Short Outline on Controlled and Active Systems

Abstract

The recent developments in the fields of electronics, information, and control systems made it possible to tackle dynamic problems of structures in a new and often more effective way. While the traditional approach for reducing dynamic stressing has always been that of changing (usually increasing) the stiffness of the structure or adding damping, now control systems that are able either to adapt the behaviour of the structure to the changing dynamic requirement or to fight vibrations directly by applying adequate dynamic forces to the structure are increasingly common. This trend is widespread in all fields of structural mechanics, with civil, mechanical, and aeronautical engineering applications. Just to remember some applications, structural control has been successfully attempted in tall buildings and bridges, machine tools, aeronautics, bearing systems for rotating machinery, robots, space structures, and ground vehicles. In the last case, the term active suspensions has even become popular among the general public.