The two most advanced applications of contactless magnetic levitation are high-speed magnetic bearings and magnetically levitated vehicles (Maglev) for ground transportation using superconducting magnets and controlled d.c. electromagnets. The repulsion force from superconducting magnets provide stable levitation with low damping, while the suspension force generated by electromagnets is inherently unstable. This instability, due to the in verse force-distance relationship, requires the addition of feedback controllers to sustain stable suspension. The problem of controlling magnetically levitated systems using d.c. electromagnets under different operating conditions has been studied in this thesis with a design process primarily driven by experimental results from a representative single-magnet test rig and a multi-magnet vehicle. The controller-design stages are presented in detail and close relationships have been constructed between selection of performance criteria for the derivation process and desired suspension characteristics. Both linear and nonlinear stabilising compensators have been developed. Simulation and experimental results have been studied in parallel to assess operational stability and the main emphasis has been given to assessing performance under different operational conditions. For the experimental work, a new digital signal processor-based hardware platform has been designed, built with interface to Matlab/Simulink. The controller design methods and algorithmic work presented in this thesis can be divided into: non-adaptive, adaptive, optimal linear and nonlinear. Adaptive algorithms based on model reference control have been developed to improve the performance of the suspension system in the presence of considerable variations in external payload and force disturbances. New design methods for Maglev suspension have been developed using robust control theory (%oo and fi synthesis). Single- and multi-magnet control problems have been treated using the same framework. A solution to the Hoo controller-optimisation problem has been derived and applied to Maglev control. The sensitivity to robustness has been discussed and tools for assessing the robustness of the closed-loop system in terms of sustaining stability and performance in the presence of uncertainties in the suspension model have been presented. Multivariable controllers based on %00 and /i synthesis have been developed for a laboratory scale experimental vehicle weighing 88 kg with four suspension magnets, and experimental results have been derived to show superiority of the proposed design methods in terms of ability to deal with external disturbances. The concept of Hoo control has been extended to the nonlinear setting using the concepts of energy and dissipativity, and nonlinear state-feedback and out put-feed back controllers for Maglev have been developed and reported. Simulation and experimental results have been presented to show the improved performance of these controllers to attenuate guideway-induced disturbances while maintaining acceptable suspension qualities and larger operational bandwidth.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:583481 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Pechev, Alexandre Nikolov |
| Publisher | Cardiff University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://orca.cf.ac.uk/55944/ |
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