This thesis reports implementation of a friction estimation and compensation technique on a special laboratory apparatus. In this work, experimental results are reported for the Coulomb friction observer.
The Coulomb friction observer estimates the total friction present in a system, assuming it to be a constant function of velocity. An extension of the observer, utilizing a coupled velocity observer, is used when velocity is not measurable. A modification to the velocity observer is also implemented. Experimental results show a remarkable improvement in the friction estimates which are also compared to the actual friction measurements. The estimates are qualitatively similar to the actual friction, demonstrating the ability of the modified design to track a non-constant friction.
Finally, extremely low velocities are experimentally obtained by using the friction compensation technique mentioned above, further proving that accurate control at low velocities is possible by friction estimation and compensation
