Engineering Commons^™

A Method Of System Identification With Experimental Investigations Of Real Systems, Paul H. Merritt

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

The following generalized problem was investigated in this study:

"Given a system that can be described by a vector differential equation of the type,

x = f (x, u, a, t) ,

and given both input data, ^u_~ and output data, ^x_~, determine both the general form of the differential equation, ^f_~ (.,.,.,.), and the unknown parameters, ^a_~."

This study describes a method of identifying the parameters, ^a_~, and the form, ^f_~, of the above equation. Initially, the form of the equation must be hypothesized to determine the unknown parameters; …

An Optimal Tracking System For Numerically Controlled Machine Tools, Stephen H. Neff

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Conventional numerically controlled machine tools use straight line approximations for machining contoured surfaces or outlines. This thesis uses modern control theory to develop an optimal tracking system which will follow any surface defined by a second degree polynomial without resort to straight line approximation. To develop the optimal tracking system, the mathematical expressions required to define the dynamics of a two axis machine tool following a parabolic path are formulated. Next, the third order differential equation representing the slide, driven by a hydraulic motor which is controlled by an electrohydraulic servovalve, is changed into a first order matrix differential equation, …