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Special topic volume with invited peer reviewed papers only.

It is a great honor and privilege to have this opportunity of celebrating the 65th birthday of Professor Antonio Ruberti by holding an International Conference on Systems, Models and Feedback. The conference, and this volume which contains its proceedings, is a tribute to Professor Ruberti in acknowledgement of his major contributions to System Theory, at a time in which this area was emerging and consolidat­ ing as an independent discipline, his role as a leader of the Italian academic community, his activity in promoting and fostering close scientific relations between Italian and U.S. scholars in Systems and Control. The format of this conference is inspired by a series of seminars initi­ ated exactly twenty years ago under the direction of Professor Ruberti, in Italy, and Professor R. R. Mohler, in the U.S. By bringing together many authoritative talents from both countries, these seminars were instrumental in promoting the expansion of System Theory in new areas, notably that of Nonlinear Control, and were the key to successful scientific careers for many of the younger attendants.

Life has many surprises. One of the best surprises is meeting a caring mentor, an encouraging collaborator, or an enthusiastic friend. This volume is a tribute to P- fessor Michael K. Sain, who is such a teacher,colleague,and friend.On the beautiful fall day of October 27, 2007, friends, families, colleagues, and former students ga- ered at a workshop held in Notre Dame, Indiana. This workshop brought together many people whose lives have been touched by Mike to celebrate his milestone 70th birthday, and to congratulate him on his contributions in the elds of systems, c- cuits, and control. Mike was born on March 22, 1937, in St. Louis, Missouri. After obtaining his B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. at St. Louis University, he went on to study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaignfor his doctoral degree. With his Ph.D. degree c- plete, he came to the University of Notre Dame in 1965 as an assistant professor. He became an associate professor in 1968, a full professor in 1972, and the Frank M. Freimann Chair in Electrical Engineering in 1982. He has remained at and loved the University of Notre Dame for over 40 years. Mike also held a number of consu- ing jobs throughout his career. Most notably, he consulted with the Energy Controls Division of Allied-Bendix Aerospace from 1976 to 1988 and the North American Operations branch of the Research and Development Laboratory of General Motors Corporation for a decade, 1984–1994.

This book gathers together a selection of papers presented at the Joint CTS-HYCON Workshop on Nonlinear and Hybrid Control held at the Paris Sorbonne, France, 10-12 July 2006. The main objective of the Workshop was to promote the exchange of ideas and experiences and reinforce scientific contacts in the large multidisciplinary area of the control of nonlinear and hybrid systems.

The underlying theory on which much modern robust and nonlinear control is based can often be dif?cult for the student to grasp. In particular, the mathematical - pects can be problematic for students from a standard engineering background. The EPSRC sponsored Summer School which was held in Leicester in September 2006 attempted to “?ll the gap” in students'appreciation the theory relevant to several important areas of control. This book is a collection of lecture notes which were p- sented at that workshop and consists of, broadly, two parts. The?rst nine chapters are devoted to the theory behind several areas of robust and nonlinear control and are aimed at introducing fundamental concepts to the reader. The last six chapters contain detailed case studies which aim to demonstrate the use and effectiveness of these modern techniques in real engineering applications. It is hoped that this book will provide a useful introduction to many of the more common robust and nonlinear control techniques and serve as a valuable reference for the more adept practitioner. Leicester, Matthew C. Turner May 2007 Declan G. Bates Contents List of Contributors............................................. XV Part I Theory of Robust and Nonlinear Control 1H Control Design? Declan G. Bates........................................................................................... 3 1. 1 Introduction.................................................. 3 1. 2 Design Speci?cations and Fundamental Trade-offs.................. 5 1. 2. 1 Linear Design Speci?cations for RobustControl Systems..... 6 1. 2. 2 Frequency Domain Design Speci?cations and Fundamental Trade-offs............................................ 6 1. 3 Mixed-sensitivityH Controller Design..........................

The papers collected in this volume, presented at the workshop on'Nonlinear Problems in Engineering', held in ENEA Rome (Italy) from 6 - 7 May 1991, and sponsored by ENEA, report nonlinear problems of prevailing engineering interest. Both nonlinear static and dynamic topics are dealt with; in particular, plastic behavior of materials, elastic-plastic models, fracture mechanics, geophysical prospecting, theory of nonlinear control, mixing models for chemical reactors, nonlinear responses of structures, rotor dynamics, and impact loads on structures.