Adaptive backstepping sliding mode compensation control for electro‐hydraulic load simulator with backlash links

Abstract When a mechanical backlash between the loading piston rod and the steering gear piston rod connection of the electro‐hydraulic load simulator (EHLS), it will lead to poor loading accuracy. To solve this problem, an adaptive backstepping sliding mode controller based on the backlash feedforward compensation and state observer is proposed. First, the mechanism of surplus force generation in the EHLS is analyzed, and a mathematical model containing position disturbance and backlash nonlinearity is established based on the analysis results. Second, a state observer is designed to estimate the system state and the parameter adaptive law is designed to estimate the system parameters. Third, the adaptive backstepping method is combined with the non‐singular terminal sliding mode control (NTSMC) strategy to deal with the position disturbance and parameter uncertainty and to enhance the system's dynamic performance. Finally, a backlash feed‐forward compensator is engineered to restrain the detrimental effects caused by the backlash nonlinearity, and the simulation experimental results show that the designed new method can realize the precise loading of the EHLS under different working conditions, and the surplus force is suppressed better at the same time.