Abstract Title of Dissertation: Modeling and Adaptive Control of

In this dissertation, we propose a model and formulate a control methodology for a thin magnetostrictive rod actuator. The goal is to obtain a bulk, low dimensional model that can be used for real-time control purposes. Previous and concurrent research in the modeling of magnetostrictive actuators and the related area of electrostrictive actuators have produced models that are of low order and reproduce their quasi-static response reasonably well. But the main interest in using these and other smart actuators is at a high frequency { for producing large displacements with mechanical rectication, producing sonar signals etc. The well known limitation of smart actuators that are based on electro-magneto-thermo-elastic behaviors of smart materials is the complex, input-rate dependent, hysteretic behavior of the latter. The model proposed in this dissertation, is a bulk model and describes the behaviour of a magnetostrictive actuator by a system with 4 states. We develop this model using phenomenological arguments following the work done by Jiles and Atherton for describing bulk ferromagnetic hysteresis. The model account