ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews various ways of damping large space trusses. The first part discusses the use of active struts consisting of a piezoelectric actuator collocated with a force sensor. The guaranteed stability properties of the integral force feedback are reviewed and the practical significance of the modal fraction of strain energy is stressed. The second part explains the concept of active tendon control of trusses; the similarity of this concept with the previous one is pointed out. The third part describes an active damping generic interface based on a Stewart platform architecture with piezoelectric legs. The similarity with the previous concepts is emphasized. Finally, the damping of microvibrations is briefly discussed.
