Control Applications of Smart Material Actuators 
 

Abstract : Recent research activities on smart material applications to various control systems are addressed. After briefly introducing types and characteristics of several smart material actuators, some examples of control application are treated. These include automotive suspension control using magnetorheological damper, vibration control of tracked vehicle utilizing electrorheological suspension unit, position and force control of medical haptic device for minimally invasive surgery, vibration control of hull structure using piezoelectric composite actuator, vibration control of discrete system using active piezostack mount, and control of piezostack based jetting dispenser for semiconductor electronic packaging. A basic configuration and control strategy of each application will be discussed with simulated or/and measured control results.