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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3

Algorithm Optimally Allocates Actuation of a Spacecraft

A report presents an algorithm that solves the following problem: Allocate the force and/or torque to be exerted by each thruster and reaction-wheel assembly on a spacecraft for best performance, defined as minimizing the error between (1) the total force and torque commanded by the spacecraft control system and (2) the total of forces and torques actually exerted by all the thrusters and reaction wheels. The algorithm incorporates the matrix vector relationship between (1) the total applied force and torque and (2) the individual actuator force and torque values. It takes account of such constraints as lower and upper limits on the force or torque that can be applied by a given actuator. The algorithm divides the aforementioned problem into two optimization problems that it solves sequentially. These problems are of a type, known in the art as semi-definite programming problems, that involve linear matrix inequalities. The algorithm incorporates, as sub-algorithms, prior algorithms that solve such optimization problems very efficiently. The algorithm affords the additional advantage that the solution requires the minimum rate of consumption of fuel for the given best performance.

Motaghedi, Shi↗

LMI-Based Fuzzy Optimal Variance Control of Airfoil Model Subject to Input Constraints

This paper presents a study of fuzzy optimal variance control problem for dynamical systems subject to actuator amplitude and rate constraints. Using Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy modeling and dynamic Parallel Distributed Compensation technique, the stability and the constraints can be cast as a multi-objective optimization problem in the form of Linear Matrix Inequalities. By utilizing the formulations and solutions for the input and output variance constraint problems, we develop a fuzzy full-state feedback controller. The stability and performance of the proposed controller is demonstrated through its application to the airfoil flutter suppression.

optimal variance control↗

LMI-Based Multiobjective Optimization and Control of Flexible Aircraft Using VCCTEF

This paper considers the control of coupled aeroelastic aircraft model with Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap (VCCTEF) system. The relative motion between two adjacent flaps is constrained and this actuation constraint problem is converted into an output covariance constraint problem, and therefore can be formulated using linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). A set of LMI conditions is derived for the design of an observer-based dynamic output feedback controller for VCCTEF configured aeroelastic aircraft model. The proposed controller is then applied to the NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM) for simulation, and the results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.

LMI control↗

Modeling and Control of Robot-Structure Coupling During In-Space Structure Assembly

This paper considers the problem of robot-structure coupling dynamics during in-space robotic assembly of large flexible structures. A two-legged walking robot is used as a construction agent, whose primary goal is to stably walking on the flexible structure while carrying a substructure component to a designated location. The reaction forces inserted by the structure to the walking robot are treated as bounded disturbance inputs, and a trajectory tracking robotic controller is proposed that combines the standard full state feedback motion controller and an adaptive controller to account for the disturbance inputs. In this study, a reduced-order Euler-Bernoulli beam structure model is adapted, and a finite number of co-located sensors and actuators are distributed along the span of the beam structure. The robot-structure coupling forces are treated as a bounded external forcing function to the structure, and hence an output covariance constraint problem can be formulated, in terms of linear matrix inequality, for optimal structure control by utilizing the direct output feedback controllers. The numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed robot-structure modeling and control methodology.

Swei, Sean↗

Fuzzy Modeling and Parallel Distributed Compensation for Aircraft Flight Control from Simulated Flight Data

A method is described that combines fuzzy system identification techniques with Parallel Distributed Compensation (PDC) to develop nonlinear control methods for aircraft using minimal a priori knowledge, as part of NASA’s Learn-to-Fly initiative. A fuzzy model was generated with simulated flight data, and consisted of a weighted average of multiple linear time invariant state-space cells having parameters estimated using the equation-error approach and a least-squares estimator. A compensator was designed for each subsystem using Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMI) to guarantee closed-loop stability and performance requirements. This approach is demonstrated using simulated flight data to automatically develop a fuzzy model and design control laws for a simplified longitudinal approximation of the F-16 nonlinear flight dynamics simulation. Results include a comparison of flight data with the estimated fuzzy models and simulations that illustrate the feasibility and utility of the combined fuzzy modeling and control approach.

Weinstein, Rose↗

Robust Controller Synthesis for Vision-based Spacecraft Guidance and Control

This work develops a method for Robust Controller for Vision-based Spacecraft (RCVS) guidance and control, integral to the robust autonomy framework for multi-spacecraft for- mation control and reconfiguration applications. The method is built around the use of a photo-realistic simulator, where a camera is deployed on a tracking spacecraft (ego) in order to observe an uncontrolled spacecraft (target) in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO). In this direction, the proposed approach performs the relative state (attitude and position) estimation of the target spacecraft using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The state estimation error is then modeled and the corresponding error-bounds are obtained around a nominal trajectory of the ego and target spacecraft. Next, this work proposes a linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) based approach to controller synthesis, guaranteed to be robust against both model uncertainties and measurement errors, resulting from vision-based estimation. This controller is comprised of two distinct components, one synthesized based on the nominal trajectory, while the “robust” component corrects for deviations from the nominal trajectory. Finally, a tracking scenario that directly utilize the image data for spacecraft guidance and control, is presented to showcase the performance of the proposed robust autonomy framework.

Rahmani, Amir↗

Necessary and sufficient conditions for quadratic stabilizability of switched systems on non-uniform time domains

In this paper, we consider the quadratic stabilizability via state feedback for a particular class of switched systems that evolve on a non-uniform time domain by introducing time scales theory. The system considered switches between a continuous-time subsystem with variable lengths and a discrete-time subsystem with variable discrete step sizes. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the quadratic stability of this class of switched systems via a switching state feedback law based on the existence of a common positive definite matrix satisfying the quadratic stabilizability condition by considering that the two subsystems are unstable. By state feedback, we mean that the switching among subsystems depends on the system states. Current results for this kind of state switching feedback control are derived only for switched systems evolving on a continuous time domain or a discrete time domain with fixed step’s size. These results are not applicable for the particular class of switched systems where there is a mixing between the continuous and discrete dynamics. This motivates the derivation of a new and more general state feedback control law for switched systems in this work. Here, a numerical example illustrating the results is presented.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Sparse Control Synthesis for Uncertain Responsive Loads With Stochastic Stability Guarantees

In this report, recent studies have demonstrated the potential of flexible loads in providing frequency response services, predominantly due to their availability and cost-effectiveness. However, uncertainty and variability in various weather-related and end-use behavioral factors often impact the reliability of demand-side control performance. This work addresses this problem with the design of a demand-side control to achieve frequency response under load uncertainties. Our approach involves modeling the load uncertainties via stochastic processes that appear as both multiplicative and additive in the power system dynamics. Recently developed mean square exponential stability (MSES) results for continuous-time linear stochastic systems are applied to pose the control synthesis problem which results in an LMI-based optimization problem. Additional costs and constraints are added to the LMI-based controller synthesis to ensure MSES, improve closed-loop transient performance, maximize tolerable uncertainties, and promote sparsity in the controller. Additionally, the fundamental limitations between the tolerable uncertainties and control efforts while ensuring MSES are discussed. Further, the control synthesis problem for the case of the full-state measurement is generalized to the case of partial-state measurements. The proposed control synthesis is illustrated on an IEEE 39 bus system with rigorous studies to demonstrate the role of sparsity, closed-loop transient performance, tolerable uncertainties, and control efforts while ensuring MSES and achieving frequency response.

42 ENGINEERING↗

LPV Modeling and Control for Active Flutter Suppression of a Smart Airfoil

In this paper, a novel technique of linear parameter varying (LPV) modeling and control of a smart airfoil for active flutter suppression is proposed, where the smart airfoil has a groove along its chord and contains a moving mass that is used to control the airfoil pitching and plunging motions. The new LPV modeling technique is proposed that uses mass position as a scheduling parameter to describe the physical constraint of the moving mass, in addition the hard constraint at the boundaries is realized by proper selection of the parameter varying function. Therefore, the position of the moving mass and the free stream airspeed are considered the scheduling parameters in the study. A state-feedback based LPV gain-scheduling controller with guaranteed H infinity performance is presented by utilizing the dynamics of the moving mass as scheduling parameter at a given airspeed. The numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed LPV control architecture by significantly improving the performance while reducing the control effort.

Smart Airfoil↗

Thermal bootstrap of matrix quantum mechanics

We implement a bootstrap method that combines stationary state conditions, thermal inequalities, and semidefinite relaxations of matrix logarithm in the ungauged one-matrix quantum mechanics, at finite rank N as well as in the large N limit, and determine finite temperature observables that interpolate between available analytic results in the low and high temperature limits respectively. We also obtain bootstrap bounds on thermal phase transition as well as preliminary results in the ungauged two-matrix quantum mechanics.

1/N Expansion↗

A Numerical Comparison of Barrier and Modified Barrier Methods for Large-Scale Bound-Constrained Optimization

When a classical barrier method is applied to the solution of a nonlinear programming problem with inequality constraints, the Hessian matrix of the barrier function becomes increasingly ill-conditioned as the solution is approached. As a result, it may be desirable to consider alternative numerical algorithms. We compare the performance of two methods motivated by barrier functions. The first is a stabilized form of the classical barrier method, where a numerically stable approximation to the Newton direction is used when the barrier parameter is small. The second is a modified barrier method where a barrier function is applied to a shifted form of the problem, and the resulting barrier terms are scaled by estimates of the optimal Lagrange multipliers. The condition number of the Hessian matrix of the resulting modified barrier function remains bounded as the solution to the constrained optimization problem is approached. Both of these techniques can be used in the context of a truncated-Newton method, and hence can be applied to large problems, as well as on parallel computers. In this paper, both techniques are applied to problems with bound constraints and we compare their practical behavior.

Nash, Stephen G.↗

On the convexity of phase-field fracture formulations: Analytical study and comparison of various degradation functions

Efficient and accurate fracture modeling is of great importance in applications where catastrophic outcomes under extreme scenarios are possible. The phase-field (PF) approach to fracture received significant attention over the past decade, due to its capability to capture complicated fracture patterns (e.g., crack merging and branching). Specifically, crack initiation and propagation are modeled via minimization of the total energy functional, which is regularized with the aid of a phase field. Despite the promising results and modeling capabilities of the PF method in many applications, the solution of fracture problems remains computationally challenging mainly due to the non-convexity of the total energy functional with respect to the combined unknown (phase field and displacement) fields. Understanding the effects of their coupling on convexity is crucial in order to address frequently encountered hurdles in fracture modeling (e.g., inefficient solvers and non-physical crack nucleation). In this paper, we develop convexity criteria for a wide class of PF fracture formulations. For this class of formulations, the second variation of the total energy functional is expressed in terms of Hessian matrices (evaluated at individual material points). Depending on the choice of geometric crack functions and degradation functions, we classify the formulations into three categories and analytically study each one separately. To study the sign of the second variation, we derive inequalities which are satisfied at material points when the Hessian matrix is locally positive semi-definite. These inequalities provide objective criteria for comparing degradation functions. Finally, the applicability of the proposed convexity criteria is demonstrated in the context of a one-dimensional problem, solved using a conventional monolithic solver.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗