Editorial: Capitalism(s) and the future of adult education policy

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Generalized robust gain-scheduled PID controller design for affine LPV systems with polytopic uncertainty

In the paper a generalized guaranteed cost output-feedback robust gain-scheduled PID controller synthesis is presented for affine linear parameter-varying systems under polytopic model uncertainty. The controller synthesis is generalized in a sense that it covers robust, robust gain-scheduled, and robust switched (with arbitrary switching algorithm) PID controller design. The proposed centralized/decentralized controller method is based on Bellman–Lyapunov equation, guaranteed cost, and parameter-dependent quadratic stability. The proposed sufficient robust stability and performance conditions are derived in the form of bilinear matrix inequalities (BMI) which can efficiently be solved or further linearized. As the main result, the suggested performance and stability conditions without any restriction on the controller structure are convex functions of the scheduling and uncertainty parameters. Hence, there is no need for applying multi-convexity or other relaxation techniques and consequently the proposed solution delivers a less conservative design method. The viability of the novel design technique is demonstrated and evaluated through numerical examples

Dynamic analysis of a blast loaded steel structure

With the increase in terrorist attacks in recent years, the effects of explosions on building become highly topical. In this regard, the paper deals with the analysis of blast loaded steel structures. When a blast loaded structure is analysed, as known, two major design issues and scientific challenges have to be approached and solved. The first issue derives from the analysis and description of the input dynamic load (time-pressure wave), being dependent on the type of explosion and explosive, while the second issue is related to the analysis of the actual dynamic response of the structure under impact. As such, real field blast tests using the so called ANFO explosives are first presented. The examined constructional system consists of steel rolled beams with two different type of cross sections (HEB100 and IPE120). The actual experimental observations are then assessed and compared with both SDOF and FE models carried out in ABAQUS. In doing so, the actual shape (i.e. decaying path for the pressure load) of the experimental blast wave is used, together with two further approximations for its description. The comparative calculations are then proposed for selected control points, in terms of mechanical and kinematic quantities (i.e. displacements, accelerations and strains). A critical discussion of the so collected comparative results is hence proposed