Self-Diagnosis and Self-Repair of an Active Tensegrity Structure

This paper focuses on the study of tensegrity active control in situations of partially defined loading and damage events. Self-diagnosis and self-repair methodologies are proposed and validated experimentally on a full-scale active tensegrity structure. Self-diagnosis involves load identification and damage location. The response of the structure to a load and damage is measured and compared with the response of the structure to candidate solutions for load and damage. Self-diagnosis solutions result in sets of candidate solutions for loads and damage. These solutions are employed to compute control commands of shape control and self-repair for the structure. Self-repairing control commands increase stiffness and decrease stresses with respect to the damaged state. Self-repairing control commands are computed using a multiobjective approach. The application of a control command results in self-stress modifications by changing the length of active struts. The proposed methodologies are attractive for tensegrity active control in situations of partially defined loading and damage events.