Tracking control for electro-hydraulic actuator using ZPETC

Hydraulic actuator is widely used in industrial applications because it exhibits linear movements, fast response, smooth reversal and accurate positioning of heavy load. The torque to inertia ratio is also large which resulting high acceleration capability. Reducing the position tracking error of the hydraulic system is a very challenging task. This paper presents the development and implementation of Zero Phase Error Tracking Control (ZPETC) in controlling the position variation of electro-hydraulic actuator. The electro-hydraulic system mathematical model was approximated using system identification technique with non-minimum phase system being considered. The studies were done using Matlab Simulink environment. The simulated tracking performance was validated with the real-time system. The tracking root mean squared error for real-time system was slightly higher than the simulation due to plant-model mismatch. Both results provide good performances in tracking control.