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.