The object of the research is to develop a new approach for control design of flexible multibody systems. Distributed parameter actuator and sensor technologies which incorporate piezoelectric materials within structural components will be used in conjunction with discrete controls applied at the component boundaries to effect high-precision operations of a multibody system. The distributed parameter control algorithms will be derived from multibody systems models based on geometrically exact structural theories. Such structural theories provide an accurate representation of the nonlinear dynamics of finite rotations and also model nonlinear effects of moderate large deformations, centrifugal stiffening, and material damping. The intent of such an advanced formulation is to provide a unified theory to address the increasingly lightweight and flexible designs of next-generation space structures and robot manipulators.*** //
