Applications of optimization theory to space shuttle trajectory control in the subsonic regime
Energy and accuracy factors in feedback path control system design for optimizing space shuttle trajectory control at subsonic speed
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Energy and accuracy factors in feedback path control system design for optimizing space shuttle trajectory control at subsonic speed
Differential dynamic programming algorithm for discrete time orbit transfer optimization
The hybrid optimization techique for attitude control design is described in detail. The technque is capable of optimizing an n-dimensional adjustable parameter vector, but a 1-dimensional vector is used as an example to explain the procedure. This permits an easier explanation as opposed to a multidimensional case. The procedure used to derive the perturbation equations of motion describing the 6-DOF shuttle ascent phase is presented. These equations were programmed on the EAI 8800 analog computer to describe the perturbations of the shuttle vehicle from a nominal zero lift trajectory due to wind disturbances. Included are the control system equations, trim equations, and wind angle of attack equations. Analog wiring diagrams, raw data and time-varying coefficients, and state variable responses during shuttle ascent are also considered.
Development of an arrival air-traffic management system for a single runway. Traffic is segregated throughout most of the near terminal area according to performance characteristics. Nominal approach routes for each class of aircraft are determined by an optimization procedure. In this fashion, the nominal approach routes are dependent upon and, hence, determined by the near terminal area operating capabilities of each class of aircraft. The landing order and spacing of aircraft on the common approach path are determined so that a measure of total system deviation from the nominal landing times is minimized and safety standards are met. Delay maneuvers required to satisfy sequencing needs are then carried out in a manner dependent upon the particular class of aircraft being maneuvered. Finally, results are presented to illustrate the effects of the rate of arrivals upon a one-runway system serving three different classes of aircraft employing several different sequencing strategies and measures of total system deviation.
The rational use of optimality criteria was investigated for a class of structural synthesis problems where materials, configuration and applied load conditions are specified, and the minimum weight design is to be determined. The potential of hybrid methods of structural optimization for dealing with relatively large design problems involving practical complexity was explored. The reduced basis concept in design space was used to decrease the number of generalized design variables dealt with by the mathematical programming algorithm. Optimality criteria methods for obtaining design vectors associated with displacement, system buckling and natural frequency constraints are presented. A stress ratio method was used to generate a basis design vector representing the stress constraints. The finite element displacement method was used as the basic structural analysis tool. Results for several examples of truss systems subject to stress, displacement and minimum size constraints are presented. An assessment of these results indicates the effectiveness of the hybrid method developed.
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Supervisory decision making and control behavior within a C(3) oriented, ground based weapon system is being studied. The program involves empirical investigation of the sequence of control strategies used during engagement of aircraft targets. An engagement is conceptually divided into several stages which include initial information processing activity, tracking, and ongoing adaptive control decisions. Following a brief description of model parameters, two experiments which served as initial investigation into the accuracy of assumptions regarding the importance of situation assessment in procedure selection are outlined. Preliminary analysis of the results upheld the validity of the assumptions regarding strategic information processing and cue-criterion relationship learning. These results indicate that this model structure should be useful in studies of supervisory decision behavior.
This report contains the development of a digital outer-loop three dimensional radio navigation (3-D RNAV) flight control system for a small commercial jet transport. The outer-loop control system is designed using optimal stochastic limited state feedback techniques. Options investigated using the optimal limited state feedback approach include integrated versus hierarchical control loop designs, 20 samples per second versus 5 samples per second outer-loop operation and alternative Type 1 integration command errors. Command generator tracking techniques used in the digital control design enable the jet transport to automatically track arbitrary curved flight paths generated by waypoints. The performance of the design is demonstrated using detailed nonlinear aircraft simulations in the terminal area, frequency domain multi-input sigma plots, frequency domain single-input Bode plots and closed-loop poles. The response of the system to a severe wind shear during a landing approach is also presented.
Riblet surfaces have been tested in boundary layers having different upstream histories and at higher Reynolds numbers than previously reported. The drag reduction for the riblet surfaces was found to be dependent on the height and spacing of the riblets in law-of-the-wall variables regardless of the free-stream Reynolds number or upstream boundary-layer history. Micro-photographs of the actual riblet geometries are examined to determine the effect of rib details on the riblet drag-reduction performances. To further increase drag-reduction performance, riblet surfaces are combined with another drag-reduction concept, the large-eddy breakup device (LEBU). In addition, the yaw sensitivity of riblets is evaluated, as well as the characteristics of riblet surfaces manufactured out of a thin vinyl sheet.
Relationships between observers, Kalman Filters and dynamic compensators using feedforward control theory are investigated. In particular, the relationship, if any, between the dynamic compensator state and linear functions of a discrete plane state are investigated. It is shown that, in steady state, a dynamic compensator driven by the plant output can be expressed as the sum of two terms. The first term is a linear combination of the plant state. The second term depends on plant and measurement noise, and the plant control. Thus, the state of the dynamic compensator can be expressed as an estimator of the first term with additive error given by the second term. Conditions under which a dynamic compensator is a Kalman filter are presented, and reduced-order optimal estimaters are investigated.
Genetic algorithms (GA) are used to search the synaptic weight space of artificial neural systems (ANS) for weight vectors that optimize some network performance function. GAs do not suffer from some of the architectural constraints involved with other techniques and it is straightforward to incorporate terms into the performance function concerning the metastructure of the ANS. Hence GAs offer a remarkably general approach to calibrating ANS. GAs are applied to the problem of calibrating an ANS that finds optimal paths over a given surface. This problem involves training an ANS on a relatively small set of paths and then examining whether the calibrated ANS is able to find good paths between arbitrary start and end points on the surface.
Mathematical analysis of the minimization of spacecraft fuel usage for both impulsive and finite motor burns is presented. A high precision integrated trajectory search program (SEPV) and several optimization software libraries are used to solve minimum fuel usage problems. The SEPV program has the capacity to vary either the initial spacecraft state or the finite burn parameters to acquire a specified set of target values. Several test examples for the Voyager 2 Uranus Encounter and the Galileo Jupiter Orbiter are presented to show that spacecraft fuel consumption can be minimized in targeting maneuver strategies. The fuel savings achieved by the optimum solution can be significant.
Extensive correlations of computer code results with experimental data are employed to illustrate the use of a linearized theory, attached flow method for the estimation and optimization of the longitudinal aerodynamic performance of wing-canard and wing-horizontal tail configurations which may employ simple hinged flap systems. Use of an attached flow method is based on the premise that high levels of aerodynamic efficiency require a flow that is as nearly attached as circumstances permit. The results indicate that linearized theory, attached flow, computer code methods (modified to include estimated attainable leading-edge thrust and an approximate representation of vortex forces) provide a rational basis for the estimation and optimization of aerodynamic performance at subsonic speeds below the drag rise Mach number. Generally, good prediction of aerodynamic performance, as measured by the suction parameter, can be expected for near optimum combinations of canard or horizontal tail incidence and leading- and trailing-edge flap deflections at a given lift coefficient (conditions which tend to produce a predominantly attached flow).
A procedure for the minimum weight design of helicopter rotor blades with constraints on multiple coupled flap-lag natural frequencies, autorotational inertia, and centrifugal stress is presented. Optimum designs are obtained for blades with both rectangular and tapered planforms and are compared within a reference blade. The effects of higher-frequency constraints and stress constraints on the optimum blade designs are assessed. The results indicate that there is an increase in blade weight and a significant change in the design variable distributions with an increase in the number of frequency constraints. The inclusion of stress constraints has different effects on the wall thickness distributions of rectangular and tapered blades, but tends to increase the magnitude of the nonstructural segment weight distributions for both blade types.
A unified treatment of the linear quadratic tracking (LQT) problem, in which a control system's dynamics are modeled by a linear evolution equation with a nonhomogeneous component that is linearly dependent on the control function u, is presented; the treatment proceeds from the theoretical formulation to a numerical approximation framework. Attention is given to two categories of LQT problems in an infinite time interval: the finite energy and the finite average energy. The behavior of the optimal solution for finite time-interval problems as the length of the interval tends to infinity is discussed. Also presented are the formulations and properties of LQT problems in a finite time interval.
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Exploiting the relationships among data is a classical query optimization technique. As persistent data is increasingly being created and maintained programmatically, prior work that infers data relationships from data statistics misses an important opportunity. We present Coco, the first tool that identifies data relationships by analyzing database-backed applications. Once identified, Coco leverages the constraints to optimize the application's physical design and query execution. Instead of developing a fixed set of predefined rewriting rules, Coco employs an enumerate-test-verify technique to automatically exploit the discovered data constraints to improve query execution. Each resulting rewrite is provably equivalent to the original query. Using 14 real-world web applications, our experiments show that Coco can discover numerous data constraints from code analysis and improve real-world application performance significantly.