An optimal controller of an irregular wave maker

Laboratory seakeeping test under irregular wave load is essential for studying seakeeping performances of marine and offshore structures. One of the key techniques in such a sort of test is how to assure the quality of wave load. By assuring the quality of wave load, we mean that man-made irregular wave series exerting on a test model should have a given power spectrum. From a view of optimal control, the goal to assure the quality of wave load is to manage wave maker such that produced irregular wave series exerting on a test model has a given power spectrum in the optimization sense. This paper gives a control model to optimize wave maker to achieve the mentioned goal. Its application to wave maker control in a seakeeping model test of an offshore structure is demonstrated.