Semi-active stabilisation of a pipe conveying fluid using eddy-current dampers: state-feedback control design, experimental validation

An application of electromagnetic devices of the motional type (i.e. eddy-current dampers) to improve the dynamic stability of a cantilever pipe discharging fluid is proposed. When the flow velocity reaches a critical value, this system loses stability through the flutter. A contactless damping device is used. This actuator is made of a conducting plate attached to the pipe that moves together with it within the perpendicular magnetic field that is generated by the controlled electromagnets. During the motion the eddy currents in the plate and a resultant drag force of a viscous character are generated. First, an optimal control problem that aims to stabilise the system with the optimal rate of decrease of the system’s energy is posed and solved. Then a state-feedback parametrization of the obtained optimal control, which can be used in a closed-loop scheme is proposed. The effectiveness of the designed optimal controller is validated by making a comparison with the corresponding passive solutions on the specially designed and constructed experimental test stand of a pipe conveying air.