<title>Implementation of local feedback controllers for vibration supression of a truss using active struts</title>

Abstract

This paper describes the design and implementation of local feedback controllers for active vibration suppression of a laboratory truss referred to as the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) space truss. The NRL space truss is a 3.7 meter, 12-bay aluminum laboratory truss used as a testbed to explore smart structures technologies for future Navy spacecraft missions. To conduct real-time control and data acquisition for the implementation of controllers, a digital signal processor based system is used. Two piezoceramic active struts are employed in this experimental study. Each strut is instrumented with a force transducer and a displacement sensor. Modal strain energy computed using a refined finite element model was used to select the optimum locations of the two actuators to ensure controllability of the first two structural modes. Two local feedback controllers were designed and implemented, an integral force feedback and an integral plus double-integral force feedback. The controllers were designed independently for each active strut using classical control design techniques applied to an identified model of the system dynamics. System identification results and controller design procedure are described along with closed loop test results. The test results show up to a factor of 1/110 attenuation of the truss tip motion due to sinusoidal resonant input disturbances and up to 100 times increase in damping of the lower frequency modes of the truss.