Rapid Rotational/Translational Maneuvering Experiments of a Flexible Steel Beam

Future space manipulators may need translational base motion to expand the access region of a manipulator. The objective of this experiment is to demonstrate slewing of flexible structures with coupled rotational and translational axes while simultaneously suppressing vibrational motion during the maneuver. A flexible steel beam carried by a translational cart is maneuvered by an active controller to perform position control tasks. Several experimental results are presented to show how the flexibility of the steel beam influences the multi-input and multi-output feedback controller.