Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Active structures'

Uncertainty involved in the safe and comfort design of the structures is a major concern of civil engineers. Traditionally, the uncertainty has been overcome by utilizing various and relatively large safety factors for loads and structural properties. As a result in conventional design of for example tall buildings, the designed structural elements have unnecessary dimensions that sometimes are more than double of the ones needed to resist normal loads. On the other hand the requirements for strength and safety and comfort can be conflicting. Consequently, an alternative approach for design of the structures may be of great interest in design of safe and comfort structures that also offers economical advantages. Recently, there has been growing interest among the researchers in the concept of structural control as an alternative or complementary approach to the existing approaches of structural design. A few buildings have been designed and built based on this concept. The concept is to utilize a device for applying a force (known as control force) to encounter the effects of disturbing forces like earthquake force. However, the concept still has not found its rightful place among the practical engineers and more research is needed on the subject. One of the main problems in structural control is to find a proper algorithm for determining the optimum control force that should be applied to the structure. The investigation reported in this thesis is concerned with the application of active control to civil engineering structures. From the literature on control theory. (Particularly literature on the control of civil engineering structures) problems faced in application of control theory were identified and classified into two categories: 1) problems common to control of all dynamical systems, and 2) problems which are specially important in control of civil engineering structures. It was concluded that while many control algorithms are suitable for control of dynamical systems, considering the special problems in controlling civil structures and considering the unique future of structural control, many otherwise useful control algorithms face practical problems in application to civil structures. Consequently a set of criteria were set for judging the suitability of the control algorithms for use in control of civil engineering structures. Various types of existing control algorithms were investigated and finally it was concluded that predictive optimal control algorithms possess good characteristics for purpose of control of civil engineering structures. Among predictive control algorithms, those that use ARMA stochastic models for predicting the ground acceleration are better fitted to the structural control environment because all the past measured excitation is used to estimate the trends of the excitation for making qualified guesses about its coming values. However, existing ARMA based predictive algorithms are devised specially for earthquake and require on-line measurement of the external disturbing load which is not possible for dynamic loads like wind or blast. So, the algorithms are not suitable for tall buildings that experience both earthquake and wind loads during their life. Consequently, it was decided to establish a new closed loop predictive optimal control based on ARMA models as the first phase of the study. In this phase it was initially established that ARMA models are capable of predicting response of a linear SDOF system to the earthquake excitation a few steps ahead. The results of the predictions encouraged a search for finding a new closed loop optimal predictive control algorithm for linear SDOF structures based on prediction of the response by ARMA models. The second part of phase I, was devoted to developing and testing the proposed algorithm The new developed algorithm is different from other ARMA based optimal controls since it uses ARMA models for prediction of the structure response while existing algorithms predict the input excitation. Modeling the structure response as an AR or ARMA stochastic process is an effective mean for prediction of the structure response while avoiding measurement of the input excitation. ARMA models used in the algorithm enables it to avoid or reduce the time delay effect by predicting the structure response a few steps ahead. Being a closed loop control, the algorithm is suitable for all structural control conditions and can be used in a single control mechanism for vibration control of tall buildings against wind, earthquake or other random dynamic loads. Consequently the standby time is less than that for existing ARMA based algorithms devised only for earthquakes. This makes the control mechanism more reliable. The proposed algorithm utilizes and combines two different mathematical models. First model is an ARMA model representing the environment and the structure as a single system subjected to the unknown random excitation and the second model is a linear SDOF system which represents the structure subjected to a known past history of the applied control force only. The principle of superposition is then used to combine the results of these two models to predict the total response of the structure as a function of the control force. By using the predicted responses, the minimization of the performance index with respect to the control force is carried out for finding the optimal control force. As phase II, the proposed predictive control algorithm was extended to structures that are more complicated than linear SDOF structures. Initially, the algorithm was extended to linear MDOF structures. Although, the development of the algorithm for MDOF structures was relatively straightforward, during testing of the algorithm, it was found that prediction of the response by ARMA models can not be done as was done for SDOF case. In the SDOF case each of the two components of the state vector (i.e. displacement and velocity) was treated separately as an ARMA stochastic process. However, applying the same approach to each component of the state vector of a MDOF structure did not yield satisfactory results in prediction of the response. Considering the whole state vector as a multi-variable ARMA stochastic vector process yielded the desired results in predicting the response a few steps ahead. In the second part of this phase, the algorithm was extended to non-linear MDOF structures. Since the algorithm had been developed based on the principle of superposition, it was not possible to directly extend the algorithm to non-linear systems. Instead, some generalized response was defined. Then credibility of the ARMA models in predicting the generalized response was verified. Based on this credibility, the algorithm was extended for non-linear MDOF structures. Also in phase II, the stability of a controlled MDOF structure was proved. Both internal and external stability of the system were described and verified. In phase III, some problems of special interest, i.e. soil-structure interaction and control time delay, were investigated and compensated for in the framework of the developed predictive optimal control. In first part of phase III soil-structure interaction was studied. The half-space solution of the SSI effect leads to a frequency dependent representation of the structure-footing system, which is not fit for control purpose. Consequently an equivalent frequency independent system was proposed and defined as a system whose frequency response is equal to the original structure -footing system in the mean squares sense. This equivalent frequency independent system then was used in the control algorithm. In the second part of this phase, an analytical approach was used to tackle the time delay phenomenon in the context of the predictive algorithm described in previous chapters. A generalized performance index was defined considering time delay. Minimization of the generalized performance index resulted into a modified version of the algorithm in which time delay is compensated explicitly. Unlike the time delay compensation technique used in the previous phases of this investigation, which restricts time delay to be an integer multiplier of the sampling period, the modified algorithm allows time delay to be any non-negative number. However, the two approaches produce the same results if time delay is an integer multiplier of the sampling period. For evaluating the proposed algorithm and comparing it with other algorithms, several numerical simulations were carried during the research by using MATLAB and its toolboxes. A few interesting results of these simulations are enumerated below: ARM A models are able to predict the response of both linear and non-linear structures to random inputs such as earthquakes. The proposed predictive optimal control based on ARMA models has produced better results in the context of reducing velocity, displacement, total energy and operational cost compared to classic optimal control. Proposed active control algorithm is very effective in increasing safety and comfort. Its performance is not affected much by errors in the estimation of system parameters (e.g. damping). The effect of soil-structure interaction on the response to control force is considerable. Ignoring SSI will cause a significant change in the magnitude of the frequency response and a shift in the frequencies of the maximum response (resonant frequencies). Compensating the time delay effect by the modified version of the proposed algorithm will improve the performance of the control system in achieving the control goal and reduction of the structural response.

Uncertainty involved in the safe and comfort design of the structures is a major concern of civil engineers. Traditionally, the uncertainty has been overcome by utilizing various and relatively large safety factors for loads and structural properties. As a result in conventional design of for example tall buildings, the designed structural elements have unnecessary dimensions that sometimes are more than double of the ones needed to resist normal loads. On the other hand the requirements for strength and safety and comfort can be conflicting. Consequently, an alternative approach for design of the structures may be of great interest in design of safe and comfort structures that also offers economical advantages. Recently, there has been growing interest among the researchers in the concept of structural control as an alternative or complementary approach to the existing approaches of structural design. A few buildings have been designed and built based on this concept. The concept is to utilize a device for applying a force (known as control force) to encounter the effects of disturbing forces like earthquake force. However, the concept still has not found its rightful place among the practical engineers and more research is needed on the subject. One of the main problems in structural control is to find a proper algorithm for determining the optimum control force that should be applied to the structure. The investigation reported in this thesis is concerned with the application of active control to civil engineering structures. From the literature on control theory. (Particularly literature on the control of civil engineering structures) problems faced in application of control theory were identified and classified into two categories: 1) problems common to control of all dynamical systems, and 2) problems which are specially important in control of civil engineering structures. It was concluded that while many control algorithms are suitable for control of dynamical systems, considering the special problems in controlling civil structures and considering the unique future of structural control, many otherwise useful control algorithms face practical problems in application to civil structures. Consequently a set of criteria were set for judging the suitability of the control algorithms for use in control of civil engineering structures. Various types of existing control algorithms were investigated and finally it was concluded that predictive optimal control algorithms possess good characteristics for purpose of control of civil engineering structures. Among predictive control algorithms, those that use ARMA stochastic models for predicting the ground acceleration are better fitted to the structural control environment because all the past measured excitation is used to estimate the trends of the excitation for making qualified guesses about its coming values. However, existing ARMA based predictive algorithms are devised specially for earthquake and require on-line measurement of the external disturbing load which is not possible for dynamic loads like wind or blast. So, the algorithms are not suitable for tall buildings that experience both earthquake and wind loads during their life. Consequently, it was decided to establish a new closed loop predictive optimal control based on ARMA models as the first phase of the study. In this phase it was initially established that ARMA models are capable of predicting response of a linear SDOF system to the earthquake excitation a few steps ahead. The results of the predictions encouraged a search for finding a new closed loop optimal predictive control algorithm for linear SDOF structures based on prediction of the response by ARMA models. The second part of phase I, was devoted to developing and testing the proposed algorithm The new developed algorithm is different from other ARMA based optimal controls since it uses ARMA models for prediction of the structure response while existing algorithms predict the input excitation. Modeling the structure response as an AR or ARMA stochastic process is an effective mean for prediction of the structure response while avoiding measurement of the input excitation. ARMA models used in the algorithm enables it to avoid or reduce the time delay effect by predicting the structure response a few steps ahead. Being a closed loop control, the algorithm is suitable for all structural control conditions and can be used in a single control mechanism for vibration control of tall buildings against wind, earthquake or other random dynamic loads. Consequently the standby time is less than that for existing ARMA based algorithms devised only for earthquakes. This makes the control mechanism more reliable. The proposed algorithm utilizes and combines two different mathematical models. First model is an ARMA model representing the environment and the structure as a single system subjected to the unknown random excitation and the second model is a linear SDOF system which represents the structure subjected to a known past history of the applied control force only. The principle of superposition is then used to combine the results of these two models to predict the total response of the structure as a function of the control force. By using the predicted responses, the minimization of the performance index with respect to the control force is carried out for finding the optimal control force. As phase II, the proposed predictive control algorithm was extended to structures that are more complicated than linear SDOF structures. Initially, the algorithm was extended to linear MDOF structures. Although, the development of the algorithm for MDOF structures was relatively straightforward, during testing of the algorithm, it was found that prediction of the response by ARMA models can not be done as was done for SDOF case. In the SDOF case each of the two components of the state vector (i.e. displacement and velocity) was treated separately as an ARMA stochastic process. However, applying the same approach to each component of the state vector of a MDOF structure did not yield satisfactory results in prediction of the response. Considering the whole state vector as a multi-variable ARMA stochastic vector process yielded the desired results in predicting the response a few steps ahead. In the second part of this phase, the algorithm was extended to non-linear MDOF structures. Since the algorithm had been developed based on the principle of superposition, it was not possible to directly extend the algorithm to non-linear systems. Instead, some generalized response was defined. Then credibility of the ARMA models in predicting the generalized response was verified. Based on this credibility, the algorithm was extended for non-linear MDOF structures. Also in phase II, the stability of a controlled MDOF structure was proved. Both internal and external stability of the system were described and verified. In phase III, some problems of special interest, i.e. soil-structure interaction and control time delay, were investigated and compensated for in the framework of the developed predictive optimal control. In first part of phase III soil-structure interaction was studied. The half-space solution of the SSI effect leads to a frequency dependent representation of the structure-footing system, which is not fit for control purpose. Consequently an equivalent frequency independent system was proposed and defined as a system whose frequency response is equal to the original structure -footing system in the mean squares sense. This equivalent frequency independent system then was used in the control algorithm. In the second part of this phase, an analytical approach was used to tackle the time delay phenomenon in the context of the predictive algorithm described in previous chapters. A generalized performance index was defined considering time delay. Minimization of the generalized performance index resulted into a modified version of the algorithm in which time delay is compensated explicitly. Unlike the time delay compensation technique used in the previous phases of this investigation, which restricts time delay to be an integer multiplier of the sampling period, the modified algorithm allows time delay to be any non-negative number. However, the two approaches produce the same results if time delay is an integer multiplier of the sampling period. For evaluating the proposed algorithm and comparing it with other algorithms, several numerical simulations were carried during the research by using MATLAB and its toolboxes. A few interesting results of these simulations are enumerated below: ARM A models are able to predict the response of both linear and non-linear structures to random inputs such as earthquakes. The proposed predictive optimal control based on ARMA models has produced better results in the context of reducing velocity, displacement, total energy and operational cost compared to classic optimal control. Proposed active control algorithm is very effective in increasing safety and comfort. Its performance is not affected much by errors in the estimation of system parameters (e.g. damping). The effect of soil-structure interaction on the response to control force is considerable. Ignoring SSI will cause a significant change in the magnitude of the frequency response and a shift in the frequencies of the maximum response (resonant frequencies). Compensating the time delay effect by the modified version of the proposed algorithm will improve the performance of the control system in achieving the control goal and reduction of the structural response.

The purpose of this thesis was to design controllers by using H1 and ¹
control strategies in order to suppress the free and forced vibrations of smart structures. The smart structures analyzed in this study were the smart beam and the smart ¯
n. They were aluminum passive structures with surface bonded PZT (Lead-Zirconate-Titanate) patches. The structures were considered in clamped-free con¯
guration. The ¯
rst part of this study focused on the identi¯
cation of nominal system models of the smart structures from the experimental data. For the experimentally identi¯
ed models the robust controllers were designed by using H1 and ¹
-synthesis strategies. In the second part, the controller implementation was carried out for the suppression of free and forced vibrations of the smart structures. Within the framework of this study, a Smart Structures Laboratory was established in the Aerospace Engineering Department of METU. The controller implementations were carried out by considering two di®
erent experimental set-ups. In the ¯
rst set-up the controller designs were based on the strain measurements. In the second approach, the displacement measurements, which were acquired through laser displacement sensor, were considered in the controller design. The ¯
rst two °
exural modes of the smart beam were successfully controlled by using H1 method. The vibrations of the ¯
rst two °
exural and ¯
rst torsional modes of the smart ¯
n were suppressed through the ¹
-synthesis. Satisfactory attenuation levels were achieved for both strain measurement and displacement measurement applications.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1995.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-98).
by Julio Cesar Maldonado-Mercado.
M.S.

An analysis is presented on the use of a proof-mass actuator as a regenerative force actuator for the mitigation of earthquake disturbances in civil structures. A proof-mass actuator is a machine which accelerates a mass along a linear path. Such actuators can facilitate two-way power flow. In regenerative force actuation, a bi- directional power-electronic drive is used to facilitate power flow both to and from the proof-mass actuator power supply. With proper control system design, this makes it possible to suppress a disturbance on a structure using mostly energy extracted from the disturbance itself, rather than from an external power source. In this study, three main objectives are accomplished. First, a new performance measure, called the "required energy capacity," is proposed as an assessment of the minimum size of the electric power supply necessary to facilitate the power flow required of the closed-loop system for a given disturbance. The relationship between the required energy capacity and the linear control system design, which is based on positive position feedback concepts, is developed. The dependency of the required energy capacity on hybrid realizations of the control law are discussed, and hybrid designs are found which minimize this quantity for specific disturbance characteristics. As the second objective, system identification and robust estimation methods are used to develop a stochastic approach to the performance assessment of structural control systems, which evaluates the average worst-case performance for all earthquakes "similar" to an actual data record. This technique is used to evaluate the required energy capacity for a control system design. In the third objective, a way is found to design a battery capacity which takes into account the velocity rating of the proof-mass actuator. Upon sizing this battery, two nonlinear controllers are proposed which automatically regulate the power flow in the closed-loop system to accommodate a power supply with a finite energy capacity, regardless of the disturbance size. Both controllers are based on a linear control system design. One includes a nonlinearity which limits power flow out of the battery supply. The other includes a nonlinearity which limits the magnitude of the proof-mass velocity. The latter of these is shown to yield superior performance.
Master of Science

Active control of sound radiation from vibrating structures has been an area of much research in the past decade. In Active Structural Acoustic Control (ASAC), the minimization of sound radiation is achieved by modifying the response of the structure through structural inputs rather than by exciting the acoustic medium (Active Noise Control, ANC). The ASAC technique often produces global far-field sound attenuation with relatively few actuators as compared to ANC. The structural control inputs of ASAC systems are usually constructed adaptively in the time domain based on a number of error signals to be minimized. One of the primary concerns in active control of sound is then to provide the controller with appropriate ``error'' information. Early investigations have implemented far-field microphones, thereby providing the controller with actual radiated pressure information. Most structure-borne sound control approaches now tend to eliminate the use of microphones by developing sensors that are integrated in the structure. This study presents a new sensing technique implementing such an approach. A structural acoustic sensor is developed for estimating radiation information from vibrating structures. This technique referred to as Discrete Structural Acoustic Sensing (DSAS) provides time domain estimates of the radiated sound pressure at prescribed locations in the far field over a broad frequency range. The structural acoustic sensor consists of a set of accelerometers mounted on the radiating structure and arrays of digital filters that process the measured acceleration signals in real time. The impulse response of each filter is constructed from the appropriate radiation Green's function for the source area associated with each accelerometer. Validation of the sensing technique is performed on two different systems: a baffled rectangular plate and a baffled finite cylinder. For both systems, the sensor is first analyzed in terms of prediction accuracy by comparing estimated and actual sound pressure radiated in the far field. The analysis is carried out on a numerical model of the plate and cylinder as well as on the real structures through experimental testing. The sensor is then implemented in a broadband radiation control system. The plate and cylinder are excited by broadband disturbance inputs over a frequency range encompassing several of the first flexural resonances of the structure. Single-sided piezo-electric actuators provide the structural control inputs while the sensor estimates are used as error signals. The controller is based on the filtered-x version of the adaptive LMS algorithm. Results from both analytical and experimental investigations are again presented for the two systems. Additional control results based on error microphones allow a comparison of the two sensing approaches in terms of control performance. The major outcome of this study is the ability of the structural acoustic sensor to effectively replace error microphones in broadband radiation control systems. In particular, both analytical and experimental results show the level of sound attenuation achieved when implementing Discrete Structural Acoustic Sensing rivaled that achieved with far-field error microphones. Finally, the approach presents a significant alternative over other existing structural sensing techniques as it requires very little system modeling.
Ph. D.

This thesis investigates the possibility of controlling the response of a general multi-degree of freedom structure to a relatively distant blast load using passive and semi-active devices. A relatively distant blast is one that applies significant momentum to the structure, but does not destroy the face of the structure. Three multi-storey structures, and one single-storey structure, are modelled using non-linear finite elements with structural columns discretised into multiple elements to accurately capture the effects of higher order modes that are typically excited in such blast load responses. The single-storey model structure is subjected to blast loads of varying duration, magnitude and shape, and the critical aspects of the response are investigated over a range of structural periods in the form of blast load response spectra. The optimal device arrangements are found to be those that reduce the first peak of the structural displacement and thus also reduce the subsequent free vibration of the structure. For a given blast load, various passive and semi-active devices, as well as device architectures, are investigated. The optimal device architecture was found to be one that spanned approximately two-thirds the height of the structure. Depending on what damage parameters are considered critical for a given structure, different devices and arrangements are appropriate. The main factors in choosing a semi-active device and its control architecture, or arrangement, are the tradeoffs between permanent deflection, free vibration, base shear and device capacity limitations. Overall, the results present a first analysis on the effectiveness of semi-active devices and the unique force-displacement properties they offer for mitigating non-catastrophic blast loads.

The main focus of this study is on the active and semi-active control of civil engineering structures subjected to seismic excitations. Among different candidate control strategies, the sliding mode control approach emerges as a convenient alternative, because of its superb robustness under parametric and input uncertainties. The analytical developments and numerical results presented in this dissertation are directed to investigate the feasibility of application of the sliding mode control approach to civil structures. In the first part of this study, a unified treatment of active and semi-active sliding mode controllers for civil structures is presented. A systematic procedure, based on a special state transformation, is also presented to obtain the regular form of the state equations which facilitates the design of the control system. The conditions under which this can be achieved in the general case of control redundancy are also defined. The importance of the regular form resides in the fact that it allows to separate the design process in two basic steps: (a) selection of a target sliding surface and (b) determination of the corresponding control actions. Several controllers are proposed and extensive numerical results are presented to investigate the performance of both active and semi-active schemes, examining in particular the feasibility of application to real size civil structures. These numerical studies show that the selection of the sliding surface constitutes a crucial step in the implementation of an efficient control design. To improve this design process, a generalized sliding surface definition is used which is based on the incorporation of two auxiliary dynamical systems. Numerical simulations show that this definition renders a controller design which is more flexible, facilitating its tuning to meet different performance specifications. This study also considers the situation in which not all the state information is available for control purposes. In practical situations, only a subset of the physical variables, such as displacements and velocities, can be directly measured. A general approach is formulated to eliminate the explicit effect of the unmeasured states on the design of the sliding surface and the associated controller. This approach, based on a modified regular form transformation, permits the utilization of arbitrary combinations of measured and unmeasured states. The resulting sliding surface design problem is discussed within the framework of the classical optimal output feedback theory, and an efficient algorithm is proposed to solve the corresponding matrix nonlinear equations. A continuous active controller is proposed based only on bounding values of the unmeasured states and the input ground motion. Both active and semi-active schemes are evaluated by numerical simulations, which show the applicability and performance of the proposed approach.
Ph. D.

This thesis presents a new hybrid active and semi-active control method for vibration suppression in flexible structures. The method uses a combination of a semi-active device and an active control actuator situated elsewhere in the structure to suppress vibrations. The key novelty is to use the hybrid controller to enable the semi-active device to achieve a performance as close to a fully active device as possible. This is accomplished by ensuring that the active actuator can assist the semi-active device in the regions where energy is required. Also, the hybrid active and semi-active controller is designed to minimise the switching of the semi-active controller. The control framework used is the immersion and invariance control technique in combination with a sliding mode control. A two degree-of-freedom system with lightly damped resonances is used as an example system. Both numerical and experimental results are generated for this system and then compared as part of a validation study. The experimental system uses hardware-in-the-loop simulation to simulate the effect of both the degrees-of-freedom. The results show that the concept is viable both numerically and experimentally, and improved vibration suppression results can be obtained for the semi-active device that approaches the performance of an active device. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid controller, it is implemented to keep the contact force constant in the pantograph-catenary system of high-speed trains. A detailed derivation is given after which the simulation results are presented. Then a method to design a reduced order observer using an invariant manifold approach is proposed. The main advantage of this approach is that it enables a systematic design approach, and (unlike most nonlinear observer design methods), it can be generalised over a larger class of nonlinear systems. The method uses specific mapping functions in a way that minimises the error dynamics close to zero. Another important aspect is the robustness property which is due to the manifold attractivity: an important feature when an observer is used in a closed loop control system. The observer design is validated using both numerical simulations and hardware-in-the-loop testing. The proposed observer is then compared with a very well known nonlinear observer based on the off-line solution of the Riccati equation for systems with Lipschitz type nonlinearity. In all cases, the performance of the proposed observer is shown to be excellent.

The buckling of compressively-loaded members is one of the most important factors limiting the overall strength and stability of a structure. I have developed novel techniques for using active control to wiggle a structural element in such a way that buckling is prevented. I present the results of analysis, simulation, and experimentation to show that buckling can be prevented through computer-controlled adjustment of dynamical behavior.sI have constructed a small-scale railroad-style truss bridge that contains compressive members that actively resist buckling through the use of piezo-electric actuators. I have also constructed a prototype actively controlled column in which the control forces are applied by tendons, as well as a composite steel column that incorporates piezo-ceramic actuators that are used to counteract buckling. Active control of buckling allows this composite column to support 5.6 times more load than would otherwise be possible.sThese techniques promise to lead to intelligent physical structures that are both stronger and lighter than would otherwise be possible.

This thesis is in the area of active vibration control of Civil Engineering structures subject to earthquake loading. Existing structural control methods and technologies including passive, active, semi-active and hybrid control are first introduced. An extensive analysis of a frame-pendulum model is developed and analysed to investigate under what conditions effective energy dissipation is achieved in Tuned Mass Damper systems and the limitation of these devices under stiffness degradation when the structure enters the inelastic region. Linear Quadratic Gaussian and H-infinity active control schemes are designed, simulated and assessed for buildings, modelled as lumped parameter systems, including base and actuator dynamics. Various aspects of the designs are extensively evaluated using multiple criteria and loading conditions and validated in large-scale benchmark problems under practical limitations and implementation constraints. A novel design method is proposed for minimising peak responses of regulated signals via a deadbeat parametrisation of all stabilising controllers in discrete-time. The method incorporates constraints on the magnitude and rate of the control signal and is solved via efficient Linear Programming methods. It is argued that this type of optimisation is more relevant for structural control, as failure occurs when maximum member displacements are exceeded. The problem of stiffness matrix estimation from experimental data is formulated as an optimisation problem and solved under various conditions (positive definiteness, tridiagonal structure) via an alternating convex projection scheme. Both static and dynamic loading is considered. The method is finally incorporated in an adaptive control scheme involving the redesign in real-time of an LQR (Linear Quadratic Regulator) active vibration controller. It is shown that the method is successful in recovering the stability and performance properties of the nominal design under conditions of significant uncertainty in the stiffness parameters.

Active control of vibration in structures has been investigated by an increasing number of researchers in recent years. There has been a great deal of theoretical work and some experiment examining the use of point forces for vibration control, and more recently, the use of thin piezoelectric crystals laminated to the surfaces of structures. However, control by point forces is impractical, requiring large reaction masses, and the forces generated by laminated piezoelectric crystals are not sufficient to control vibration in large and heavy structures. The control of flexural vibrations in stiffened structures using piezoceramic stack actuators placed between stiffener flanges and the structure is examined theoretically and experimentally in this thesis. Used in this way, piezoceramic actuators are capable of developing much higher forces than laminated piezoelectric crystals, and no reaction mass is required. This thesis aims to show the feasibility of active vibration control using piezoceramic actuators and angle stiffeners in a variety of fundamental structures. The work is divided into three parts. In the first, the simple case of a single actuator used to control vibration in a beam is examined. In the second, vibration in stiffened plates is controlled using multiple actuators, and in the third, the control of vibration in a ring-stiffened cylinder is investigated. In each section, the classical equations of motion are used to develop theoretical models describing the vibration of the structures with and without active vibration control. The effects of the angle stiffener(s) are included in the analysis. The models are used to establish the quantitative effects of variation in frequency, the location of control source(s) and the location of the error sensor(s) on the achievable attenuation and the control forces required for optimal control. Comparison is also made between the results for the cases with multiple control sources driven by the same signal and with multiple independently driven control sources. Both finite and semi-finite structures are examined to enable comparison between the results for travelling waves and standing waves in each of the three structure types. This thesis attempts to provide physical explanations for all the observed variations in achievable attenuation and control force(s) with varied frequency, control source location and error sensor location. The analysis of the simpler cases aids in interpreting the results for the more complicated cases. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the accuracy of the theoretical models in each section. Trials are performed on a stiffened beam with a single control source and a single error sensor, a stiffened plate with three control sources and a line of error sensors and a ring-stiffened cylinder with six control sources and a ring of error sensors. The experimental results are compared with theory for each structure for the two cases with and without active vibration control.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mechanical Engineering, 1995.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1999?
Copy 2 does not have a CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references (p. 317-330). Also available in an electronic version.

COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
FUNDAÇÃO UNIVERSIDADE DO RIO GRANDE
Neste trabalho estuda-se uma estratégia para o controle ativo não-linear de estruturas flexíveis submetidas a carregamentos dinâmicos. O algoritmo de controle é deduzido com base na teoria de controle ótimo não-linear com realimentação de estado, utilizando uma representação tensorial. Desenvolve-se as equações polinomiais de controle para diferentes ordens, partindo-se do controle linear clássico até um controle não-linear de quinta ordem. A estratégia é particularizada para aplicação em sistemas com um grau de liberdade que apresentem não-linearidades quadráticas e cúbicas, que podem representar, de forma aproximada, a maioria dos elementos estruturais encontrados nas Engenharias Civil e Mecânica, tais como vigas, arcos, placas e cascas. Determina-se analiticamente os coeficientes de ganhos até a terceira ordem, e utiliza-se os mesmos para estudar o feito das forças de controle sobre a não- linearidade e estabilidade do sistema. Vários exemplos numéricos de aplicação são apresentados, utilizando-se diferentes tipos de excitação. Uma atenção especial é dedicada a sistemas caracterizados pela coexistência de dois vales potenciais, um deles correspondente a uma posição de equilíbrio pós- flambagem. A influência do sistema de controle sobre a carga de escape é estudada. O efeito do retardo na aplicação das forças de controle é analisado tanto numericamente como analiticamente, utilizando-se o método das múltiplas escalas para desenvolver expressões que permitem encontrar situações críticas de retardo. Como exemplo de aplicação prática, estuda-se o problema de uma viga flambada submetida a um carregamento dinâmico lateral.
The present thesis studies a strategy for the active non- linear control of dynamically loaded flexible structures. The control method is based on the non-linear optimal control theory using state feedback and the solution of the non-linear optimal control problem is obtained by representing system non-linearities and performance indices by power series with the help of algebraic tensor theory. General polynomial representations of the non-linear control law are obtained up to the fifth order. This methodology is applied to systems with quadratic and cubic nonlinearities, capable of representing most of the elements usually used in civil and mechanical engineering structures, such as beams, plates, shells and arcs. Control gains up to the third order are analytically derived and the effect of the control forces on the system is studied. Special emphasis is placed on systems susceptible to chaotic vibrations, escape from a potential well and dynamic jumps. Several examples are provided to illustrate the control approach. Strongly nonlinear systems subjected to free vibration, simple harmonic excitations, impact and ground acceleration are tested. The variation of the dynamic buckling load with the degree of the control algorithms is studied for the problem of structures with two potential wells, one of them corresponding to a post-buckling equilibrium position. The effect of time delay on controlled systems is studied analytically and numerically. The studied methodology is also applied to control the oscillations of simply supported buckled beams, in order to mitigate the effects of dynamic loading on the vibration amplitudes and prevent dangerous instability phenomena.
En este trabajo estudia se una estrategia para el control activo no-lineal de extructuras flexibles sometidas la cargas dinámicas. EL algoritmo de control es deduzido con base en la teoría de control ótimo no lineal con realimentación de estado, utilizando una representación tensorial. Se dearrollan las ecuaciones polinomiales de control para diferentes órdenes, desde el control lineal clásico hasta el control no lineal de quinta orden. Se particulariza la estrategia para la aplicación en sistemas con un grado de liberdad que presenten no linealidades cuadráticas y cúbicas, que pueden representar, de forma aproximada, la mayoría de los elementos extructurales encontrados en las Ingenierías Civil y Mecánica, tales como vigas, arcos y placas. Se determinan analiticamente los coeficientes de ganancias hasta tercer orden, y se utilizan los mismos para estudiar las fuerzas de control sobre la no linealidad y estabilidad del sistema. Varios ejemplos numéricos de aplicación son presentados, utilizando diferentes tipos de excitación. Atención especial se le dedica a los sistemas caracterizados por la coexistencia de dos vales potenciales, uno de ellos correspondiendo a una posición de equilibrio posflameado. Se estudia también la influencia del sistema de control sobre la carga de escape. EL efecto de retardo en la aplicación de las fuerzas de control se anlaiza tanto numérica como analíticamente, utilizando el método de las múltiples escalas para dearrollar expresiones que permiten encontrar situaciones críticas de retardo. Como ejemplo de aplicación práctica, se estudia el problema de una viga flameada sometida a una carga dinámica lateral.

This thesis describes a series of experimental studies on the use of direct bonding for optical waveguide fabrication. The direct bonding technique involves contacting two ultra-clean polished surfaces to form an adhesive-free vacuum-tight bond. Optical materials bonded in this way can be formed into waveguide devices, and this work extends direct bonding to include periodically poled materials and a new solid-state ion-exchange process. The first result of this work describes the fabrication of a 5.5-mm-long, 12-µm-thick periodically poled LiNbO3 planar waveguide buried in LiTaO3. Frequency doubling experiments performed with this device demonstrate a conversion efficiency of 4.3 %W-1, a value 40% greater than that calculated for an optimised bulk device of similar length. Also demonstrated is a photorefractive iron-doped LiNbO3 waveguide buried in non-photorefractive magnesium-doped LiNbO3. In optical limiting experiments this device demonstrates a change in optical density of 2 and photorefractive response time of 5 milliseconds, representing 20 times greater optical limiting and 60 times faster operational speed than the bulk material. K+-Na+ ion-exchange between direct-bonded glass layers is studied and used as a novel solid-state technique for waveguide fabrication. This process is also developed to incorporate direct-UV-written channel waveguides in an ion-exchanged buried photosensitive glass layer. Finally, operation of a single-mode channel waveguide laser in neodymium-doped photosensitive SGBN glass (based on a composition of silica, germania, boron, and sodium) is demonstrated, with propagation losses of < 0.3 dB cm-1 and milliwatt-order lasing thresholds.

This thesis presents an investigation of the factors controlling the performance of two forms of active vibration control applied to lattice structures, such as those used for space applications. The structure considered is based on a lattice structure assembled by NASA in 1984. It consists of a satellite boom with 93 aluminium members connected rigidly through 33 spherical joints. The structure has two distinct forms of motion which are categorized in terms of short and long wavelength modes. The short wavelength modes occurs when the length of the individual members is a multiple of half wavelength of bending waves. The second category, named long wavelength modes occur when the length of the whole structure is a multiple of half wavelength of waves propagating by longitudinal motion in the structure. Simple expressions are derived to identify the factors that control the frequency bands where short and long wavelength modes occur. It is possible to alter the dynamic behaviour of the system by changing some of the factors in these expressions and thus study the active and passive control of vibration in a variety of such structures. The two strategies of active control considered in the thesis are feedforward control and integral force feedback control. Feedforward control usually requires deterministic forms of disturbance sources while feedback control can be applied to random disturbances. It has been found that short wavelength modes can reduce the performance in the feedback control strategy, while the results of feedforward control are not affected so much. To support this analysis, the energy dissipation and power flow mechanisms in the structure are studied. The results in this thesis are based on numerical simulations and experimental tests which have been used to validate the mathematical model of the structure.

Abstract High energy prices and new environmental policies have made geothermal energy increasingly popular. The EU, including Finland, aims to increase the use of renewable energy resources and reduce carbon emissions. Geothermal energy pile foundations, so-called energy piles, are considered a viable alternative technology for producing energy instead of traditional methods. Geothermal heat pump systems are economically efficient and renewable environmentally friendly energy production systems in which the ground acts as a heat source in winter and as a heat sink in summer. Energy piles are economical systems, as they act as dual-purpose structures in energy production and load transfer from buildings to the ground, avoiding extra expenses in ground boring solely for energy production. However, use of ground heat exchangers (GHE) for energy production in energy piles can result in temperature variations in the pile shaft and surrounding soil, in turn affecting the thermo-mechanical behaviour of pile shaft and soil in both structural and geotechnical terms. Despite large numbers of energy piles being installed, there is still a lack of reliable information and experience about the thermo-mechanical behaviour of these structures and their energy efficiency in cold climates. This thesis investigated the efficiency performance of energy pile foundations and their productivity in cold climates by considering different groundwater flow effects and short-term imbalanced seasonal thermal loadings. The structural and geotechnical bearing capacity of different types of energy piles fitted with GHEs were also evaluated, using numerical models, and the possibility of collapse due to use of thermal systems was examined. Use of the model to compare the performance of different GHEs in terms of their efficiency revealed that at a particular fluid flow rate, double U-tube systems had greater productivity than other systems tested. The results also indicated that using energy piles under medium groundwater flow can improve the productivity of systems by around 20% compared with saturated conditions with no groundwater flow. It was also concluded that in a design context, the structural bearing capacity of piles needs to be reduced due to the additional thermal stresses induced by heating/cooling pile operations
Tiivistelmä Kasvaneet energiakustannukset ja kiristyneet ympäristösäädökset ovat lisänneet geotermisten energiaratkaisujen suosiota. EU, mukaan lukien Suomi, on asettanut tavoitteekseen lisätä uusiutuvien energialähteiden käyttöä ja vähentää hiilidioksidipäästöjä. Geotermistä energiaa hyödyntävä paaluperustukset, niin kutsutut energiapaalut, tarjoavat uudenlaisen teknologian vähäpäästöisen energian tuottamiseen. Geotermiset lämpöpumppujärjestelmät, maalämpöpumput, ovat taloudellisia ja ympäristöystävällisiä energiantuotantomenetelmiä, jotka talviaikaan siirtävät maaperään varastoitunutta energiaa rakennuksen lämmittämiseen ja vastaavasti jäähdyttävät rakennusta kesällä siirtämällä lämpöä maaperään. Energiapaalujen taloudellisuus syntyy siitä, että ne pystyvät palvelemaan rakennusta kahdessa roolissa. Ne ovat osa rakennuksen energiajärjestelmää ja toimivat samalla myös kantavana rakenteena, joka siirtää rakennuksen kuormia perustuksilta maaperään. Lämpöpumppujärjestelmän kytkeminen paaluihin voi johtaa lämpötilan vaihteluun paaluissa sekä niitä ympäröivässä maaperässä, mikä puolestaan vaikuttaa paalujen ja maaperän lämpömekaanisiin, rakenteellisiin sekä geoteknisiin ominaisuuksiin. Vaikka energiapaaluja on asennettu jo paljon, ei paalujen lämpömekaanisesta käyttäytymisestä tai energiatehokkuudesta kylmien ilmastojen alueilla ole vielä paljoa tutkittua tietoa. Tässä väitöstutkimuksessa selvitettiin numeerisesti energiapaalujen rakennuspaikan pohjaolosuhteista riippuvaa tuottopotentiaalia Skandinaavisissa olosuhteissa ja ilmastossa. Tarkastelut kohdistuivat erityisesti pohjavesivirtauksen sekä vuodenaikojen ja ilman lämpötilan vaihtelun vaikutuksiin. Tutkimuksessa arvioitiin myös paalujen lämpötilan vaihtelujen vaikutuksia paalujen geoteknisiin ja rakenteellisiin ominaisuuksia sekä kestävyyteen. Numeeristen simulaatiotulosten perusteella betonipaaluun asennetun U-putkirakenteen avulla saavutetaan paras tuottopotentiaali. Tulokset osoittivat, että kohtalainen pohjaveden virtaus parantaa systeemin tuottoa noin 20 % verrattuna tilanteeseen, jossa vedellä kyllästetyssä maassa ei tapahdu pohjaveden virtausta. Analyysitulokset osoittavat myös, että paalujen lämpötilavaihteluista aiheutuvat lisäjännitykset vähentävät paalujen kantokykyä, mikä tulee ottaa huomioon paalujen mitoituksessa

Flow control of transitional shear flows is investigated by means of numerical simulations. The attenuation of three-dimensional wavepackets of Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) and streaks in the boundary layer is obtained using active control in combination with localised sensors and actuators distributed near the rigid wall. Due to the dimensions of the discretized Navier-Stokes operator, reduced-order models are identified, preserving the dynamics between the inputs and the outputs of the system. Balanced realizations of the system are computed using balanced truncation and system identification. We demonstrate that the energy growth of the perturbations is substantially and efficiently mitigated, using relatively few sensors and actuators. The robustness of the controller is analysed by varying the number of actuators and sensors, the Reynolds number, the pressure gradient and by investigating the nonlinear, transitional case. We show that delay of the transition from laminar to turbulent flow can be achieved despite the fully linear approach. This configuration can be reproduced in experiments, due to the localisation of sensing and actuation devices. The closed-loop system has been investigated for the corresponding twodimensional case by using full-dimensional optimal controllers computed by solving an iterative optimisation based on the Lagrangian approach. This strategy allows to compare the results achieved using open-loop model reduction with model-free controllers. Finally, a parametric analysis of the actuators/ sensors placement is carried-out to deepen the understanding of the inherent dynamics of the closed-loop. The distinction among two different classes of controllers – feedforward and feedback controllers - is highlighted. A second shear flow, a confined turbulent jet, is investigated using particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) modes and Koopman modes via dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) are computed and analysed for understanding the main features of the flow. The frequencies related to the dominating mechanisms are identified; the most energetic structures show temporal periodicity.

QC 20130207

The objective of this dissertation is the vibration and buckling control of piezo-laminated composite structures with surface bonded or embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators by using the finite element analysis and LQR/LQG feedback control techniques. The focus is mainly on two aspects: the finite element part and the active control part. (1) The finite element part:Two finite element formulations for the piezo-laminated beams based on the classical Bernoulli-Euler and the Timoshenko beam theories are developed using the coupled linear piezoelectric constitutive equations, and the Hamilton variation principle. A C0 continuous, shear flexible, eight-node serendipity doubly curved shell element for the piezo-laminated composite plates and shells is also developed based on the layer-wise shear deformation theory, linear piezoelectric coupled constitutive relations, and Hamilton variation principle. The developed elements can handle the transverse shear strains, composite materials, and piezoelectric-mechanical coupling. Higher modes of vibration can then be predicted more precisely for thin to medium-thick multi-layered composite structures. They are evaluated both for the vibration and buckling of beam, plate, and shell structures. (2) The active control part: The suppression of vibration of a cantilever piezo-laminated beam and the control of the first two buckling modes of a simply supported piezo-laminated beam are studied first. Then, the vibration and buckling control of a cantileverpiezo-laminated composite plate are studied. Furthermore, the vibration control of a piezolaminated semicircular cylindrical shell is also studied. The results of the finite element analysis are used to design a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller and a linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) compensator with a dynamic state observer to achieve all the controls. The control design begins with an approximate reduced modal model which can represent the system dynamics with the least system modes. A state space modal model of the smart structure which integrates the host structure with bonded piezoelectric sensors and actuators, is then used to design the control system. The designed LQR/LQG feedback controls are shown to be successful in suppressing the vibration and stabilizing the buckling modes of structures. Both the finite element analysis and the active control simulation results are consistent with the existing theoretical analysis results and the experimental data in the literature. Some important conclusions and interesting observations are obtained.
L'objectif de cette thése est le contrôle de la vibration et de flambage à l'aide de l'analyse par éléments finis et LQR/LQG technologies de contrôle de rétroaction pour les structures composites stratifiées piézo-électriques qui sont liés ou incorporés de surface de capteurs et d'actionneurs piézoélectriques. Il ya principalement deux parties ciblées. La partie des éléments finis : Deux formulations éléments finis pour les poutres laminées piézo-basé sur le classique d'Euler-Bernoulli et la théorie des poutres de Timoshenko, respectivement, linéaires couplées piézoélectriques équations constitutives, et le principe de variation de Hamilton sont développés. Un C0 continue, cisaillement flexible, à huit nuds élément de coque à double courbure sérendipité pour les plaques piézocomposites stratifiés et de coquillages est également dérivée basée sur la théorie de la couche-sage déformation de cisaillement, linéaires piézo-électriques couplés relations constitutives mécaniques, et le principe de variation de Hamilton. Toute la poutre, plaque, et des éléments de coque développés ont considéré la rigidité, de masse et les effets de couplage électromécanique du capteur piézo-électrique et les couches de l'actionneur. Les éléments de structure développéssont capables de traiter les effets non linéaires de déformation en cisaillementtransversal et la non-linéarité des matériaux composites, piézoélectrique-mécanique d'accouplement, et peut prévoir plus précisément les modes supérieurs de vibration, et peut être appliquée à partir de minces d'épaisseur moyenne structures composites multicouches. Ils sont évalués à la fois les vibrations et analyse de flambage de la poutre, plaque, et structures en coque. La partie de commande actif : La vibration de supprimer d'un porte à faux piézo-collé poutre, les deux premiers modes de flambement contrôle d'un appui simple piézo-collé poutre, et la vibration et le flambage contrôle de la charge d'un cantilever piézoélectrique stratifié plaque composite sont étudiés. Les résultats de l'analyse par éléments finis sont utilisés pour concevoir un régulateur linéaire quadratique (LQR) contrôleur et un linéaire quadratique gaussienne (LQG) compensateur avec un observateur d'état dynamique pour atteindre toutes les commandes. Les conceptions de commandes commencent par une méthode modale modle pour déterminer un modle modal réduit approximative qui peut représenter la dynamique du systme avec les modes les moins systme inclus. Un modle modal espace d'état de la structure intelligente qui a intégré la structure d'accueil d'colléscapteurs et d'actionneurs piézoélectriques, est ensuite utilisé pour concevoir le systme de contrôle. Les contrôles visant commentaires LQR/LQG sont avérés succs dans la suppression de la vibration et de stabiliser les modes de flambement des structures. Tant l'analyse par éléments finis et les résultats de simulation de contrôle actives sont compatibles avec les résultats existants d'analyse théoriques et les données expérimentales de la littérature. Quelques conclusions importantes et des observations intéressantes sont obtenues.

It has become commonplace for discrete passive or active elements to be added to Structures to mitigate against vibration. More recently, semi-active damping has been a focus of research. Semi- active systems are attractive due to their performance, low cost, power consumption and control stability. In this thesis we consider how passive and semi-active damping systems may he designed to mitigate against. vibration in base-excited structures. initially we consider the base isolation of a single degree-of-freedom system. The optimality of the common sky-hook switching controller is assessed and its control form is generalised. Numerical and theoretical studies identify the optimal form of switching control and a linear switching surface controller is proposed which is found to achieve performance close to optimal. We propose the new design methodology of quasi-active damping . The motivation for this method is to approach the levels of performance obtainable using fully active systems whilst retaining the desirable attribute of semi- active systems, A quasiactive suspension design is proposed and validated in simulation. It is found that this system call produce a quasi-active region in the frequency response of very low displacement transmissibility. This study is then extended to consider how quasi-active systems should be designed specifically for use with magnetorheological dampers. The influence of external passive damping on 2:1 internal resonance in stay cables is examined. An efficient, low-order damped nonlinear cable model is derived and used to numerically generate stability boundaries. These are used to assess how damping should be designed to mitigate against this excitation mechanism. We then study the optimality of dipped-optimal LQR control in the semi-active clamping of cables. We propose the addition of all extra term to the cost function to encourage the control output. To satisfy the semi-active constraint. Finally we study the feasibility of real-time dynamic substructuring as a technique for the experimental testing of damped stay cables.

The natural capacity of DNA for molecular self-assembly has already been exploited to create DNA based tiles which can self-assemble into nano-scale arrays and carry out nano-scale computation. Thus far, however, all such self-assembly has been passive, in the sense that the binding capacities of a tile are never altered throughout the assembly. The idea of active tiles, tiles that can send signals to each other and activate latent binding sites, has been proposed but never incorporated into a formal model. Here, I present an extension of the existent abstract tile assembly model by defining an active tile assembly and give a detailed example of an aperiodic set of active tiles which hierarchically produces a self-similar L-shape tiling. This yields a technique utilizing active tiles for the assembly of aperiodic self-similar shapes.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-73).
This thesis proposes guidelines for designing kinetic architectural structures, in which rules based on shape grammars, are used for motion capturing and design. There is an increasing demand for adaptive architecture that reconfigures itself physically to meet functional or climatic changes. These guidelines provide a way for the architect to describe and design novel kinetic structures based on s/he already has to meet required physical reconfigurations in these structures. Based on Shape Grammars, the rule A -> t(A) is introduced as a design guideline for designing kinetic architectural structures. (A) means here an Active Shape, that is a physical shape with motion observed or created by the designer. The Active Shape (A) could be composed from one physical component or several physical components together. t(A) means a new Active Shape produced by applying one or more transformations t on the original Active Shape to produce a novel motion. These transformations could be (1) a transformation of the arrangement of the components of the Active Shape, (2) a transformation of the motion control means between the components of the Active Shape, such as actuators, hinges and linkages, (3) a transformation of the geometry of the components of the Active Shape and any other applicable transformations such as a transformation in the materiality of the components of Active Shape (A). In order to test the abovementioned guidelines; two design experiments were set up, (1) a workshop with a group of students and (2) a self-study. The workshop consisted of four stages: two design stages and two reporting stages after each design stage. The participants were provided with samples of Active Shapes (A), and they were asked n the first stage to choose one active shape with two arrangements of its components, and design with this active shape a kinetic structure. After reporting what he designed, each participant was then asked to take a kinetic structure from the other participants and apply a transformation on the active shape of this structure, and then report what s/he has done. The self-study consisted of 2 projects designed by the author.
by Dina E. El-Zanfaly.
S.M.

The fast growing and proven offshore wind energy industry provides the motivation for this study, in particular the prediction and control of scour around foundations. This thesis is concerned with the impact of the dynamic behaviour of marine structures (such as wind turbines) on scour and scour protection around foundations in non-cohesive and cohesive beds. Firstly, to investigate the potential of pile cyclic movement, a range of cases were tested in non-cohesive sediment. These concluded with a very long, multi stage test simulating the exposure of a monopile to a sequence of storm and calm weather conditions. The results have been verified at two scales and for two sand sizes. In cohesive beds, formation of a gap between the pile and the bed, and creation of a waterjet-like system was observed. For scour protection over non-cohesive beds, two rock sizes and one filter system were tested. A range of frequencies and amplitudes of cyclic movement of the pile were covered through the programme. For hydrodynamic conditions, unidirectional clear water currents were tested to isolate the impact of pile cyclic loading and minimize the effects of other factors. The study results in a number of significant findings. Firstly, in non-cohesive beds the cyclic movement of the pile alters the geometry of the standard scour hole, resulting in growth of the scour hole in both depth and extent. This growth is likely to continue progressively. In cohesive beds (clay-sand mixtures) the pile cyclic movement results in removal of clay particles and development of a scour hole under a flow velocity as low as the critical velocity of the sand particles used in the mixtures. For scour protection, a new failure mechanism has been detected under the effect of pile cyclic movement. The project has introduced post equilibrium scour as a significant and vital part in the scour process that, in addition to the pile cyclic movement, can be driven by other parameters. Prediction of post equilibrium scour will reduce the uncertainty in the current approaches to scour prediction and introduce a more efficient and sophisticated design methodology.

This dissertation studies the feedback control of the dynamic response of multi-story structures to seismic excitations. The seismic excitations are represented by arbitrary unknown stochastic disturbances. The research consists of modeling of the structure with a control system and a control design in the state space. A combination of the extended Hamilton's principle and the Hierarchical Finite Element Method (HFEM) was used to derive the discrete differential equations of motion. This method exhibits superior accuracy with fewer degrees of freedom (DOF). The discrete equation were realized in the state space, where the Multiple Channel Control (MCC) model, the Single Channel Control (SCC) model and the Special Single Channel Control (SSCC) model were proposed. The MCC model is a general multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) dynamic system; the SSCC model is a single input/multiple output (SIMO) dynamic system; which requires only one actuator acting on the base; the SCC model has duality. On one hand, the system can be classified as MIMO when control actuators are regarded as the input. On the other hand, it can be regarded as a SIMO system when control signal as the input. Moreover, three different types of control methodologies, the Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control, the Disturbance Accommodating Control (DAC), and the hybrid LQG/DAC approaches, were successfully developed to actively mitigate the vibration of the multi-story structures subjected to the seismic disturbance. In addition, the Kalman filter was used as an optimal observer to estimate the state of the system in the LQG and the LQG/DAC design. Finally a numerical simulation of a four-story structure was carried out under nine cases. The cases covered various combinations of the three models and the three control designs to verify the effectiveness of control technique developed in this study. The simulation results found were quite encouraging. The results show each combination has its preponderance corresponding to special priority. In general, the hybrid LQG/DAC control in conjunction with the SSCC model is the best choice.
Ph. D.