Digital Wireless Solutions for Structural Control

Abstract

The authors have access to an existing laboratory facility which has been used to validate different control schemes. The three-storey steel frame is mounted on a single-axis shaking table simulating the ground excitation. Four single-axis wired accelerometers were mounted on each level (ground and floors of the frame). A mass cart driven by a DC motor, a DC motor position analog controller, and a controller board complete the early bed-test realization. Recently wireless sensor links and a digital position controller were introduced to update the AMD performance. In this paper the frame specimen is simulated by a numerical model allowing the authors to design and test the control laws without any risk of damaging the physical model.