Control design for seismically excited buildings: sensor and actuator reliability

In this paper we present control design methods that provide desirable leve ls of performance and simultaneously account for actuator and sensor reliab ility (or malfunction) for buildings under seismic excitations. Performance is defined in terms of the disturbance attenuation (i.e. L-2 gain) from th e disturbances to the controlled outputs of the system. The reliability of actuators and sensors refers to the deviation of actual control forces or a ctual sensor measurements from their ideal levels. Simulation results for a six-storey building are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the contr ol analysis and design method presented. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & So ns, Ltd.