A Review: Structural Shape and Stress Control Techniques and their Applications

This review article presents prior studies on controlling shape and stress in flexible structures. The study offers a comprehensive survey of literature concerning the adjustment and regulation of shape, stress, or both in structures and emphasizes such control’s importance. The control of systems is classified into three primary classes: nodal movement control, axial force control, and controlling the two classes concurrently. Each class is thoroughly assessed, showcasing diverse methods anticipated by various scholars. Furthermore, the paper discusses methods to reduce the number of devices (actuators) to adjust and optimize actuators’ placement to achieve optimal structural control, considering the cost implications of numerous actuators. Additionally, various actuators are presented in detail, their advantages and disadvantages are also discussed. Moreover, the applications of the presented techniques are reviewed in detail, the essential recommendations for future work are also suggested.