Feedback control of actuation‐constrained moving structure carrying Timoshenko beam

Abstract

AbstractThis article deals with tracking control and active vibration suppression of a hybrid rigid‐elastic vibrational mobile system with a nonlinear elastic foundation in the presence of actuator bandwidth limitation and control input saturation. The system consists of a rigid rectilinearly mobile frame on an elastic foundation, and a flexible Timoshenko beam clamped to it with a heavy attached concentrated mass. The hybrid partial differential equation (PDE)‐ordinary differential equation (ODE) system of the plant is obtained using Hamilton's principle and then is converted to a system of ODEs using the assumed mode method (AMM). Next, the model will be discretized in the time domain using the two‐step Adams‐Bashforth technique. Considering the first‐order dynamics to cover the bandwidth limitation of the actuator, a discrete‐time sliding mode controller (DSMC) is designed based on a positive definite Lyapunov functional. Following that, an innovative optimal predictive algorithm is proposed to compensate for the effects of input saturation. The proposed algorithm is based on a positive definite cost function and using an intelligent regime of optimizations and decisions, minimizes the cost function in a predefined prediction horizon. The vibratory behavior of the system also is included in the mentioned cost function. Consequently, the overall control scheme called optimal rigid‐elastic interaction control (OREIC) will be able to follow the desired tracking trajectory, suppress the beam vibrations, and compensate for the effect of bandwidth limitation as well as the effect of input saturation. The performance of the OREIC algorithm is compared with a saturated DSMC controller and the simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the method in vibration control of mobile rigid‐elastic systems subjected to actuator bandwidth frequency and saturation limitations.