Distributed Modeling of Structural Systems Based on Finite Element Methods with Application to an Actuated Beam

摘要

In structural engineering as well as other engineering disciplines the finite element approach is widely used to model systems described by partial differential equations. One difficulty in using these models for controller design results from the large number of states these models tend to have, and from their lumped structure. A recently proposed modified finite element approach, which is based on the framework of infinite dimensional spatially interconnected systems, is here extended to finite dimensional systems interconnected over arbitrary graphs. One benefit of this modeling approach is its flexibility in handling nonhomogeneities within the structure as well as boundary conditions. In order to verify the applicability of this modeling framework experimentally, it is applied to a test bench consisting of a thin aluminum beam.