Fast maneuver control design for flexible structures using concentrated masses

A method is presented for generating a near-minimum-time control input for flexible structures with the objective of minimizing the maneuver time and the residual energy of the flexible modes. The control design is based on the time-optimal control for the rigid-body mode, which is a bang–bang control with one switching time. The induced vibration due to control spillover to the flexible modes is eliminated through the addition of a concentrated mass placed along the flexible element of the structure. The addition of a concentrated mass at a certain distance along the flexible element of the structure results in a modification of the dynamic characteristics of the structure so that the flexible modes are not excited by the bang–bang control input. Numerical simulations as well as experimental results are provided to demonstrate and validate the effectiveness of the proposed control design method.