Tensegrity structures are spatial, discrete and lightweight structures that are composed of struts in compression and pre-stressed cables. Stability is provided by the self-stress state between elements independently of external actions. Tensegrity structures are attractive due to their potential for deployability, ease of tuning and high precision control. Since tensegrity structures have highly coupled behavior, placement of actuators is a primary concern when designing active control systems. This study investigates the active control performance of cable members of a tensegrity bridge. The actuation efficiencies of cable members are evaluated through a multi-criteria approach. The configuration of the control system is thus identified through outranking candidate active members. A multi-objective damage tolerance strategy is then proposed and optimally directed control solutions are identified using stochastic search. Case studies for several damage scenarios are examined to validate results. The most efficient active cable configuration is compared with that needed for deployment. This study is divided into two phases. After the description of a 16m-span tensegrity bridge, optimally directed locations of active cables are determined in the first phase. Secondly, a procedure to ensure damage tolerance of the structure is proposed. The multi-objective self-repair procedure provides damage tolerance minimizing both maximum deflections in the structure and stresses in the structural members. Results indicate that the control strategy for deployment is a near-optimal solution for damage tolerance. The proposed methodology is applicable to a range of complex active structures.
Tensegrity structures are spatial, reticulate and lightweight systems composed of struts and cables. Stability is provided by a self-stress state between tensioned and compressed elements. Tensegrities have received interest among scientists and engineers in fields such as architecture, civil and aerospace engineering. Flexibility and ease of tuning make these systems attractive for controllable and adaptive structures. However, tensegrities are often prone to difficulties associated with meeting serviceability criteria and with providing adequate damage tolerance when used as civil engineering structures. This paper extends research on active control of tensegrity structures to study self-repair of a tensegrity pedestrian bridge that is damaged. Selfrepair is intended to meet safety and serviceability requirements in case of cable damage in the pedestrian bridge. Intelligent control methodologies that implement stochastic search with active member grouping are proposed. Case studies for several damage scenarios are presented to show the effectiveness of the methodology. Results from simulated damage scenarios show that self-repair can be successfully performed with a minimum number of active members leading to reductions in control complexity.
Tensegrity structures are attractive due to their potential for deployability, ease of tuning and high precision control. Since tensegrity structures have highly coupled behavior, placement of actuators is a primary concern when designing active control systems. This study investigates the active control performance of cable members of a tensegrity bridge. The actuation efficiencies of cable members are evaluated through a multi-criteria approach. The configuration of the control system is thus identified through outranking candidate active members. A multi-objective damage tolerance strategy is then proposed and optimally directed control solutions are identified using stochastic search. Case studies for several damage scenarios are examined to validate results. The most efficient active cable configuration is compared with that needed for deployment. Results indicate that the control strategy for deployment is a near-optimal solution for damage tolerance.
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