A new method of reduced-order feedback control using Genetic Algorithms

Genetic Algorithms (GAs) have been applied as an effective optimization search technique in various fields, including the field of control design. In this paper, a new control method using GAs is proposed to attenuate the responses of a structure under seismic excitation. The proposed controller uses the state-space reconstruction technique based on the embedding theorem to obtain full-state performance from the available reduced order feedback. The parameters of the new controller are optimized using GAs. The proposed GA-based control method is verified on a benchmark problem—active mass driver system, and the results are compared with other control methods. The robustness of the proposed control method is also examined. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fuzzy sliding mode control for a building structure based on genetic algorithms

Based on the genetic algorithms (GAs), a fuzzy sliding mode control (FSMC) method for the building structure is designed in this research. When a fuzzy logic control method is used for a structural system, it is hard to get proper control rules directly, and to guarantee the stability and robustness of the fuzzy control system. Generally, the fuzzy controller combined with sliding mode control is applied, but there is still no criterion to reach an optimal design of the FSMC. In this paper, therefore, we design a fuzzy sliding mode controller for the building structure control system as an optimization problem and apply the optimal searching algorithms and GAs to find the optimal rules and membership functions of the FSMC. The proposed approach has the merit to determine the optimal structure and the inference rules of fuzzy sliding mode controller simultaneously. It is found that the building structure under the proposed control method could sustain in safety and stability when the system is subjected to external disturbances. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Renovated controller designed by genetic algorithms

A novel smart control system based on genetic algorithms (GAs) is proposed in this paper. The system is comprised of three parts: the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor‐based sensing network for structural health monitoring, the GA‐based location optimizer for sensor arrangement, and the GA‐based controller for vibration mitigation under external excitation. To evaluate the performance of the proposed system, an eight‐story steel structure was designed specifically to represent a structure with large degrees of freedom. In total 16 FBG sensors were deployed on the structure to implement the concept of a reliable sensing network, and to allow the structure to be monitored precisely under any loading. The advantage of applying a large amount of information from the sensing system is proven theoretically by the GA‐based location optimizer. This result greatly supports the recent tendency of distributing sensors around the structure. Two intuitive GA‐based controllers are then proposed and demonstrated numerically. It is shown that the structure can be controlled more effectively by the proposed GA‐strain controller than by the GA‐acceleration controller, which represents the traditional control method. A shaking table test was carried out to examine the entire system. Experimental verification has demonstrated the feasibility of using this system in practice. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sub‐optimal control of structures

It is well known that the classical optimal control method requires all the state variables of the controlled system to be measurable and available for control feedback. However, for a high‐order or complex system some state variables are possibly unmeasurable in practice. In addition, the control cost will be higher if more sensors are used, because it is expensive to install sensors. On the other hand, when using the optimal control method with full‐state feedback, some state variables in control feedback have only a small effect on control performance. Neglecting these state variables does not affect the control performance greatly. Good control effectiveness can be obtained by using only the state variables that have a big effect on the control performance. So the questions become how to determine those state variables which have a big effect on the control performance? and how to design the optimal controller using only the determined state variables? The discrete sub‐optimal control method with partial‐state feedback is investigated in this paper. Firstly, the continuous control system and performance index are both transformed into discrete forms. Then the state variables, which have a big effect on the control performance, are determined using the second‐order sensitivity which is the second‐order derivative of the performance index with respect to control gain. The sub‐optimal controller is finally designed using only the determined state variables. Numerical examples are worked out to demonstrate the application of the proposed control algorithm. It is shown that the relative importance of each state variable can be indicated clearly by the second‐order sensitivity. The sub‐optimal control method presented is effective in reducing maximum responses of the structure. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of high‐performance shake tables using the hierarchical control strategy and nonlinear control techniques

Conventional shake tables employ linear controllers such as proportional‐integral‐derivative or loop shaping to regulate the movement. However, it is difficult to tune a linear controller to achieve accurate and robust tracking of different reference signals under payloads. The challenges are mainly due to the nonlinearity in hydraulic actuator dynamics and specimen behavior. Moreover, tracking a high‐frequency reference signal using a linear controller tends to cause actuator saturation and instability. In this paper, a hierarchical control strategy is proposed to develop a high‐performance shake table. A unidirectional shake table is constructed at the University of British Columbia to implement and evaluate the proposed control framework, which consists of a high‐level controller and one or multiple low‐level controller(s). The high‐level controller utilizes the sliding mode control (SMC) technique to provide robustness to compensate for model nonlinearity and uncertainties experienced in experimental tests. The performance of the proposed controller is compared with a state‐of‐the‐art loop‐shaping displacement‐based controller. The experimental results show that the proposed hierarchical shake table control system with SMC can provide superior displacement, velocity and acceleration tracking performance and improved robustness against modeling uncertainty and nonlinearities. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Discrete‐time variable structure control method for seismic‐excited building structures with time delay in control

The discrete‐time variable structure control method for seismically excited linear structures with time delay in control is investigated in this paper. The control system with time delay is first discretized and transformed into standard discrete form which contains no time delay in terms of the time delay being integer and non‐integer times of sampling period, respectively. Then the discrete switching surface is determined using ideal quasi‐sliding mode and discrete controller is designed using the discrete approach‐law reaching condition. The deduced controller and switching surface contain not only the current step of state feedback but also linear combination of some former steps of controls. Numerical simulations are illustrated to verify the feasibility and robustness of the proposed control method. Since time‐delay effect is incorporated in the mathematical model for the structural control system throughout the derivation of the proposed algorithm, system performance and dynamic stability are guaranteed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于TS模型的结构振动模糊控制方法

将TS模糊控制模型用于结构振动控制中,提出了一种新型的模糊控制器。利用传统LQR控制算法确定TS模糊控制器的参数,提出一种新的形成模糊控制规则的方法,克服了TS模糊控制器参数较多,规则难以确定的缺点;并结合一座三层钢框架模型,进行仿真分析,验证了提出的方法的有效性。     

Semiactive fuzzy control of the seismic response of building frames with MR dampers

A fuzzy‐logic control algorithm, based on the fuzzification of the MR damper characteristics, is presented for the semiactive control of building frames under seismic excitation. The MR damper characteristics are represented by force–velocity and force–displacement curves obtained from the sinusoidal actuation test. The method does not require any analytical model of MR damper characteristics, such as the Bouc‐Wen model, to be incorporated into the control algorithm. The control algorithm has a feedback structure and is implemented by using the fuzzy‐logic and Simulink toolboxes of MATLAB. The performance of the algorithm is studied by using it to control the responses of two example buildings taken from the literature—a three‐storey building frame, in which controlled responses are obtained by clipped‐optimal control and a ten‐storey building frame. The results indicate that the proposed scheme provides nearly the same percentage reduction of responses as that obtained by the clipped‐optimal control with much less control force and much less command voltage. Position of the damper is found to significantly affect the controlled responses of the structure. It is observed that any increase in the damper capacity beyond a saturation level does not improve the performance of the controller. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

具有地震抑制功能的结构主动控制算法与仿真分析

提出了一种具有地震抑制功能的结构抗震主动控制算法。其特点是设计一组状态反馈控制律，使得闭环结构系统在具有希望极点的同时，还能够减小结构地震输人的影响。首先，在特征结构配置参数化方法的基础上，将该控制问题转化为一个含有约束条件的优化问题；其次，给出了求解该问题的算法及实施步骤，该方法直接基于结构系统原始矩阵，不涉及系统的增广或变换，便于工程应用；最后，对地震作用下三层剪切型Benchmark结构模型进行了仿真分析，结果表明本文所提具有地震干扰抑制功能算法的有效性。     

结构振动的模糊建模与模糊控制规则提取

模糊振动控制中存在的模糊控制规则的建立大都依赖于主观经验的现状。对此本文提出了一种通过对结构振动模糊建模来产生控制规则的方法。首先，通过对系统运动状态变量的模糊化，建立结构振动的模糊关系模型；其次通过对结构振动的模糊关系模型的分析，提取出模糊控制规则；最后，通过一个单自由度体系的数值仿真方法进行了验证。     

多结构混合控制体系研究

本文提出了多结构混合控制体系的概念及其相应的混合控制装置－常阻尼变刚度控制装置,阐明了其控制原理,建立了两结构混合控制体系的状态方程,其于瞬时最优控制的概念,提出了多结构混合控制体系的控制律,某两结构混合控制体系的仿真分析表明,多结构混合控制体系的概念是正确的,相应的混合控制装置是有效的。     

Experimental study of identification and control of structures using neural network. Part 2: control

Experimental verifications of a recently developed active structural control method using neural networks are presented in this paper. The experiments were performed on the earthquake simulator at the University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign. The test specimen was a 1/4 scale model of a three-storey building. The control system consisted of a tendon/pulley system controlled by a single hydraulic actuator at the base. The control mechanism was implemented through four active pre-tensioned tendons connected to the hydraulic actuator at the first floor. The structure modelling and system identification has been presented in a companion paper. (Earthquake Engng. Struct. Dyn. 28 , 995–1018 (1999)). This paper presents the controller design and implementation. Three controllers were developed and designed: two neurocontrollers, one with a single sensor feedback and the other with three sensor feedback, and one optimal controller with acceleration feedback. The experimental design of the neurocontrollers is accomplished in three steps: system identification, multiple emulator neural networks training and finally the neurocontrollers training with the aid of multiple emulator neural networks. The effectiveness of both neurocontrollers are demonstrated from experimental results. The robustness and the relative stability are presented and discussed. The experimental results of the optimal controller performance is presented and assessed. Comparison between the optimal controller and neurocontrollers is presented and discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bioestimation: A new method for the control of water self-purification process and its comparison with bioindication

A new line in the studies of water bodies is proposed: the assessment and correction of the process of biotic purification of water (biological treatment and self-purification). The proposed approach is based on a principally new hydrobiological method of monitoring and control of water quality formation process—bioestimation. The principal novelty of bioestimation is due to the fact that it controls not the quality of the aquatic medium, but the object that has not been controlled before—water purification process and organic matter transformations in the process of vital activity of saprotrophic bacteria. Three critical groups of factors were found to govern the activity of these bacteria: the dynamic characteristics of the aquatic environment; the load on destructors in terms of organic matter; and the impact of substances, which are atypical of natural water and most often are discharged in it with industrial wastes. A group of indicator microorganisms—bioestimators—is chosen for each group of factors. The population size of such estimators can be used to identify and next eliminate the disturbing factor. The bioestimators are not species but ecological groups of microorganisms, commonly inhabiting any waters, either salt or fresh. Bioestimation also helps to identify disturbances in water purification process even in the cases where analyses of aquatic environment quality do not signal alarm. The proposed method is described and its major distinctions from the well-known hydrobiological method (bioindication in its original, saprobiological meaning) are demonstrated.     

Probabilistic approach for active control based on structural energy

This paper presents an active control algorithm using the probability density function of structural energy. It is assumed that structural energy under excitation has a Rayleigh probability distribution. This assumption is based on the fact that the Rayleigh distribution satisfies the condition that the structural energy is always positive and the occurrence probability of minimum energy is zero. The magnitude of the control force is determined by the probability that the structural energy exceeds the specified target critical energy, and the sign of the control force is determined by the Lyapunov controller design method. The proposed control algorithm shows much reduction of peak responses under seismic excitation compared with the LQR controller, and it can consider the control force limit in the controller design. Also, the chattering problem which sometimes occurs in the Lyapunov controller can be avoided. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Neural-network control of building structures by a force-matching training scheme

A method to generate an efficient control law for a neural-network controller is presented to reduce the dynamic response of buildings exposed to earthquake-induced ground excitations. The proposed training scheme for the neural-network controller does not rely on the emulation of the structure to be controlled. The approach used for this work is based on a force-matching procedure, and it directly utilizes the dynamic data characterizing the structure response to generate an efficient training signal. The proposed controller has a feedback structure, utilizing a limited set of response quantities. A shear building actuated at its top by a tuned-mass damper is utilized to demonstrate the effectiveness of the controller. For training purposes, an ensemble of synthetically generated ground-motion time histories, with appropriate site spectrum characteristics, have been used. The performance of the trained controller is then evaluated for two different historic ground-acceleration records that do not belong to the training set of time histories. The numerical simulations show the control effectiveness of the proposed scheme with modest control requirements. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Blind modal identification of output‐only structures in time‐domain based on complexity pursuit

Output‐only modal identification is needed when only structural responses are available. As a powerful unsupervised learning algorithm, blind source separation (BSS) technique is able to recover the hidden sources and the unknown mixing process using only the observed mixtures. This paper proposes a new time‐domain output‐only modal identification method based on a novel BSS learning algorithm, complexity pursuit (CP). The proposed concept—independent ‘physical systems’ living on the modal coordinates—connects the targeted constituent sources (and their mixing process) targeted by the CP learning rule and the modal responses (and the mode matrix), which can then be directly extracted by the CP algorithm from the measured free or ambient system responses. Numerical simulation results show that the CP method realizes accurate and robust modal identification even in the closely spaced mode and the highly damped mode cases subject to non‐stationary ambient excitation and provides excellent approximation to the non‐diagonalizable highly damped (complex) modes. Experimental and real‐world seismic‐excited structure examples are also presented to demonstrate its capability of blindly extracting modal information from system responses. The proposed CP is shown to yield clear physical interpretation in modal identification; it is computational efficient, user‐friendly, and automatic, requiring little expertise interactions for implementations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A robust delay-compensation technique based on memory

This paper addresses the effects of time delay on actively isolated structures subjected to support excitation. A force proportional to the absolute velocity of the base of the isolated structure applied at the base of the structure (co-located active damping) is the control scheme considered. The actuating mechanisms have some non-zero time response. Consequently, if no compensation is provided, the performance of the system is worse than that of the ideal delay-free controller. The dynamics of the controller-actuator system is modelled by a delay operator on the feedback signal. Time delays producing instability of the controlled structure are investigated, and the effect of time delay on the mean square acceleration of the structure subjected to stationary random excitation is assessed. A delay-compensation technique that requires memory of past control actions is proposed and compared with a commonly used compensation technique. By using simple numerical examples, it is shown that the proposed delay-compensation strategy improves the performance of the system significantly. The technique is extended to other models of the actuator dynamics and modified to provide robustness to small parameter uncertainties.     

地震下结构振动的最优控制算法模型比较与改进

模拟地震激励输入结构的过程,将控制目标函数化解到每个时间步长上。用激励所产生的脉冲响应重新构造控制目标函数,直接从泛函变分出发,推导出了一种改进的最优控制算法,并用状态转移的数值方法加以实现。从概念上讲,本算法是一种更为合理的结构最优控制算法。算例表明,在相同控制能量下,本算法能更有效地削减响应峰值,且稳定性良好。     

飞机航电设备的半主动磁流变控制

本文提出一种新的航电设备减振控制策略,采用半主动磁流变阻尼器与小阻尼柔性橡胶支座来取代目前采用高阻尼刚性橡胶支座的方法,以降低对航电设备的耐振要求,增强飞机飞行的安全性。本文建立了航电设备减振控制的两自由度刚体平-扭耦联模型,荷载激励考虑了基底平动与转动加速度。磁流变阻尼器的半主动控制算法选用限幅最优控制算法,主控制器为H2/LQG控制器,并采用一种加速度反馈的控制策略。针对目前的被动控制方案,本文研究了支座阻尼对减振控制效果的影响。为了得到最优的半主动控制效果,本文对控制器的权矩阵进行了参数优化分析。文中针对一系列工况详细比较了本文所提出的半主动控制策略与目前被动控制策略的减振控制效果。仿真分析结果表明,磁流变阻尼器可以非常有效地减小航电设备的动力反应,新的减振控制策略远优于现有的被动控制方案。     

OPTIMAL POLYNOMIAL CONTROL FOR SEISMICALLY EXCITED NON-LINEAR AND HYSTERETIC STRUCTURES

In this paper, we present an optimal polynomial controller for reducing the peak response quantities of seismically excited non-linear or hysteretic building systems. A performance index, that is quadratic in control and polynomial of any order in non-linear states, is considered. The performance index is minimized based on the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation using a polynomial function of non-linear states, which satisfies all the properties of a Lyapunov function. The resulting optimal controller is a summation of polynomials in non-linear states, i.e. linear, cubic, quintic, etc. Gain matrices for different parts of the controller are determined from Riccati and Lyapunov matrix equations. Numerical simulation results indicate that the percentage of reduction for the selected peak response quantity increases with the increase of the earthquake intensity. Such load adaptive properties are very desirable, since the intensity of the earthquake ground acceleration is stochastic in nature. The proposed optimal polynomial controller is an effective and viable control method for non-linear or hysteretic civil engineering structures. It is an addition to available control methods in the literature.