Direct adaptive control of a two-link flexible manipulator

This research work is primarily motivated in order to solve the position control problem associated with the use of flexible link robot arms. These links are subjected to deflection and/or vibration. One approach is to use adaptive methods, as these are able to cope with problems involving internal process uncertainty as well as external environmental uncertainties. The work focuses on the implementation of direct model reference adaptive control (DMRAC) for a multi input multi output, planar two link flexible arm with additive perturbations. Recent developments have shown that DMRAC is robust with respect to plant variations and unmodeled dynamics. The mathematical model is derived using Lagrangian approach with the links as Euler-Bernoulli beams. Then, the feedforward compensator for Direct Model Reference Adaptive Control is designed. The DMRAC is applied to the Two Link Flexible system using MATLAB/SIMULINK. The simulations are carried out and results are discussed and analyzed. The effectiveness and simplicity in the practical implementation of DMRAC is also demonstrated.