Optimal stabilization of plate buckling

Optimal design equations are developed to actively stabilize plates loaded in excess of the critical buckling load using large numbers of sensors and actuators. This optimal design approach is coupled with finite element models to capture the complex dynamics and buckling modes of these systems. Important features of this problem include the instability of critically loaded plates and the ability to select the designed closed loop critical buckling load. The method presented stresses the limits of this form of centralized, optimal control design. Optimal controllers are designed to stabilize critically loaded, laminated composite plates similar to those found in aircraft wing skins. Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and smart materials are considered for use as sensors and actuators due to their light weight and ease of surface application. The controllers and control architectures developed are shown to be capable of increasing the load capacity by up to a factor of two and stabilizing four, or more, buckling modes. The feasibility of the MEMS-based central architectures employed are evaluated and the resulting tradeoffs presented. The level of actuator authority and sensor precision required to create practical implementations is explicitly determined for the examples presented.