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At least 145 records · Page 8

Derivation of hard deadlines for real-time control systems

The computation-time delay in the feedback controller of a real-time control system may cause failure to update the control input during one or more sampling periods. A dynamic failure is said to occur if this delay exceeds a certain limit called a hard deadline. The authors present a method for calculating the hard deadlines in linear time-invariant control systems. To derive necessary conditions for (asymptotic) system stability, the state difference equation is modified based on an assumed maximum delay and the probability distribution of delays whose magnitudes are less than, or equal to, the assumed maximum delay. Moreover, the allowed state-space-which is derived from given input and state constraints-is used to calculate the hard deadline as a function of time and the system state. The authors consider a one-shot delay model in which a single event causes a dynamic failure.

Shin, Kang G.↗

Low-order design and high-order simulation of active closed-loop control for aerospace structures under construction

Partially constructed/assembled structures in space are complicated enough but their dynamics will also be operating in closed-loop with feedback controllers. The dynamics of such structures are modeled by large-scale finite element models. The model dimension L is extremely large (approximately 10,000) while the numbers of actuators (M) and sensors (P) are small. The model parameters M(sub m) mass matrix, D(sub o) damping matrix, and K(sub o) stiffness matrix, are all symmetric and sparse (banded). Thus simulation of open-loop structure models of very large dimension can be accomplished by special integration techniques for sparse matrices. The problem of simulation of closed-loop control of such structures is complicated by the addition of controllers. Simulation of closed-loop controlled structures is an essential part of the controller design and evaluation process. Current research in the following areas is presented: high-order simulation of actively controlled aerospace structures; low-order controller design and SCI compensation for unmodeled dynamics; prediction of closed-loop stability using asymptotic eigenvalue series; and flexible robot manipulator control experiment.

Balas, Mark J.↗

Adaptive Control Allocation in the Presence of Actuator Failures

In this paper, a novel adaptive control allocation framework is proposed. In the adaptive control allocation structure, cooperative actuators are grouped and treated as an equivalent control effector. A state feedback adaptive control signal is designed for the equivalent effector and allocated to the member actuators adaptively. Two adaptive control allocation algorithms are proposed, which guarantee closed-loop stability and asymptotic state tracking in the presence of uncertain loss of effectiveness and constant-magnitude actuator failures. The proposed algorithms can be shown to reduce the controller complexity with proper grouping of the actuators. The proposed adaptive control allocation schemes are applied to two linearized aircraft models, and the simulation results demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithms.

Liu, Yu↗

On the instabilities of supersonic mixing layers - A high-Mach-number asymptotic theory

The stability of a family of tanh mixing layers is studied at large Mach numbers using perturbation methods. It is found that the eigenfunction develops a multilayered structure, and the eigenvalue is obtained by solving a simplified version of the Rayleigh equation (with homogeneous boundary conditions) in one of these layers which lies in either of the external streams. This analysis leads to a simple hypersonic similarity law which explains how spatial and temporal phase speeds and growth rates scale with Mach number and temperature ratio. Comparisons are made with numerical results, and it is found that this similarity law provides a good qualitative guide for the behavior of the instability at high Mach numbers. In addition to this asymptotic theory, some fully numerical results are also presented (with no limitation on the Mach number) in order to explain the origin of the hypersonic modes (through mode splitting) and to discuss the role of oblique modes over a very wide range of Mach number and temperature ratio.

Balsa, Thomas F.↗

Nonparallel stability of boundary layers

The asymptotic formulations of the nonparallel linear stability of incompressible growing boundary layers are critically reviewed. These formulations can be divided into two approaches. The first approach combines a numerical method with either the method of multiple scales, or the method of averaging, of the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) approximation; all these methods yield the same result. The second approach combined a multi-structure theory with the method of multiple scales. The first approach yields results that are in excellent agreement with all available experimental data, including the growth rates as well as the neutral stability curve. The derivation of the linear stability of the incompressible growing boundary layers is explained.

Nayfeh, Ali H.↗

Two-dimensional stability of laminar flames

The stability of laminar flames was studied numerically and the dependence of stability on finite rate chemistry with low activation energy and variable thermodynamic and transport properties was addressed. The calculations show that activation energy and details of chemistry play a minor role in altering the linear neutral stability results from asymptotic analysis. Variable specific heat makes a marginal change to the stability; variable transport properties, on the other hand, tend to substantially enhance the stability from a critical wave number of about 0.50 to 0.20. Also, the effects of variable properties tend to nullify the effects of nonunity Lewis number. When the Lewis number of a single species is different from unity, as is true in a hydrogen-air premixed flame, the stability results remain close to that of unity Lewis number.

Mukunda, H. S.↗

Asymptotic (h tending to infinity) absolute stability for BDFs applied to stiff differential equations

Methods based on backward differentiation formulas (BDFs) for solving stiff differential equations require iterating to approximate the solution of the corrector equation on each step. One hope for reducing the cost of this is to make do with iteration matrices that are known to have errors and to do no more iterations than are necessary to maintain the stability of the method. This paper, following work by Klopfenstein, examines the effect of errors in the iteration matrix on the stability of the method. Application of the results to an algorithm is discussed briefly.

Krogh, F. T.↗

Algorithms For Integrating Nonlinear Differential Equations

Improved algorithms developed for use in numerical integration of systems of nonhomogenous, nonlinear, first-order, ordinary differential equations. In comparison with integration algorithms, these algorithms offer greater stability and accuracy. Several asymptotically correct, thereby enabling retention of stability and accuracy when large increments of independent variable used. Accuracies attainable demonstrated by applying them to systems of nonlinear, first-order, differential equations that arise in study of viscoplastic behavior, spread of acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) virus and predator/prey populations.

Freed, A. D.↗

The thermal stability of coronal loops by nonlinear diffusion asymptotics

A nonlinear reaction-diffusion equation and some additional constraints are derived which describe the time-dependent behavior of the temperature structure of the plasma in coronal loops. The equation is analyzed using nonlinear diffusion asymptotics, in particular singular perturbation techniques, and the results are interpreted in the context of the physical problem of the thermal stability and temporal behavior of the plasma. The results are consistent with the possibility of cyclic thermal behavior of the plasma, as suggested by Kuin and Martens (1982).

Pakkert, J. W.↗

An integrating matrix formulation for buckling of rotating beams including the effects of concentrated masses

The integrating matrix technique of computational mechanics is extended to include the effects of concentrated masses. The stability of a flexible rotating beam with discrete masses is analyzed to determine the critical rotational speeds for buckling in the inplane and out-of-plane directions. In this problem, the beam is subjected to compressive centrifugal forces arising from steady rotation about an axis which does not pass through the clamped end of the beam. To determine the eigenvalues from which stability is assessed, the differential equations of motion are solved numerically by combining the extended integrating matrix method with an eigenanalysis. Stability boundaries for a discrete mass representation of a uniform beam are shown to asymptotically approach the stability boundaries for the corresponding continuous mass beam as the number of concentrated masses is increased. An error in the literature is also noted for the discrete mass problem concerning the behavior of the critical rotational speed for inplane buckling as the radius of rotation of the clamped end of the beam is reduced.

Lakin, William D.↗

Numerical experiments in climate stability.

Two semiempirical climate models are formulated as time-dependent problems in order to study the stability of their asymptotic steady state equilibrium solutions to perturbations in internal (in this case, initial) conditions. For fixed external conditions the time-dependent versions of these models exhibit fully transitive behavior to positive perturbations in initial conditions, slight intransivity to negative perturbations up to -18 K, and an ice-covered earth regime is obtained for extremely large negative perturbations in initial temperatures (below -18 K). The parametrization found to be most critical in these models is the albedo-temperature coupling, especially in tropical regions. The temperature albedo parametrization from an intransitive climate model used in a time-dependent form of one of the preceding models is found to be highly sensitive to negative perturbations in both internal and external conditions. Numerical experimentation with these semiempirical models shows the important role of the tropics in maintaining the equilibrium climate and suggests that the radiation balance in equatorial latitudes might have a controlling influence on the equatorward extent of the polar ice cap.

Schneider, S. H.↗

Strongly turbulent stabilization of electron beam-plasma interactions

The stabilization of electron beam interactions due to strongly turbulent nonlinearities is studied analytically and numerically for a wide range of plasma parameters. A fluid mode coupling code is described in which the effects of electron and ion Landau damping and linear growth due to the energetic electron beam are included in a phenomenological manner. Stabilization of the instability is found to occur when the amplitudes of the unstable modes exceed the threshold of the oscillating two-stream instability. The coordinate space structure of the turbulent spectrum which results clearly shows that soliton-like structures are formed by this process. Phenomenological models of both the initial stabilization and the asymptotic states are developed. Scaling laws between the beam-plasma growth rate and the fluctuations in the fields and plasma density are found in both cases, and shown to be in good agreement with the results of the simulation.

Freund, H. P.↗

Vector Lyapunov Functions for Stochastic Interconnected Systems

Theoretical paper presents set of sufficient conditions for asymptotic and exponential stability with probability 1 for class of stochastic interconnected systems. Theory applicable to complicated, large-scale mechanical or electrical systems, and, for several design problems, it reduces computational difficulty by relating stability criteria to fundamental structural features of system.

Boussalis, D.↗

Random equations in aerodynamics

Literature was reviewed to identify aerodynamic models which might be treated by probablistic methods. The numerical solution of some integral equations that arise in aerodynamical problems were investigated. On the basis of the numerical studies a qualitative theory of random integral equations was developed to provide information on the behavior of the solutions of these equations (in particular, boundary and asymptotic behavior, and stability) and their statistical properties without actually obtaining explicit solutions of the equations.

Bharucha-Reid, A. T.↗

Directional Solidification of a Binary Alloy into a Cellular Convective Flow: Localized Morphologies

A steady, two dimensional cellular convection modifies the morphological instability of a binary alloy that undergoes directional solidification. When the convection wavelength is far longer than that of the morphological cells, the behavior of the moving front is described by a slow, spatial-temporal dynamics obtained through a multiple-scale analysis. The resulting system has a "parametric-excitation" structure in space, with complex parameters characterizing the interactions between flow, solute diffusion, and rejection. The convection stabilizes two dimensional disturbances oriented with the flow, but destabilizes three dimensional disturbances in general. When the flow is weak, the morphological instability behaves incommensurably to the flow wavelength, but becomes quantized and forced to fit into the flow-box as the flow gets stronger. At large flow magnitudes the instability is localized, confined in narrow envelopes with cells traveling with the flow. In this case the solutions are discrete eigenstates in an unbounded space. Their stability boundary and asymptotics are obtained by the WKB analysis.

Chen, Y.- J.↗

Mixing and Transition Control Studied

Considerable progress in understanding nonlinear phenomena in both unbounded and wallbounded shear flow transition has been made through the use of a combination of high- Reynolds-number asymptotic and numerical methods. The objective of this continuing work is to fully understand the nonlinear dynamics so that ultimately (1) an effective means of mixing and transition control can be developed and (2) the source terms in the aeroacoustic noise problem can be modeled more accurately. Two important aspects of the work are that (1) the disturbances evolve from strictly linear instability waves on weakly nonparallel mean flows so that the proper upstream conditions are applied in the nonlinear or wave-interaction streamwise region and (2) the asymptotic formulations lead to parabolic problems so that the question of proper out-flow boundary conditions--still a research issue for direct numerical simulations of convectively unstable shear flows--does not arise. Composite expansion techniques are used to obtain solutions that account for both mean-flow-evolution and nonlinear effects. A previously derived theory for the amplitude evolution of a two-dimensional instability wave in an incompressible mixing layer (which is in quantitative agreement with available experimental data for the first nonlinear saturation stage for a plane-jet shear layer, a circular-jet shear layer, and a mixing layer behind a splitter plate) have been extended to include a wave-interaction stage with a three-dimensional subharmonic. The ultimate wave interaction effects can either give rise to explosive growth or an equilibrium solution, both of which are intimately associated with the nonlinear self-interaction of the three dimensional component. The extended theory is being evaluated numerically. In contrast to the mixing-layer situation, earlier comparisons of theoretical predictions based on asymptotic methods and experiments in wall-bounded shear-flow transition have been somewhat lacking in one aspect or another. The current work strongly suggests that the main weakness is the underlying asymptotic representation of the linear "part" of the problem and not the explicit modeling of the nonlinear/wave-interaction effects. Consequently, the long-wave-length/high-Reynolds-number asymptotic limit for the Blasius boundary-layer stability problem was reexamined, and a new dispersion relationship for the instability waves that is uniformly valid for both the upper- and lower branch regions to the required order of approximation was obtained. A comparison with numerical results, obtained by solving the Orr-Sommerfeld stability problem, shows that the asymptotic formula provides surprisingly good results, even for values of the frequency parameter usually encountered in experimental investigations. This is particularly evident in the dynamically important upper-branch region, where much of the nonlinear interactions in transition experiments are believed to take place. The result is important in that it can be used to greatly improve the accuracy of weakly nonlinear critical-layer-based theories, and a consistent nonlinear theory is currently under evaluation.

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