Comparison of controller designs for an experimental flexible structure

Control system design and hardware testing are addressed for an experimental structure displaying the characteristics of a typical large flexible spacecraft. The practical aspects associated with designing and implementing various control design methodologies for a real system are described, and the results are given. The design methodologies under investigation include linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) control, static and dynamic dissipative control, and H/sub infinity / optimal control. The merit of each design is based on its capacity for vibration suppression, its stability robustness characteristics with respect to unmodeled dynamics, and its ease of design and implementation. Among the three controllers considered, it is shown, through computer simulation and laboratory experiments, that the dynamic dissipative controller gives the best results.<
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