Online adaptive algorithm for optimal control of structures subjected to travelling loads

Summary The problem of adaptive optimal semiactive control of a structure subjected to a moving load is studied. The control is realised by a change of damping of the structure's supports. The results presented in the previous works of the authors demonstrate that switched optimal controls can be very efficient at reducing the vibration levels of the structure. On the other hand, these controls exhibit a high sensitivity to changes of the speed of the travelling load. The aim of this paper is to develop an algorithm that enables real‐time adaptation of the optimal controls according to both the measured speed of the travelling load and the estimated state of the structure. The control objective is to provide smooth passage for the vehicles and reduce the material stresses on the carrying structures. The designed adaptive algorithm uses reference optimal controls computed for constant speeds and a set of functions describing the sensitivity of the system dynamics to the measured parameters. The convergence of the algorithm, as well as aspects of its implementation, is studied. The performance of the proposed method is validated by means of numerical simulations conducted for different travelling speed scenarios. In the assumed objective functional, the proposed adaptive controller can outperform the reference optimal solutions by over 50%. The practicality of the proposed method should attract the attention of practising engineers.