Robust Control of a Smart beam with Piezoelectric Actuators

In this paper, a robust control system is developed for a flexible beam with piezoelectric actuators (called Smart Beam). The active control system of smart beam satisfied desired properties for all admissible measurement and plant noises, disturbances and model uncertainties. Thus it is the best candidate for sensitive industrial, medical and etc. robot arms and bases a new concept in the use of smart structures in robotics. The Frequency Response Function (FRF) of the smart beam was obtained from a Finite Element (FE) model. The corresponding transfer function was derived from the Mu synthesis and several control schemes were then designed to suppress the vibration. Results showed the effectiveness of the control system in noise and disturbance rejection. Also, the control system performance in presence of plant uncertainties is studied. A comparative study showed significant advantages of the robust controller over conventional controllers.