Optimal Control of Adaptive/Smart Bridge Structures

Through the use of active controllers, a structure can modify its behavior during dynamic loadings such as impact, wind, or earthquake loadings. Such structures with self-modification capabilities are called smart structures. The smart-structure technology will have enormous consequences in terms of preventing loss of life and damage to structure and its content specially for large structures with hundreds of members. In this paper, a computational model is presented for active control of large adaptive structures subjected to dynamic loadings such as impact, wind, and earthquake loadings. The governing differential equations of the open-loop and closed-loop systems are formulated, and a recursive approach is presented for computing the response of the structure. A robust parallel-vector algorithm is developed for the recursive solution of the response of the open-loop and closed-loop systems. The computational model is applied to active control of large bridge structures. Three different schemes are investigated for optimal placement of controllers in bridge structures. Results are presented for three types of bridge structures: single-span, multispan continuous, and curved steel-truss bridges.