Practical Considerations for Structural Control: System Uncertainty, System Time Delay and Truncation of Small Control Forces

Keywords: Structural Control, Control Algorithms, Seismic Reliability Analysis, and Structural Analysis.

Abstract: For practical application of structural control system, various important factors should be considered, including the system time delay, uncertainty in structural identification, truncation of small control forces, etc. A sensitivity study is conducted to investigate the effects of these factors on the control system of structures. The influence of system time delay, estimation errors for structural parameters and elimination of small control forces on the efficiency of the control system depend upon the particular control algorithm used. Four control algorithms practical for applications to earthquake-excited structures have been studied. These include the Riccati closed-loop control algorithm and three instantaneous optimal control algorithms recently proposed. The methodologies for the sensitivity analysis are presented. Both the active tendon control system and the active mass damper have been considered. Numerical examples are worked out to demonstrate the criticality and tolerance of these factors for practical implementation of active control systems.