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This thesis presents the design of various closed-loop real-time control of a novel linear magnetostrictive actuator. The novel linear magnetostrictive actuator which uses Terfenol-D as the magnetostrictive material was developed by Sadighi. It solves the problem of power consumption in a conventional magnetostrictive actuator. However, the control system of this magnetostrictive actuator cannot control the current in the coils, which limits the performances of the real-time position control. In the closed-loop real-time control system proposed in this thesis, the controller is designed depending on the change of current. The closed-loop real-time control design focused on the position control of the active element in the novel linear magnetostrictive actuator. The closed-loop position-control system of the linear magnetostrictive actuator was successfully designed by implementing a closed-loop current-control system as an inner loop of the entire control system. This design offers the flexibility to design various position controllers in the closed-loop position-control system. The closed-loop current-control design uses pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal to change the current in the coils of the novel linear magnetostrictive actuator. By changing the duty ratio of the PWM signal, the current in the coils can be changed from zero to its maximum value. With a current controller using an integrator with a gain of 10, the current can be controlled with high response time and an error of /- 0.01 A. The position-controller design was successfully conducted by using four different approaches. First, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller which was designed by relay-auto tuning method with experiments exhibited a position error of ±1 μm with a 5 μm peak-to-peak position noise. Second, a PID controller which was designed by root-locus can control the position with a position error of /- 3-4 μm with a 5 μm peak-to-peak position noise. Third, a linear variable velocity controller exhibited a position error of /-5 μm with a 5 mu m peak-to-peak position noise. Then, the sliding mode control (SMC) exhibited a position error of /-5 μm with a 5 μm peak-to-peak position noise.

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The machining of materials on micrometer and sub-micrometer scale is considered the technology of the future. The current techniques for micro manufacturing mostly are silicon based. These manufacturing techniques are not suitable for use in demanding applications like aerospace and biomedical industries. Micro electrochemical machining (μECM) removes material while holding micron tolerances and μECM can machine hard metals and alloys. This study aims at developing a novel μECM utilizing high frequency voltage pulses and closed loop control. Stainless steel SS-316L and copper alloy CA-173 were chosen as the workpiece materials. A model was developed for material removal rate. The research studied the effect of various parameters such as voltage, frequency, pulse ON/OFF time, and delay between pulses of the stepper motor on the machined profiles. Experimental data on small drilled holes agreed with theoretical models within 10%. Micro burrs can be effectively removed by optimal μECM. A sacrificial layer helped to improve the hole profile since it reduced 43% of corner rounding.

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Optimisation of a fed-batch fermentation process typically uses the calculus of variations or Pontryagin's maximum principle to determine an optimal feed rate profile. This often results in a singular control problem and an open loop control structure. The singular feed rate is the optimal feed rate during the singular control period and is used to control the substrate concentration in the fermenter at an optimal level. This approach is supported by biological knowledge that biochemical reaction rates are controlled by the environmental conditions in the fermenter; in this case, the substrate concentration. Since an accurate neural net-based on-line estimation of the substrate concentration has recently become available and is currently employed in industry, we are therefore able to propose a method which makes use of this estimation. The proposed method divides the optimisation problem into two parts. First, an optimal substrate concentration profile which governs the biochemical reactions in the fermentation process is determined. Then a controller is designed to track the obtained optimal profile. Since the proposed method determines the optimal substrate concentration profile, the singular control problem is therefore avoided because the substrate concentration appears nonlinearly in the system equations. Also, the process is then operated in closed loop control of the substrate concentration. The proposed method is then called "closed loop optimal control". The proposed closed loop optimal control method is then compared with the open loop optimal feed rate profile method. The comparison simulations from both primary and secondary metabolite production processes show that both methods give similar performance in a case of perfect model while the closed loop optimal control provides better performance than the open loop method in a case of plant/model mismatch. The better performance of the closed loop optimal control is due to an ability to compensate for the modelling errors using feedback.

Racing drivers always want to traverse path at vehicle’s maximum performance limits while keeping the vehicle at its ideal trajectory. The main objective of this report is to elaborate strategy for the path following problem in which driver has to follow the predefined 2D roads. New steering controller design for closed loop racing driver model in Dymola vehicle dynamics library is developed. The methodology proposed by Sharp et al. [2] is followed with the optimal velocity profile that tries to mimic the actions of the real drivers in real time scenarios. Vehicle handling limits i.e. longitudinal and lateral limits are defined before simulation. While travelling in the neighbourhood of optimal velocity on the straight road as well as during the curves, the performance of the steering controller is tested by conducting the test on J turn, Clothoid, Extended chicane and the closing curve path and also tested during the different environment effects e.g. when there is a side wind affecting the vehicle. Performance of existing and new steering controllers discussed and compared in result chapter. It is ensured that the drawbacks in the existing steering controller are eliminated by using the proposed methodology in new implemented steering controller. Key Words: Driver Model, Steering Controller, Path following, Velocity profile