Decentralized Structural Control Strategies with Wireless Sensing and Actuation

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this research is to develop novel structural control methods that take advantage of advanced sensing and wireless communication technology. The key intellectual merit of this research is the development of structural control methods that are ideally suited for embedment in a wireless sensing and control system defined by a distributive computational architecture. Specifically, decentralized control strategies will be developed to address the issues of communication range, bandwidth and latency of a wireless sensing and control network. Deliverables include new and novel decentralized control schemes such as a market-based strategy that models the control problem as a commodity market, simulation results of the structural control methods, and experimental validation of combining decentralized controls and wireless sensing and actuation technologies. Large-scale experimental tests will be conducted with international collaborators to evaluate and validate this research and development effort. This research is expected to enhance the safety and performance of civil structures on one hand and expand the utilization of wireless communication technology to structural engineering practice on the other. This research will demonstrate how low-cost wireless devices could be incorporated to mitigate excessive vibration effects caused by dynamics loads reliably and economically. The wireless sensing and actuation devices and structural control experiments will be demonstrated to graduate and undergraduate students and to the broader educational communities through Stanford?s web sites with videos and instruction kits and also through lectures, publications and workshops. The multi-disciplinary nature of the project will provide opportunities to educate future structural engineers to have better understanding of issues related to wireless communication and information and their effective utilization in the practice of structural engineering.