed collaborative controller to stabilize the vibration of modular systems. The method relies on the partitioning the structure, in a way that leads to a set of dynamically interconnected subsystems, each operated with an individual subcontroller. The key novelty in the proposed approach lies in the introduction of a collaboration between the neighboring subcontrollers. This collaboration is realized by exchanging some of the state information, allowing the establishment of short-term predictions of the interaction forces, identifying the boundary conditions for the subsystems. For the predictions, we employ autoregressive linear dynamical models which preserve the linear representation of the subsystems' dynamics. This allows, for each of the subsystems, defining and solving the problem of optimal stabilization based on the LQR method. The proposed method is examined for an actively controlled cantilever structure equipped with electromagnetic actuators. The performance of the designed controller is tested by comparing it to the optimal controller established by the solution to the centralized LQR problem. In addition, the distributed controller is compared to the decentralized case, where we assume a set of local independent subcontrollers. The computational complexity of the distributed control method is analyzed for different settings in the modeling of the predictions of the interaction forces.

Pipe Conveying Fluid, Electromagnetic Actuator, Stability, Flutter Experiment

W ostatnim czasie wiele prac naukowych poświęcono problemom półaktywnego sterowania drganiami układów mechanicznych. Większość tych prac jednak dotyczy zagadnienia tłumienia drgań, natomiast znacznie mniej z nich obejmuje strategie sterowania na potrzeby odzyskiwania energii z drgających układów. Celem niniejszej pracy jest opracowanie strategii półaktywnego sterowania drganiami, mającej za zadanie przenosić energię drgań wzbudzanych losowo do jednej wybranej postaci drgań własnych. Sterowanie takie realizowane jest przy pomocy dynamicznie rozłączanych węzłów konstrukcyjnych. Węzły w zależności od sygnału sterowania mogą być blokowane w celu przenoszenia momentu zginającego pomiędzy łączonym członami konstrukcji lub odblokowywane, aby pracować jak połączenie przegubowe. Prowadzone badania podstawowe mają wiele potencjalnych zastosowań. Wraz ze zmianą postaci drgań, istnieje możliwość zmiany amplitudy w miejscach, w których zainstalowany jest tłumik lub urządzenie odzyskujące energię (ang. energy-harvester). Możliwe jest również szybkie przeniesienie energii mechanicznej do postaci drgań, która nie zakłóca funkcjonalności konstrukcji lub nie powoduje jej uszkodzenia bądź zmęczenia. W porównaniu do sterowania aktywnego stosowanie sterowania półaktywnego pozwala obniżyć koszty układu, dodatkowo nie powodując destabilizacji konstrukcji [1]. Sterowanie takie może z powodzeniem znaleźć zastosowanie w konstrukcjach o wielu stopniach swobody [2]. Strategia półaktywnego sterowania z użyciem blokowalnych węzłów pierwotnie została opracowana w celu przeniesienia energii drgań do wyższych postaci własnych w celu skutecznej ich redukcji przez tłumienie materiałowe [3]. W niniejszej pracy zaprezentowany zostanie model matematyczny transferu energii oraz oparte na nim prawo sterowania. Dodatkowo przedstawiony zostanie przykład numeryczny pokazujący, że transfer energii mechanicznej jest możliwy nawet wtedy, gdy mierzone są tylko pierwsze – podstawowe – postacie drgań własnych. Prowadzone badania zostały wsparte przez Narodowe Centrum Nauki w ramach projektu Re-Conf (DEC-2017/25/B/ST8/01800).

sterowanie półaktywne, analiza modalna, blokowane węzły

The vibration attenuation problem has been solved using many different methods, some of which involve the use of advanced control algorithms. The topic of harvesting the energy of structural vibrations is less explored. For that reason, this contribution studies the problem of conversion of mechanical energy of vibrations. The paper presents a method of semi-active control, which is applied to dynamically transfer the vibration energy into a selected vibration mode. The target mode is selected in such a way that the amount of energy that can be recovered during the vibration process is maximized. In other words, switching between two modes is not intended to dissipate the energy of vibrations, but rather to maximize the energy-harvesting potential of the overall system. The concept will be illustrated using an example of a simple frame structure, in which semi-actively controlled lockable joints modify the modal properties of the structure.

semi-active control, lockable joints, energy-harvesting

The aim of this paper is to present a novel adaptive technique of control of the vibrating drilling systems. The algorithm constitutes an adaptive linear quadratic regulator that uses direct measurements of the disturbance to synthesize its linear dynamic approximation. This approach allows generating control law that includes the impact of the friction on the system dynamics and optimally steers the system to the desired trajectory. The effectiveness of the algorithm is validated via comprehensive numerical simulations of the control of the simplified drilling model. The results are compared to these obtained with the use of the Linear Quadratic Gaussian regulator.

vibration control, drillstring, adaptive control, auto-regressive model

The study deals with a problem of applying electromagnetic devices of motional type to improve the dynamic stability of a pipe conveying air. When the flow velocity reaches its critical value the steady equilibrium position becomes unstable, and self-excited lateral vibrations arise. Electromagnetic devices of another – transformer – type demonstrated to have been highly effective in the passive stabilization of such system as well as active stabilization of similar non-conservative system with a follower force. In the present work, we apply a pair of motional devices made of a conducting plate which is attached to the pipe and moves together with it within the perpendicular magnetic field generated by the controlled electromagnets. This motion generates eddy currents in the plates and a drag force of a viscous character. Under this setting, we firstly investigate the possibility of designing a stabilizing control within the magnetic field's region where every passive solution results in an unstable or conservative state. For that purpose, we constitute a practical condition justifying the existence of a stabilizing control for a given set of system parameters. Later we pose and solve an optimal control problem aiming at stabilizing the system with the optimal rates of decrease of the system's energy. The solution is examined by means of numerical simulations performed within the three regions of the flow velocity: low subcritical where the Coriolis acceleration of the conveyed fluid generates the predominate damping force, high subcritical where the inertia of the fluid begins to dominate dynamics of the system, and low supercritical where unstable flutter vibrations start to arise. The effectiveness of the designed optimal controller is validated by comparisons with the corresponding passive solutions.

In this paper, the problem of the optimal control of a structure subjected to a moving load has been studied. In contrast to the previous works of the authors, focused on open-loop strategies, this paper has been devoted to an adaptive closed-loop control, where the switched damping strategy is subject to real-time adaptation according to the measured speed of the moving load. The proposed adaptive controller has been designed based on the use of the reference optimal solutions computed for a given constant velocity and a set of functions describing the sensitivity of the system dynamics to a change in the speed and the initial state. All these data are pre-computed offline and stored in the controller's memory. As a result, the online computational algorithm, based on a simple gradient descent loop, uses a minimal calculation effort. This allows almost immediate updating of the optimal controls, even with the use of a standard PC. The method has been validated by means of numerical experiments carried out for a wide range of the velocity perturbation scenarios. The proposed scheme is general for a class of time-varying bilinear control systems and can be implemented to a wide range of problems concerned with smart structural elements.

The work presents a novel distributed vibration control method of twin cantilever beams system coupled by a set of magnetorheological elastomers. The control is realized by a change of magnetic field influencing elastomers’ mechanical properties. The objective is to stabilize the system with the optimal rates of decrease of the energy. The control is based on an easy for practical implementation distributed state-feedback structure. It employs a set of communication channels to exchange the state information between the neighboring controllers. The performance of the designed method is validated by means of the numerical experiments. In terms of the assumed metrics, the proposed distributed method significantly outperforms the passive case and is competitive to standard centralized control.

The work presents novel concepts of decentralized structural vibration control. The control is assumed to be realized by a semi-active device. The objective is to stabilize a vibrating system with the optimal rates of decrease of the energy. Two types of controllers, heuristic and optimal, are considered. Both controllers employ easy for implementation decentralized state-feedback structures. They utilize a set of communication channels to exchange the state information between the neighboring controllers. The performance of the designed controllers is validated by means of the numerical experiments performed for double cantilever system equipped with a set of elastomers with controlled viscoelastic properties. In terms of the assumed objectives, the proposed distributed method significantly outperforms the passive damping cases and is competitive to standard centralized control.

In the work, a novel control method to stabilize vibrations of high structures is presented. The control is realized by changes of the stiffness parameters of the structural couplers. A seismic pulse excitation applied to the structure is submitted as a kinematic excitation. For such a representation the designed control law provides the best rate of the energy dissipation. Performance in different structural settings is studied by means of the stability analysis. Then, the efficiency of the proposed strategy is examined via numerical simulations. In terms of the assumed energy metric, the controlled structure outperforms its passively damped equivalent by over 50 percent.

Structural control, semi-active control, smart materials, smart buildings, stabilization

In this paper the optimal control system for straight passage of moving load is considered. The magnitude of the moving force is assumed to be constant by neglecting inertial forces. The response of the system is solved in modal space. The idea of semi-active control manner for 1D continuum subjected to travelling load was first based on the numerical investigations. Then, the switching control strategy was formulated. The methods of computing the optimal switching times was developed by means of adjoint state. We present the efficient way of calculating such a switching times. The effect of pre-deflected guideway is also considered. Several examples demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed techniques. The controlled system widely outperforms passive solutions.

optimization, beams, sandwich structures, vibrations, industrial problems