Tools for analysis of control-structure interaction

The authors discuss some of the aspects of coupling computer methods in control system analysis with those in structural dynamics. This analysis is often called control-structure interaction (CSI). A strong emphasis is placed on the use of appropriate structural representations and the related issue of reducing the size of the structural model while retaining an accurate dynamic description. These methods are implemented in a computer code called CO-ST-IN, developed by SDRC for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States. A model of NASA´s Space Station Freedom, with various control systems, is presented as an example