Adaptive neural network-based saturated control of robotic exoskeletons

In this paper, novel adaptive neural network (NN) controllers with input saturation are presented for n-link robotic exoskeletons. The controllers consist of a state feedback controller and an output feedback controller. Through utilizing auxiliary dynamics, the controllers provide a new framework for input saturated control of these robotic systems which can feature the global stability for state feedback control. To compensate for the unknown dynamics of the system, adaptive schemes based on NNs are exploited. Furthermore, adaptive robust terms are utilized to deal with unknown external disturbances. Stability studies show that the closed-loop system is globally uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) with the state feedback controller, where the global property of the NN-based controller is achieved exploiting a smooth switching function and a robust control term. Also, the system is semi-globally UUB with the output feedback controller. Effectiveness of the controllers is validated by simulations and experimental tests.     

Control strategies for timestep selection in finite element simulation of incompressible flows and coupled reaction–convection–diffusion processes

We propose two timestep selection algorithms, based on feedback control theory, for finite element simulation of steady state and transient 2D viscous flow and coupled reaction–convection–diffusion processes. To illustrate performance of the schemes in practice, we solve Rayleigh–Benard–Marangoni flows, flow across a backward‐facing step, unsteady flow around a circular cylinder and chemical reaction systems. Numerical experiments confirm that the feedback controllers produce in some cases a very smooth stepsize variation, suggesting that robust control algorithms are possible. These experiments also show that parameter selection can improve timesteps when co‐ordinated with the convergence control of non‐linear iterations. Further, computational cost of the selection procedures is negligible, since they involve only storing a few extra vectors, computation of norms and evaluation of kinetic energy. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Absolute stabilization related to circle criterion: An LMI-based approach

A method is proposed for synthesizing output feedback controllers for nonlinear Lur' e systems . The problem of designing an output dynamic controller for uncertain-free systems and systems subject to multiplicative norm-bounded perturbations in the linear part were proposed respectively. The procedure is based on the use of the absolute stability, through the circle criterion, and a linear matrix inequalities (LAI) formulation. The controller existence conditions are given in terms of existence of suitable solutions to a set of parameter-dependent LMIs.     

Nonlinear flexural waves in fluid–filled elastic channels

Nonlinear waves on liquid sheets between thin infinite elastic plates are studied analytically and numerically. Linear and nonlinear models are used for the elastic plates coupled to the Euler equations for the fluid. One-dimensional time-dependent equations are derived based on a long-wavelength approximation. Inertia of the elastic plates is neglected, so linear perturbations are stable. Symmetric and mixed-mode travelling waves are found with the linear plate model and symmetric travelling waves are found for the nonlinear case. Numerical simulations are employed to study the evolution in time of initial disturbances and to compare the different models used. Nonlinear effects are found to decrease the travelling wave speed compared with linear models. At sufficiently large amplitude of initial disturbances, higher order temporal oscillations induced by nonlinearity can lead to thickness of the liquid sheet approaching zero.     

Robust tracking control method based on composite nonlinear feedback technique for linear systems with time-varying uncertain parameters and disturbances

In this paper, the composite nonlinear feedback control method is considered for robust tracking and model following of uncertain linear systems. The control law guarantees that the tracking error decreases asymptotically to zero in the presence of time varying uncertain parameters and disturbances. For performance improvement of the dynamical system, the proposed robust tracking controller consists of linear and nonlinear feedback parts without any switching element. The linear feedback law is designed to allow the closed loop system have a small damping ratio and a quick response while the nonlinear feedback law increases the damping ratio of the system as the system output approaches the output of the reference model. A new collection of different nonlinear functions used in the control law are offered to improve the reference tracking performance of the system. The proposed robust tracking controller improves the transient performance and steady state accuracy simultaneously. Finally, the simulations are provided to verify the theoretical results.     

Computational study of the axial instability of rimming flow using Arnoldi method

Axial instability of rimming flow has been investigated by solving a linear generalized eigenvalue problem that governs the evolution of perturbations of two‐dimensional base flow. Using the Galerkin finite element method, full Navier–Stokes equations were solved to calculate base flow and this base flow was perturbed with three‐dimensional disturbances. The generalized eigenproblem formulated from these equations was solved by the implicitly restarted Arnoldi method using shift‐invert technique. This study presents instability curves to identify the critical wavelength of the neutral mode and the critical β, which measures the importance of gravity relative to viscosity. The axial instability of rimming flow is examined and three‐dimensional flow was reconstructed by using eigenvector and growth rate at a critical wave number. The critical β value in the axial instability analysis was observed to be comparable to the onset β value of the transition between the bump and the homogeneous film state in 2‐D base flow calculations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Smoothed‐profile method for momentum and heat transfer in particulate flows

The smoothed‐profile method for the motion of solid bodies suspended in a fluid phase is investigated when combined with a high‐order spatial discretization. The performance of the combined method is tested for a wide range of flow and geometry parameters as well as for static and for moving particles. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is conducted with respect to the smoothed‐profile function. The algorithm is extended to include thermal effects in Boussinesq approximation. Several benchmark problems are considered to demonstrate the potential of the technique. The implementation of the energy equation is verified by dedicated tests. All simulations are compared with either theoretical, numerical, or experimental data. The results demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the smoothed‐profile method for non‐isothermal problems in combination with a discontinuous finite‐element solver for the fluid flow, which allows for a flexible handling of the grid and the order of spectral approximation in each element. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A numerical model for the flooding and drying of irregular domains

A numerical technique for the modelling of shallow water flow in one and two dimensions is presented in this work along with the results obtained in different applications involving unsteady flows in complex geometries. A cell‐centred finite volume method based on Roe's approximate Riemann solver across the edges of both structured and unstructured cells is presented. The discretization of the bed slope source terms is done following an upwind approach. In some applications a problem arises when the flow propagates over adverse dry bed slopes, so a special procedure has been introduced to model the advancing front. It is shown that this modification reproduces exactly steady state of still water in configurations with strong variations in bed slope and contour. The applications presented are mainly related with unsteady flow problems. The scheme is capable of handling complex flow domains as will be shown in the simulations corresponding to the test cases that are going to be presented. Comparisons of experimental and numerical results are shown for some of the tests. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of implicit and explicit AUSM‐family schemes for compressible multiphase flows

This paper makes the first attempt of extending implicit AUSM‐family schemes to multiphase flow simulations. Water faucet, air–water shock tube and oscillating manometer problems are used as benchmark tests with the generic four‐equation two‐fluid model. For solving the equations implicitly, Newton's method along with a sparse matrix solver (UMFPACK solver) is employed, and the numerical Jacobian matrix is calculated. Comparison between implicit and explicit AUSM‐family schemes is presented, indicating that similarly accurate results are obtained with both schemes. Furthermore, the water faucet problem is solved using both staggered and collocated grids. This investigation helps integrate high‐resolution schemes into staggered‐grid‐based computational algorithms. The influence of the interface pressure correction on the simulation results is also examined. Results show that the interfacial pressure correction introduces numerical dissipation. However, this dissipation cannot eliminate the overshoots because of the incompatibility of numerical discretization of the conservative and non‐conservative terms in the governing equations. The comparison of CPU time between implicit and explicit schemes is also studied, indicating that the implicit scheme is capable of improving the computational efficiency over its explicit counterpart. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal disturbances above and upstream of a flat plate with an elliptic-type leading edge

Adjoint-based iterative methods are employed to compute linear optimal disturbances in a spatially growing boundary layer around an elliptic leading edge. The Lagrangian approach is used where an objective function is chosen and constraints are assigned. The optimisation problem is solved using power iterations combined with a matrix-free formulation, where the state is marched forward in time with a standard direct numerical simulation solver and backward with the adjoint solver until a chosen convergence criterion is fulfilled. We consider the global and, more relevant to receptivity studies, the upstream localised optimal initial condition leading to the largest possible energy amplification at time T. We find that the two-dimensional initial condition with the largest potential for growth is a Tollmien–Schlichting-like wave packet that includes the Orr mechanism and is located inside the boundary layer downstream of the leading edge. Three-dimensional optimal disturbances induce streaks by the lift-up mechanism. Requiring the optimal initial condition to be localised upstream of the plate enables us to better study the effects of the leading edge on the boundary layer receptivity mechanisms. Two-dimensional upstream disturbances are inefficient at triggering unstable eigenmodes, whereas three-dimensional disturbances induce streamwise streaks with significant growth.     

Stability of an inhomogeneous vibrationally-nonequilibrium flow in a waveguide

The stability of an inhomogeneous subsonic vibrationally-nonequilibrium flow is examined in the linear approximation. It is shown that the nonequilibrium flow stability is reduced with increase in the initial flow velocity and the energy pumping zone width. This is attributed to the effect of the feedback due to acoustic disturbances propagating counter to the flow. Calculations are carried out for different pumping models.     

A criterion of robustness intelligent nonlinear control for multiple time-delay systems based on fuzzy Lyapunov methods

A control system with state feedback controllers, in which the fuzzy Lyapunov approach is developed for the stability criterion, is studied. The proposed intelligent design provides a systematic and effective framework for the control systems. The global nonlinear controller is constructed based on T–S (Takagi–Sugeno) fuzzy controller design techniques, blending all such local state feedback controllers. Based on this design, the stability conditions of a multiple time-delay system are derived in terms of the fuzzy Lyapunov theory. The effectiveness and the feasibility of the proposed controller design method are demonstrated through numerical simulations.     

Dynamic analysis and control of a new hyperchaotic finance system

In this paper, a new hyperchaotic finance system which is constructed based on a chaotic finance system by adding an additional state variable is presented. The basic dynamical behaviors of this hyperchaotic finance system are investigated, such as the equilibrium, stability, hyperchaotic attractor, Lyapunov exponents, and bifurcation analysis. Furthermore, effective speed feedback controllers and linear feedback controllers are designed for stabilizing hyperchaos to unstable equilibrium points. Numerical simulations are given to illustrate and verify the results.     

A delay partitioning approach to output feedback control for uncertain discrete time-delay systems with actuator saturation

This paper is concerned with the problems of output feedback control for uncertain discrete time-delay systems with input saturation. The delay partitioning approach is proposed to obtain new stability criteria. The dynamic output feedback controller is designed based on a linear matrix inequality framework. A sufficient condition is developed, which guarantees the existence of dynamic output feedback controllers such that all trajectories of the closed-loop system starting from an admissible initial condition domain converge to a smaller ellipsoid. Simulation examples are provided to show the potential of the proposed techniques.     

Simulation of three‐dimensional flows over moving objects by an improved immersed boundary–lattice Boltzmann method

An improved immersed boundary–lattice Boltzmann method (IB–LBM) developed recently [28] was applied in this work to simulate three‐dimensional (3D) flows over moving objects. By enforcing the non‐slip boundary condition, the method could avoid any flow penetration to the wall. In the developed IB–LBM solver, the flow field is obtained on the non‐uniform mesh by the efficient LBM that is based on the second‐order one‐dimensional interpolation. As a consequence, its coefficients could be computed simply. By simulating flows over a stationary sphere and torus [28] accurately and efficiently, the proposed IB–LBM showed its ability to handle 3D flow problems with curved boundaries. In this paper, we further applied this method to simulate 3D flows around moving boundaries. As a first example, the flow over a rotating sphere was simulated. The obtained results agreed very well with the previous data in the literature. Then, simulation of flow over a rotating torus was conducted. The capability of the improved IB–LBM for solving 3D flows over moving objects with complex geometries was demonstrated via the simulations of fish swimming and dragonfly flight. The numerical results displayed quantitative and qualitative agreement with the date in the literature. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A projection method for the spectral solution of non‐homogeneous and incompressible Navier–Stokes equations

This paper is devoted to the development of a parallel, spectral and second‐order time‐accurate method for solving the incompressible and variable density Navier–Stokes equations. The method is well suited for finite thickness density layers and is very efficient, especially for three‐dimensional computations. It is based on an exact projection technique. To enforce incompressibility, for a non‐homogeneous fluid, the pressure is computed using an iterative algorithm. A complete study of the convergence properties of this algorithm is done for different density variations. Numerical simulations showing, qualitatively, the capabilities of the developed Navier–Stokes solver for many realistic problems are presented. The numerical procedure is also validated quantitatively by reproducing growth rates from the linear instability theory in a three‐dimensional direct numerical simulation of an unstable, non‐homogeneous, flow configuration. It is also shown that, even in a turbulent flow, the spectral accuracy is recovered. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A finite volume method for multicomponent gas transport in a porous fuel cell electrode

We present a mathematical model for multicomponent gas transport in an anisotropic fuel cell electrode.The model couples the Maxwell–Stefan equations for multicomponent diffusion along with Darcy's law for flow in a porous medium. The equations are discretized using a finite volume approach with the method of lines, and the resulting non‐linear system of differential equations is integrated in time using a stiff ODE solver. Numerical simulations are performed to validate the model and to investigate the effect of various parameters on fuel cell performance. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient and robust algorithms for solution of the adjoint compressible Navier–Stokes equations with applications

The complete discrete adjoint equations for an unstructured finite volume compressible Navier–Stokes solver are discussed with respect to the memory and time efficient evaluation of their residuals, and their solution. It is seen that application of existing iteration methods for the non‐linear equation—suitably adjointed—has a property of guaranteed convergence provided that the non‐linear iteration is well behaved. For situations where this is not the case, in particular for strongly separated flows, a stabilization technique based on the Recursive Projection Method is developed. This method additionally provides the dominant eigenmodes of the problem, allowing identification of flow regions that are unstable under the basic iteration. These are found to be regions of separated flow. Finally, an adjoint‐based optimization with 96 design variables is performed on a wing–body configuration. The initial flow has large regions of separation, which are significantly diminished in the optimized configuration. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Riemann solvers with evolved initial conditions

The scope of this paper is three fold. We first formulate upwind and symmetric schemes for hyperbolic equations with non‐conservative terms. Then we propose upwind numerical schemes for conservative and non‐conservative systems, based on a Riemann solver, the initial conditions of which are evolved non‐linearly in time, prior to a simple linearization that leads to closed‐form solutions. The Riemann solver is easily applied to complicated hyperbolic systems. Finally, as an example, we formulate conservative schemes for the three‐dimensional Euler equations for general compressible materials and give numerical results for a variety of test problems for ideal gases in one and two space dimensions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Feedback Control of a Thermal Fluid Using State Estimation

Abstract

In his paper we consider the problem of designing a feedback controller for a thermal fluid. Any practical feedback controller for a fluid flow system must incorporate some type of state estimator. Moreover, regardless of the approach, one must introduce approximations at some point in the analysis. The method presented here uses distributed parameter control theory to guide the design and approximation of practical slate estimators. Wc use finite clement techniques to approximate optimal infinite dimensional controllers based on linear quadratic Gaussian lpar;LQG) and MinMax theory for the Bonssincsq equations. These designs are then compared to full state feedback. We present several numerical experiments and we describe how these techniques can also be applied to sensor placement problems.