Frequency Domain-Based Pseudosliding Mode Flight Control Design

A flight control system design technique previously introduced in the literature is applied to four challenging synthesis problems: (1) design of a hypersonic vehicle autopilot, (2) design of a stability augmentation system for a fighter aircraft, including human-in-the-loop desktop simulator evaluation, (3) design of an autopilot for a cruise missile, and (4) design of a control system for an uninhabited rotorcraft. The vehicle models used in the first and third problems have been employed by other researchers using competing design approaches. Human-in-the-loop desktop simulation of the design in the second problem provides a novel evaluation of the resulting stability and command augmentation system’s ability to accommodate system failures from the standpoint of their effect upon operator dynamics. Finally, the ability of the design procedure to accommodate velocity dependent changes in vehicle dynamics is demonstrated in the rotorcraft example The nine-step synthesis procedure to be exercised is based in the frequency domain and evolves from sliding mode control theory.