Effects of small time-delays on dynamic output feedback control of offshore steel jacket structures

This paper investigates the effect of a small time-delay on dynamic output feedback control of an offshore steel jacket structure subject to a nonlinear wave-induced force. First, a conventional dynamic output feedback controller is designed to reduce the internal oscillations of the offshore structure. It is found that the designed controller is of a larger gain in the sense of Euclidean norm, which demands a larger control force. Second, a small time-delay is introduced intentionally to design a new dynamic output feedback controller such that (i) the controller is of a small gain in the sense of Euclidean norm and (ii) the internal oscillations of the offshore structure can be dramatically reduced. It is shown through simulation results that purposefully introducing time-delays can be used to improve control performance.