Computer-Aided VSS Control Validation for a Rotating Flexible Link Manipulator Using ANSYS

This paper presents a design methodology for controllers of flexible structures based on uncertain modeling techniques. The particular problem which is addressed is the control of a single flexible link planar manipulator. An extremely simple control strategy is derived by treating the effects of compliance as an uncertain torque about which no a priori knowledge is assumed other than a bound. However, because the torque is modeled as an uncertainty, we must perform computer-aided validation of our design using a finite-element model for our manipulator. Hitherto, the finite- element package ANSYS has been widely used as a modeling/analysis tool for flexible structures. However, developments in the ANSYS (version 4.3 and later) allow the interfacing of external programs with the analysis package, thereby enabling closed- loop control strategies to be tested.