Force tracking control for hydraulically actuated adaptive high-rise buildings

Abstract

Adaptive high-rise buildings comprise sensors, a control unit and actuators and are able to actively compensate disturbances, allowing the realization of significantly lighter structures compared to conventional constructions. This publication presents the development of a force tracking controller for hydraulic actuators on adaptive high-rise buildings. First, nonlinear models of a single- and a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, used for two different ways of actuation in the structure, are derived. The characteristic curve for the valve cross-section is determined through experimental system identification. Second, a flatness-based input/output linearization is applied to both actuator models. A gain scheduling algorithm sets the proportional gain of the force tracking controller based on a measure reflecting the dynamics of the reference signal and thus avoiding control spillover due to mechanical coupling between the actuator and the structure. The force tracking controller is tested experimentally on the worldwide first adaptive building and its tracking behavior is analyzed based on the cutoff frequency of the closed loop system.