Feedback Control Design for Counterflow Thrust Vectoring

摘要

Engineering research over the last few years has successfully demonstrated the potential of thrust vector control using counterflow at conditions up to Mach 2. Before this study, research had been limited to open- loop studies of counterflow thrust vectoring. For practical implementation it was vital that the counterflow scheme be used in conjunction with feedback control. Hence, the focus of this research was to develop and experimentally demonstrate a feedback control design methodology for counterflow thrust vectoring. This research focused on 2-D (pitch) thrust vectoring. The main goal was the design and implementation of robust controllers that yield closed-loop systems with fast response times, and avoid overshoot in order to aid in the avoidance of attachment. Additionally, these controllers should be simple and easy to implement and the methodology used to design them should be valid for the more difficult case of 3-D thrust vectoring, which leads to multiple-input, multiple-output control problems.