Structural Control by Temporal Finite Elements

Abstract

The shape control of structural systems using the temporal finite element method (TFEM) is addressed in this work. In particular, the standard time marching TFEM is used to predict the displacements of each degree of freedom (DOF) at the end of a given time interval. If these displacements do not exceed the limits imposed on the structure for serviceability, safety, etc., then the displacements for the next time step are computed. If, however, any of the displacements exceed their limit, a control velocity is computed and applied at the beginning of the time interval for each DOF exceeding its limit. The magnitude and direction of this velocity are such as to render the displacement at the end of the time interval equal to the limit value. An example of a two-degree-of-freedom system serves to illustrate this methodology.