Enhanced hybrid control of a rotational flexible beam with nonlinear differentiator and PZT actuators

In this paper, an enhanced hybrid control algorithm is proposed to control the rotation of a flexible beam while suppressing the beam's vibration. The control law combines an enhanced PD feedback with nonlinear differentiator to derive high-quality velocity signal to control gross motion of the beam, and a vibration control by PZT actuators bonded on the surface of the beam. The significance of the proposed method are threefold: i) The enhanced PD control is a non-model based control, and appears to be more robust against the noise; ii) The linear velocity in contrast the angular velocity is used in the PZT actuator control, a signal which is easily available; iii) A unique solution is provided for examination of actuator placement, based on the analysis of mode shape functions. Experimental results validate these theoretical analyses.