Advances in Control Mechanics is based on a National Science Foundation-Sponsored Workshop on Control Mechanics, i.e., control system development using analytical methods of mechanics and active control of mechanical systems. Publication of the presentations at this workshop in this Academic Press series has made it possible to expand them into a format which will facilitate the study and utilization of their significant results by working professionals and research workers on the international scene. This book comprises 13 chapters, with the first focusing on recursive Lyapunov functions, particularly their properties and linear systems. Succeeding chapters tackle topics such as the Lyapunov functional approach to uncertain systems governed by functional differential equations with finite time-lag; and stabilizing discrete control laws for Hamiltonian systems. Other chapters cover component model reduction in canonical correlation coordinates; controlling a flexible plate to mimic a rigid one; the modal stability of imperfect cyclic systems; and simultaneous stabilization via low order controllers. The remaining chapters discuss the use of Liapunov techniques for collision-avoidance of robot arms; avoidance control of a two-point mechanical system; coordination controllers for multi-arm manipulators; MRAC techniques with application to robot manipulators; optimal preview controllers based upon explicit trajectory models; and analysis of a robot dragline for mining. This book will be of interest to practitioners in the fields of engineering and aeronautics.

Control and Dynamic Systems: Advances in Theory and Applications, Volume 34: Advances in Control Mechanics, Part 1 of 2 presents the fundamental aspects of mechanical systems control theory. This book deals with microburst, a severe meteorological condition significant to aircraft control. Organized into seven chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the problem of stable control of an aircraft subjected to windshear caused by microburst. This text then examines the results concerning control of an aircraft under windshear conditions. Other chapters consider the robust control problem using the variable structure control method. This book discusses as well the problem of finding zeros of a nonlinear vector function by using methods of dynamical systems analysis. The final chapter deals with the role of singularities and their effect on the global trait of dynamical systems. This book is a valuable resource for mechanical and materials engineers. Research workers and students will also find this book useful.

"Advanced Sliding Mode Control for Mechanical Systems: Design, Analysis and MATLAB Simulation" takes readers through the basic concepts, covering the most recent research in sliding mode control. The book is written from the perspective of practical engineering and examines numerous classical sliding mode controllers, including continuous time sliding mode control, discrete time sliding mode control, fuzzy sliding mode control, neural sliding mode control, backstepping sliding mode control, dynamic sliding mode control, sliding mode control based on observer, terminal sliding mode control, sliding mode control for robot manipulators, and sliding mode control for aircraft. This book is intended for engineers and researchers working in the field of control. Dr. Jinkun Liu works at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Dr. Xinhua Wang works at the National University of Singapore.

The workshop on Control Mechanics, originated in 1988, beca- me an annual event and gained considerable recognition in advancing control of nonlinear and uncertain mechanical sy- tems and promoting application of advanced mechanics in con- trol. The fourth meeting continues the tradition with 17 papers containing original and recent work of the partici- pants developed in 3 basic directions: feed-back control of uncertain systems, flexible mechanical structures and flight control.

The area of analysis and control of mechanical systems using differential geometry is flourishing. This book collects many results over the last decade and provides a comprehensive introduction to the area.

Robust control has been a topic of active research in the last three decades culminating in H_2/H_\infty and \mu design methods followed by research on parametric robustness, initially motivated by Kharitonov's theorem, the extension to non-linear time delay systems, and other more recent methods. The two volumes of Recent Advances in Robust Control give a selective overview of recent theoretical developments and present selected application examples. The volumes comprise 39 contributions covering various theoretical aspects as well as different application areas. The first volume covers selected problems in the theory of robust control and its application to robotic and electromechanical systems. The second volume is dedicated to special topics in robust control and problem specific solutions. Recent Advances in Robust Control will be a valuable reference for those interested in the recent theoretical advances and for researchers working in the broad field of robotics and mechatronics.