Sliding Mode Control for Seismically Excited Linear Structures

Continuous sliding mode control (CSMC) methods, which do not have an undesirable chattering effect, are presented for applications to seismically excited linear structures. These control methods are robust with respect to parametric uncertainties of the structure. The controllers have no adverse effect should actuators be saturated due to unexpected extreme earthquakes. Static output controllers using only a limited number of sensors without an observer are also presented. When a controller is installed in each story unit of a building, a complete compensation of the structural response can be achieved and the response state vector can be reduced to zero. The performance and robustness of the control methods, the applications of the static output controllers, and the control effectiveness in case of actuator saturations are all demonstrated by numerical simulation results. Simulation results demonstrate that the CSMC methods presented are viable and attractive control strategies for applications to seismically excited linear structures.