Tensegrity structures are attractive due to their potential for deployability, ease of tuning and high precision control. Since tensegrity structures have highly coupled behavior, placement of actuators is a primary concern when designing active control systems. This study investigates the active control performance of cable members of a tensegrity bridge. The actuation efficiencies of cable members are evaluated through a multi-criteria approach. The configuration of the control system is thus identified through outranking candidate active members. A multi-objective damage tolerance strategy is then proposed and optimally directed control solutions are identified using stochastic search. Case studies for several damage scenarios are examined to validate results. The most efficient active cable configuration is compared with that needed for deployment. Results indicate that the control strategy for deployment is a near-optimal solution for damage tolerance.

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