A numerical-substructure-based approach for the synthesis and control of isolated structure dynamically substructured systems

Innovative numerical-substructure-based (NB) approach for the control and performance testing of a nonlinear base-isolated structure dynamically substructured system is presented. Dynamic substructuring enables a full-size, critical component of an entire system to be physically tested, whilst the remaining parts are simulated numerically. Successful tests require a high-quality controller to compensate for unwanted dynamics introduced by additional actuator system(s) within the physical substructure, and to achieve synchronized outputs of the numerical and physical components in real-time. The NB framework supports both the state-space and transfer-function control methods to be applied, requiring no a priori information of the physical components' parameters, thus simplifying the dynamics and control synthesis procedure. Simulation studies of the isolated structure, which includes roller pendulum systems and nonlinear magnetorheological dampers, verify the effectiveness of the proposed NB substructuring strategies.