Backstepping adaptive control for real-time hybrid simulation including servo-hydraulic dynamics

A backstepping adaptive control method is proposed for on-line estimation of unknown servo-hydraulic dynamics and the compensation of time-varying lags in real-time hybrid simulation tests. The response tracking problem becomes a critical challenge when realistic experimental conditions are taken into consideration, such as control-structure interaction effects and sensor measurement noise. Unlike a conventional time-lag compensator, the proposed adaptive controller generates a command trajectory for the actuated system according to adaptive laws. Besides bringing response tracking error to zeros, the estimation of a first-principle actuator dynamic model is also facilitated in the proposed approach. Lyapunov stability analysis is systematically presented for designing the adaptive control law. Illustratively, a three-story seismically excited structure with different control strategies is utilized to demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the proposed controller. A benchmark problem is then utilized for the verification of controller's advancement. Four simulation cases with different damping/mass conditions and four ground excitation scenarios are selected for the application. As stated, favorable tracking performance has been observed with a remarkable improvement in performance evaluation.