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PID controllers are widely used in many industries and provide acceptable performances with no specific requirement for mathematical knowledge of the plant. However, these controllers, which are tuned for one operating point, are based on the assumption that local linearity holds for the plant to be controlled. When considering operation over a range, this assumption may become invalid, and it is at this juncture that the notion of bilinearisation is raised as providing a way forward. Application of a bilinear control strategy to a high-temperature industrial furnace is described and the results in terms of improved performance are presented. r

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This paper describes the use of a “self-formulating” computer program, PLANET II, in the simulation of mechanisms with clearances in the revolute connections. The PLANET II program is based on the vector-network method, which is discussed briefly, and requires only the mechanism description to generate the dynamic response. Mathematical models of bearing elements which take into account the effects of clearance, surface compliance, and lubricant have been developed and are included in the program. The various bearing models are described and the results of the simulations of two planar mechanisms are presented. The PLANET II program appears to be a convenient and accurate means of simulating dynamic planar systems.

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