Finite segment model complexity of an Euler-Bernoulli beam

Abstract

A common approach for modeling the dynamic behavior of distributed parameter systems is the approximation through finite-segment models. These models are able to accurately predict the dynamic behavior of the system given that "adequate" segments are included in the model. Frequency-based methodologies can be used to address the complexity of such models. The purpose of the current work is to address the complexity of distributed parameter using the previously developed activity metric. More specifically the complexity of an Euler-Bernoulli beam model is considered. Bond graph models of this system already exist in the literature and the objective is to identify the necessary complexity (number of segments). A new modeling procedure is proposed for this type of systems where the model starts from simple and the number of segments is increased until an activity based criterion is satisfied. An illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of this methodology. © 2015, IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control) Hosting by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.