Exact Boundary Controllability on a Tree-Like Network of Nonlinear Planar Timoshenko Beams

This paper concerns a system of equations describing the vibrations of a planar network of nonlinear Timoshenko beams. The authors derive the equations and appropriate nodal conditions, determine equilibrium solutions and, using the methods of quasilinear hyperbolic systems, prove that for tree-like networks the natural initial-boundary value problem admits semi-global classical solutions in the sense of Li [Li, T. T., Controllability and Observability for Quasilinear Hyperbolic Systems, AIMS Ser. Appl. Math., vol 3,American Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Higher Education Press, 2010] existing in a neighborhood of the equilibrium solution. The authors then prove the local exact controllability of such networks near such equilibrium configurations in a certain specified time interval depending on the speed of propagation in the individual beams.