Maximizing tolerable disturbances in a coupled structural system using a QFT like method

Concerns the control of near field and far field acoustic signatures resulting from structural vibrations of a submarine hull. A methodology outlined by Jayasuriya (1992) was used to design two different controllers to reject disturbances while still satisfying constraints on the magnitudes of the output and the control force. The coupled structure system for which the controllers were designed was able to be controlled with a good margin of safety. The bound on the control force was the most difficult to reach, and maximum persistent disturbances of 31.7 N and 26 N were found for the two systems considered. Controllers designed using this methodology will be able to control systems with lightly damped modes of vibration. This can be accomplished while satisfying constraints on the system. These constraints represent limited actuation capabilities and real constraints on the magnitude of the vibration. This methodology also indicates whether constraints on the system are too restrictive by giving a set of bounds which cannot be met