Adaptive control of space truss structures by piezoelectric actuator

Control/structure interaction problems are much concerned with the attitude stability of space structures and the accuracies of on-board instruments as the sizes and flexibilities of structures increase. In this paper, an attempt to integrate collocated actuators and sensors into truss structures and to suppress the vibration or to adjust the truss geometry is investigated. For both functions of vibration suppression and shape adjustment, piezoelectric actuator Type-I was manufactured. And, for the purpose of increasing the abilities of vibration suppression, another type of actuator (Type-II) was designed. Some experimental results and analyses show the capabilities of vibration suppression and precise adjustment of truss geometry by these piezoelectric actuators.