Theory of Adaptive Structures

Book excerpt: Theory of Adaptive Structures provides the basic theory for controlling adaptive structures in static and dynamic environments. It synthesizes well-established theories on modern control as well as statics and dynamics of deformable bodies. Discussions concentrate on the discrete parameter adaptive structures dealing with actuator placement, actuator selection, and actuation computation problems - keeping these structures at close proximity of any chosen nominal state with the least energy consumption. An introduction to the distributed parameter adaptive structures is also provided. The book follows that modern trend in research and industry striving to incorporate intelligence into engineered products through microprocessors that are becoming smaller, faster, and cheaper at astounding rates. Not using them in engineered products may become an enormous liability. Resulting from the advances in materials technology on sensors and actuator technologies as well as the availability of very powerful and reliable microprocessors, there is an ever-increasing interest in actively controlling the behavior of engineering systems. Engineers and engineering scientists must revive and broaden their activities to maximize applications for predicting and controlling the behavior of deformable bodies. Topics include: An introduction to adaptive structures Incremental excitation-response relations in static and dynamic cases Active control of response in static case Statically determinate adaptive structures Statically indeterminate adaptive structures Active vibration control for autonomous and non-autonomous cases Active control against wind Active control against seismic loads Distributed parameter adaptive structures The technology of adaptive structures has created an environment where the analysis, not the computation, of structural response - due to actuator-inserted deformations - has become important. Problems related to the placement, the operation in real time, and the energy consumption of the actuators require the review and broadening of the theories long dormant due to the emphasis placed in the numerical simulations of structural behavior by the displacement finite element method. This book furnishes the basic theory needed by modern engineers in the design and control of discrete parameter adaptive structures .