STIFFENING CONTROL OF A CLASS OF NONLINEAR AFFINE SYSTEMS

A control procedure is proposed for dealing with the active stiffening motion of a class of flexible structures characterized by nonlinear a ffine dynamics. Based on recent developments in the area of differenti al geometry, the procedure allows for determining the critical area fo r placing a sensor on a given flexible structure beyond which a centra lized controller located on the rigid part becomes ineffective. This i s used subsequently for locating instrumentation devices and hardware components on the elastic parts of the system. Numerical simulations a re carried out to assess the validity of the theoretical framework. Se veral meaningful results are obtained, and propositions for further fi ndings are outlined.