Survey of experiments and experimental facilities for control of flexible structures

Abstract

This paper presents a survey of ground experiments primarily conducted in the United States and U.S. facilities dedicated to the study of active control of flexible structures. The facilities are briefly described in terms of capability, configuration, size, and instruments. Topics on the experiments include vibration suppression, slewing control, and system identification. The experiments are listed in tables containing the experiment's name, the responsible organization, a brief description of the test article configuration, and the actuator/sensor devices used in the experiment. Selected experiments will be further discussed to help illustrate the control problems. Some of the test facilities dedicated to ground testing of large space structures are discussed in more detail, to give the reader a better appreciation of ground-testin g work. Several research issues are mentioned, including real-time computer systems, test article suspension, and new actuator/sensor technology development.