Control, Optimization, and Smart Structures High-Performance Bridges and Buildings of the Future

Through the use of active controllers a structure can modify its behavior during dynamic loading. Such structures with self-modification capability are called adaptive or smart structures. In this cutting-edge cross-disciplinary book, computational models and algorithms are presented for active control of a new generation of large adaptive structures subjected to various types of dynamic loading such as impact, wind, earthquake, and blast loading. This is achieved through ingenious integration of five different disciplines/technologies: control, optimization, sensor/actuator technology, structural engineering, and high-performance computing. With the rapid and continuous improvement of the sensor/actuator technology as well as the increase in the processing power of computers, Control, Optimization, and Smart Structures lays the foundation for a new generation of high-performance structures where sensors, actuators, and microprocessors sense their environment, measure the resulting dynamic effects, and react to compensate for and reduce their destructive consequences.