State of the art of control schemes for smart systems featuring magneto-rheological materials

This review presents various control strategies for application systems utilizing smart magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) and magneto-rheological elastomers (MRE). It is well known that both MRF and MRE are actively studied and applied to many practical systems such as vehicle dampers. The mandatory requirements for successful applications of MRF and MRE include several factors: advanced material properties, optimal mechanisms, suitable modeling, and appropriate control schemes. Among these requirements, the use of an appropriate control scheme is a crucial factor since it is the final action stage of the application systems to achieve the desired output responses. There are numerous different control strategies which have been applied to many different application systems of MRF and MRE, summarized in this review. In the literature review, advantages and disadvantages of each control scheme are discussed so that potential researchers can develop more effective strategies to achieve higher control performance of many application systems utilizing magneto-rheological materials

Deep Learning-Based, Passive Fault Tolerant Control Facilitated by a Taxonomy of Cyber-Attack Effects

In the interest of improving the resilience of cyber-physical control systems to better operate in the presence of various cyber-attacks and/or faults, this dissertation presents a novel controller design based on deep-learning networks. This research lays out a controller design that does not rely on fault or cyber-attack detection. Being passive, the controller’s routine operating process is to take in data from the various components of the physical system, holistically assess the state of the physical system using deep-learning networks and decide the subsequent round of commands from the controller. This use of deep-learning methods in passive fault tolerant control (FTC) is unique in the research literature. The proposed controller is applied to both linear and nonlinear systems. Additionally, the application and testing are accomplished with both actuators and sensors being affected by attacks and /or faults

Chattering-free sliding mode control with a fuzzy model for structural applications

This paper proposes a chattering-free sliding mode control (CFSMC) method for seismically excited structures. The method is based on a fuzzy logic (FL) model applied to smooth the control force and eliminate chattering, where the switching part of the control law is replaced by an FL output. The CFSMC is robust and keeps the advantages of the conventional sliding mode control (SMC), whilst removing the chattering and avoiding the time-consuming process of generating fuzzy rule basis. The proposed method is tested on an 8-story shear frame equipped with an active tendon system. Results indicate that the new method not only can effectively enhance the seismic performance of the structural system compared to the SMC, but also ensure system stability and high accuracy with less computational cost. The CFSMC also requires less amount of energy from the active tendon system to produce the desired structural dynamic response.ARC DE150101703 and ARC LP14010059

CFD Modelling and Simulation of Water Turbines

The design and development of water turbines requires accurate methods for performance prediction. Numerical methods and modelling are becoming increasingly important tools to achieve better designs and more efficient turbines, reducing the time required in physical model testing. This book is focused on applying numerical simulations and models for water turbines to predict tool their performance. In this Special Issue, the different contributions of this book are classified into three state-of-the-art Topics: discussing the modelling of pump-turbines, the simulation of horizontal and vertical axis turbines for hydrokinetic applications and the modelling of hydropower plants. All the contributions to this book demonstrate the importance of the modelling and simulation of water turbines for hydropower energy. This new generation of models and simulations will play a major role in the global energy transition and energy crisis, and, of course, in the mitigation of climate change

Accelerated Controller Tuning for Wind Turbines Under Multiple Hazards

During their lifecycle, wind turbines can be subjected to multiple hazard loads, such as high-intensity wind, earthquake, wave, and mechanical unbalance. Excessive vibrations, due to these loads, can have detrimental effects on energy production, structural lifecycle, and the initial cost of wind turbines. Vibration control by various means, such as passive, active, and semi-active control systems provide crucial solutions to these issues. We developed a novel control theory that enables semi-active controller tuning under the complex structural behavior and inherent system nonlinearity. The proposed theory enables the evaluation of semi-active controllers’ performance of multi-degrees-of-freedom systems, without the need for time-consuming simulations. A wide range of controllers can be tested in a fraction of a second, and their parameters can be tuned to achieve system-level performance for different optimization objectives

Adaptive, Intelligent Methods for Real Time Structural Control and Health Monitoring

By framing the structural health monitoring and control problem as being one of enhancing structural system intelligence, novel solutions can be achieved through applications of computational strategies that mimic human learning and attempt to replicate human response to sensory feedback. This thesis proposes several new methods which promote adaptive, intelligent decision making by structural systems relying on sensory feedback and actuator compensation. Four significant contributions can be found in this thesis study. The first method employs an adaptable subclass of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), called Radial Basis Function Networks (RBFNs) for robust control in the presence of sensory failure. The second method exploits this computationally efficient network to detect and isolate system faults in real time. The third algorithm utilizes an RBFN to effectively linearize the nonlinear actuator dynamics of a Magnetorheological (MR) damper, thereby improving control of the semiactive device. Lastly, an open loop observer is implemented experimentally to both detect damage and act as a trigger for control of the newly developed Adaptive Length Pendulum-Smart Tuned Mass Damper (ALP-STMD). Some limitation of existing algorithms in the field of real time structural health monitoring and control are that they rely heavily on fixed parameter methods, assume standard linear time invariant assumptions, or mandate accurate modeling of system dynamics. By embedding the proposed reasoning and decision making algorithms into the feedback methodology and design, greater generalization and system adaptivity is possible. Specifically, the proposed methods develop novel solutions for adaptive neural control, fault (sensor failure) tolerant control, real time damage detection, adaptive dynamic inversion, and control applications for STMDs. The neural network adaptive control formulation is successful in rejecting first mode disturbances despite online sensor failure. It is also capable of improving the performance of a baseline Hoc controller in the presence of sensor failure and earthquake ground motion. The proposed fault tolerant controller is validated on a two degree of freedom shear frame subjected to six earthquake records. Furthermore, this application involves the use of piezoelectric patches as sensors and actuators. The RBFN algorithm in combination with an open loop observer is capable of both detecting and isolating stiffness degradation and recovery in multi-degree of freedom systems in real time. The method is validated on experimental data taken from online damage tests using the Semi-Active Independent Variable Stiffness (SAIVS) device. Other validations involve simulations on a two degree of freedom system and a ten degree of freedom system with both independent and coupled damage case scenarios. In all scenarios, the RBFN is capable of identifying the length of time and degree of freedom in which stiffness variation occurred. A neural network formulation is developed to perform dynamic inversion for semiactive control of an MR damper. The MR damper acts as a base isolator in a scaled two story building. Both the building and damper models were based on tests performed at Rice University. The control performance of the adaptive RBFN dynamic inversion method is compared to both passive-off and passive-on methods of semiactive control for MR dampers. The last contribution serves to combine both real time structural health monitoring and control in a proof of concept experimental study. An open loop observer is used to trigger an ALP -STMD device in the presence of base excitation and stiffness damage. The stiffness damage is generated from strategically regulating the current applied to Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) braces in a two degree of freedom shear frame. Once damage exceeds a predefined threshold, the ALP-STMD uses a another SMA to adjust its pendulum length to tune in real time to the dominant pulse present in the base excitation

Métodos de controle modal tolerante a danos para estruturas flexíveis

Orientadores: Eurípedes Guilherme de Oliveira Nóbrega, Nazih Mechbal, Gérard Maurice Henri CoffignalTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia MecânicaResumo: Estruturas inteligentes estão cada vez mais presentes em diferentes aplicações na indústria, em particular nas áreas de aeronáutica e engenharia civil. Essas estruturas possuem características que permitem interações com o ambiente, adaptando suas propriedades de acordo com as necessidades (rigidez, amortecimento, viscosidade, etc.), monitorando a própria saúde estrutural (SHM, de Structural Health Monitoring) ou controlando suas vibrações. Atualmente, os métodos ativos para controle de vibrações não respondem adequadamente a mudanças na dinâmica estrutural causada por dano, apesar da boa capacidade de rejeição a perturbações externas. O controle ativo tolerante a danos (DTAC, de Damage-Tolerant Active Control) é uma área recente de pesquisa que objetiva desenvolver métodos integrados para reduzir vibrações e, ao mesmo tempo, monitorar a integridade estrutural, sendo possível identificar a ocorrência de danos e, com isso, reconfigurar o controlador ativo de vibrações. Esta tese contribui com a área de DTAC propondo uma nova abordagem de controle modal e algumas estratégias de aplicações. Os métodos propostos focam no controle de vibrações de estruturas flexíveis sujeitas a danos com múltiplos sensores e atuadores não colocados. Os capítulos apresentam quatro temas principais e as conclusões. O Capítulo 2 revisa o problema subótimo H? e sua respectiva solução por meio da abordagem por desigualdades matriciais lineares, que é uma ferramenta fundamental para o desenvolvimento dos tópicos subsequentes. O Capítulo 3 introduz o método de controle modal de vibrações baseado na norma H? modal, a qual revela elevada seletividade modal, permitindo a concentração de energia de controle sobre os efeitos do dano e apresentando robustez em relação ao spillover e à variação paramétrica. Uma nova estratégia de controle é desenvolvida no Capítulo 4, tendo em conta o conhecimento existente sobre as regiões da estrutura com alta probabilidade de sofrer danos, o que leva a requisitos específicos no projeto do controlador H? modal. Uma técnica de SHM é usada para avaliar o efeito do dano em cada modo, dado que é usado para projetar um controlador preventivo. O Capítulo 5 apresenta uma metodologia modal de dupla malha que lida com a imprevisibilidade do dano, garantindo um bom compromisso entre robustez e desempenho para a estrutura saudável ou danificada. Para atingir esse objetivo, o controlador modal da primeira malha é projetado para atender os requisitos de desempenho para a estrutura saudável. O controlador da segunda malha é reconfigurado objetivando assegurar robustez e um desempenho satisfatório quando, ou se, um dano ocorre. Essa lei de controle é baseada em um observador de estados e em um algoritmo de SHM para reconfigurar o controlador online. Todas as técnicas propostas são testadas utilizando estruturas inteligentes criadas a partir de simulações (analíticas e de elementos finitos) e/ou experimentos. O último capítulo discute os principais resultados obtidos para cada abordagem descrita nos capítulos anterioresAbstract: Smart structures have increasingly become present in different industry applications and particularly in the fields of aeronautics and civil engineering. These structures have features that allow interactions with the environment, adapting their characteristics according to the needs (stiffness, damping, viscosity, etc.), monitoring their health or controlling their vibrations. Today, smart structure active control methods do not respond appropriately to damage, despite the capability of good rejection of external disturbances. Damage-tolerant active control (DTAC) is a recent research area that aims to develop integrated approaches to reduce vibrations while monitoring the structure integrity, identifying damage occurrence and reconfiguring the control law of the adopted active vibration control method. This thesis contributes to the DTAC area by proposing a novel modal control framework and some application strategies. The developed methods focus on noncollocated flexible structures, where multiple piezoelectric sensors and actuators are used to attenuate damaged structure vibration. The chapters present four main topics and the conclusions. Chapter 2 reviews the regular suboptimal H? problem and its respective solution based on the linear matrix inequality approach, which is a fundamental tool for the development of subsequent topics. Chapter 3 introduces the modal H?-norm-based method for vibration control, which reveals high modal selectivity, allowing control energy concentration on damage effects and presenting robustness to spillover and parameter variation. A new control strategy is developed in Chapter 4, taking into account existing knowledge about the structure stressed regions with high probability of damage occurrence, leading to specific requirements in the modal H?-controller design. A structural health monitoring (SHM) technique assesses each damaged mode behavior, which is used to design a preventive controller. Chapter 5 presents a novel modal double-loop control methodology to deal with the unpredictability of damage, nevertheless ensuring a good compromise between robustness and performance to both healthy and damaged structures. For this purpose, the first-loop modal controller is designed to comply with regular requirements for the healthy structure behavior and the second-loop controller is reconfigured aiming to ensure satisfactory performance and robustness when and if damage occurs, based on a state observer and an SHM technique to adapt the controller online. In all these chapters, simulated (analytical- and finite-element-based) and/or experimental smart structures are used to examine the proposed methodology under the respective control strategies. The last chapter summarises the achieved results for each different approach described in the previous chaptersDoutoradoMecanica dos Sólidos e Projeto MecanicoDoutor em Engenharia Mecânica141621/2012-512337/13-7CNPQCAPE

A Review on the Magnetorheological Fluid, Damper and Its Applications for Seismic Mitigation

Magnetorheological (MR) fluids and dampers have wide advances as smart materials because of its unique properties, notably, viscosity increases in the presence when magnetic field applied MR Fluids composed of three key components, including carrier fluid, surfactants and metal particles. The major applications of MR Fluids are in brakes, dampers, journal bearings, fluid clutches, pneumatic artificial muscles, aerospace etc. where electrical energy is converted to mechanical energy (Damping Force) in a controlled manner. Within a few milliseconds the fluid converts from liquid to semi solid state. Over the years, researchers were concerned on the ways to enhance the modelling precision. Though the proposed Dynamic models of MR Dampers represent displacement and force behaviour. In this review paper, the advances of MR Fluids, MR Damper, Damper Models, Energy harvesting and their applications for seismic resistance of structures are briefly discussed in the present study