Optimal Control of Damped Flexible Gyroscopic Systems

An optimal control scheme for damped gyroscopic systems is presented. The procedure works with real quantities alone. The optimal control scheme is based on the concept of independent modal-space control, leading to a set of independent second-order matrix Riccati equations. The solution of such equations can be obtained with relative ease for both the steady-state and the transient case. Damping is shown to be beneficial, resulting in enhanced control with less control effort.