Robust Control and Fidelity Assessment of Real-Time Hybrid Substructuring of Contact Problems

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Daniel J. Rixen
• Subject Area: Automation, Mechatronics, Control Systems, Intelligent Technical Systems, Robotics
• Term: from 2020 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 450801414

Real-Time Hybrid Substructuring (RTHS, also often referred to as Hardware-in-the-Loop on mechanical level) is a method to test critical components under realistic conditions. The dynamical system with which the critical component interacts is simulated numerically while the component itself is tested on the test bench. Force and displacement information are exchanged between the component on the test bench and the remaining system in the numerical simulation in real-time. The goal is to emulate the dynamics of the overall dynamical system. This research project deals with method development for RTHS to achieve two main goals: Firstly, the existing control methods will be expanded such that engineering applications with contact can be tested. RTHS is prone to instability as the actuator moving the experimental part introduces its own dynamics. Existing methods in RTHS can not cope with mechanical contact, as the system properties of the dynamical system under test change rapidly at the moment of contact. Secondly, the fidelity of RTHS tests needs to be assessed. When performing RTHS tests, a reference dynamic behavior of the full dynamical system is not available and thus it is not straightforward to determine how well the RTHS test replicates the true dynamic behavior. Using the measurement data from the coupling procedure, a fidelity assessment will be set up.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants