Model-based force and position tracking control of a multi-pressure hydraulic cylinder

This article presents a force control solution for a throttle-free multi-pressure hydraulic cylinder actuator. A model-based force controller was developed and the position and velocity tracking control was implemented using low-order linear controllers. Special attention was paid to robustness against variations in the load mass, bulk modulus, and system delay. Experimental results demonstrated excellent energy efficiency and robustness, and acceptable tracking performance.