Functional and numerical solution of a control problem originating from heat transfer

The solution of a nonlinear parabolic equation is studied from both the functional and the numerical points of view. Existence, uniqueness, and stability results are given. A boundary-control problem is then presented. Expressions of the gradient and the Hessian of the cost function are given with some details, and the Newton method is compared with a gradient method and the Fletcher-Reeves method. Numerical results are given. The paper concludes with a discussion of the advantages of the Newton method as applied to a control problem.     

Augmented penalty functions for delayed control systems

A descent method is given for the numerical solution of delayed optimal control problems with fixed delays by first reducing them to nondelayed problems and then using the technique of augmented penalty functions. The system resulting from the reduction to a nondelayed problem is of higher order than the original system; however, the time is proportionally shorter, and the variational matrices are sparse.     

New initial-value method for singularly perturbed boundary-value problems

An initial-value method is given for second-order singularly perturbed boundary-value problems with a boundary layer at one endpoint. The idea is to replace the original two-point boundary value problem by two suitable initial-value problems. The method is very easy to use and to implement. Nontrivial text problems are used to show the feasibility of the given method, its versatility, and its performance in solving linear and nonlinear singularly perturbed problems.This work was supported in part by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Contract No. 86.02108.01, and in part by the Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione.     

Application of the method of multipliers to state space constrained optimal control problems with discrete time

The paper deals with convergence conditions of multiplier algorithms for solving optimal control problems with discrete time suggested by J. Bjbvonek in some earlier papers. In this approach the original state space constrained problem is converted into a control-constrained problem by introducing an additional control variable and an equality constraint which is taken into consideration by a multiplier method. Convergence conditions for the multiplier Iteration of global and local nature are given for exact and inexact solution of the subproblems.     

An approximate solution of linear multicriteria control problems through the multicriteria simplex method

This paper deals with multicriteria, linear, continuous optimal control problems through the application of the multicriteria simplex method. Since the system is linear, the state variables at a given time can be expressed in terms of definite integrals. Upon using standard numerical integration formulas, the definite integrals are approximately expressed by means of weighted sums of the integrands. Then, after introducing some suitable auxiliary variables, approximate linear multicriteria programming problems are formulated. Illustrative numerical examples are provided to indicate the efficiency of the proposed method.The author is indebted to Professor Y. Sawaragi of Kyoto University for his constant encouragement. The author also wishes to thank T. Suwa for his cooperation in preparing the programming for the digital computer.     

Sextic spline method for the solution of a system of obstacle problems

We use sextic spline function to develop numerical method for the solution of system of second-order boundary-value problems associated with obstacle, unilateral, and contact problems. We show that the approximate solutions obtained by the present method are better than those produced by other collocation, finite difference and spline methods. A numerical example is given to illustrate practical usefulness of our method.     

Optimization of properties of multicomponent isotropic composites

We suggest a method for the calculation of the extremal conductivity of composites under some natural assumptions concerning their microstructure. The method is based on the principle of consecutive assembling of binary mixtures by addition of infinitely small amounts of one of the initial compounds to the already-assembled isotropic composite. This process is assumed to produce an optimal isotropic binary mixture at each step, which is performed by the Hashin-Shtrikman procedure. We are seeking a suitable sequence of compounds to be added to the mixture in order to minimize its resultant conductivity. A solution is given to the corresponding optimization problems for both finite number and infinite number of initial compounds taken in prescribed concentrations. We also describe the microstructure of the optimal composites. The results can be used for the optimal design of elastic and heat-conducting constructions.Dedicated to G. LeitmannThe authors have accepted with pleasure the invitation to participate in the JOTA special issue dedicated to Professor G. Leitmann. The papers by Professor Leitmann are well known in the USSR. They have greatly influenced the formation of the authors' scientific viewpoints. The first author has learned much from Professor Leitmann in the course of his work in translating two books by Professor Leitmann published in the USSR; the second author has also benefited from these translations. Methods of optimization, whose development has been influenced so much by Professor Leitmann's contributions, have penetrated into a number of fields. Here, we apply these methods to a problem in the mechanics of composite materials.     

Dual gradient method for linearly constrained,strongly convex,separable mathematical programming problems

A new dual gradient method is given to solve linearly constrained, strongly convex, separable mathematical programming problems. The dual problem can be decomposed into one-dimensional problems whose solutions can be computed extremely easily. The dual objective function is shown to have a Lipschitz continuous gradient, and therefore a gradient-type algorithm can be used for solving the dual problem. The primal optimal solution can be obtained from the dual optimal solution in a straightforward way. Convergence proofs and computational results are given.     

A Study on Abnormality in Variational and Optimal Control Problems

In this paper, a variational problem is considered with differential equality constraints over a variable interval. It is stressed that the abnormality is a local character of the admissible set; consequently, a definition of regularity related to the constraints characterizing the admissible set is given. Then, for the local minimum necessary conditions, a compact form equivalent to the well-known Euler equation and transversality condition is given. By exploiting this result and the previous definition of regularity, it is proved that nonregularity is a necessary and sufficient condition for an admissible solution to be an abnormal extremal. Then, a necessary and sufficient condition is given for an abnormal extremal to be weakly abnormal. The analysis of the abnormality is completed by considering the particular case of affine constraints over a fixed interval: in this case, the abnormality turns out to have a global character, so that it is possible to define an abnormal problem or a normal problem. The last section is devoted to the study of an optimal control problem characterized by differential constraints corresponding to the dynamics of a controlled process. The above general results are particularized to this problem, yielding a necessary and sufficient condition for an admissible solution to be an abnormal extremal. From this, a previously known result is recovered concerning the linearized system controllability as a sufficient condition to exclude the abnormality.     

The Lagrange approach to ergodic control of diffusions with cost constraints

This article concerns n-dimensional controlled diffusion processes. The main problem is to maximize a certain long-run average reward (also known as an ergodic reward) in such a way that a given long-run average cost is bounded above by a constant. Under suitable assumptions, the existence of optimal controls for such constrained control problems is a well-known fact. In this article we go a bit further and our goal is to introduce a technique to compute optimal controls. To this end, we follow the Lagrange multipliers approach. An example on a linear-quadratic system illustrates our results.     

A Posteriori Error Estimates of Mixed Methods for Parabolic Optimal Control Problems

In this article, we shall give a brief review on the fully discrete mixed finite element method for general optimal control problems governed by parabolic equations. The state and the co-state are approximated by the lowest order Raviart–Thomas mixed finite element spaces and the control is approximated by piecewise constant elements. Furthermore, we derive a posteriori error estimates for the finite element approximation solutions of optimal control problems. Some numerical examples are given to demonstrate our theoretical results.     

Initial-value methods for second-order singularly perturbed boundary-value problems

In this paper, we present a numerical method for solving linear and nonlinear second-order singularly perturbed boundary-value-problems. For linear problems, the method comes from the well-known WKB method. The required approximate solution is obtained by solving the reduced problem and one or two suitable initial-value problems, directly deduced from the given problem. For nonlinear problems, the quasilinearization method is applied. Numerical results are given showing the accuracy and feasibility of the proposed method.This work was supported in part by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Contract No. 86.02108.01 and Progetto Finalizzatto Sistemi Informatia e Calcolo Paralello, Sottoprogetto 1), and in part by the Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione, Rome, Italy.     

Parametric Cubic Spline Approach to the Solution of a System of Second-Order Boundary-Value Problems

We use parametric cubic spline functions to develop a numerical method for computing approximations to the solution of a system of second-order boundary-value problems associated with obstacle, unilateral, and contact problems. We show that the present method gives approximations which are better than those produced by other collocation, finite-difference, and spline methods. A numerical example is given to illustrate the applicability and efficiency of the new method.     

On the general inverse problem of optimal control theory

The general inverse problem of optimal control is considered from a dynamic programming point of view. Necessary and sufficient conditions are developed which two integral criteria must satisfy if they are to yield the same optimal feedback law, the dynamics being fixed. Specializing to the linear-quadratic case, it is shown how the general results given here recapture previously obtained results for quadratic criteria with linear dynamics.Dedicated to R. Bellman     

Optimal control of lumped parameter systems via shifted Legendre polynomial approximation

Shifted Legendre polynomial functions are employed to solve the linear-quadratic optimal control problem for lumped parameter system. Using the characteristics of the shifted Legendre polynomials, the system equations and the adjoint equations of the optimal control problem are reduced to functional ordinary differential equations. The solution of the functional differential equations are obtained in a series of the shifted Legendre functions. The operational matrix for the integration of the shifted Legendre polynomial functions is also introduced in the simulation step in order to simplify the computational procedure. An illustrative example of an optimal control problem is given, and the computational results are compared with those of the exact solution. The proposed method is effective and accurate.     

Optimal Infinite-Horizon Multicriteria Feedback Control of Stationary Systems with Minimax Objectives and Bounded Disturbances

This article presents a methodology for exploring the solution surface in a class of multicriteria infinite-horizon closed-loop optimal control problems with bounded disturbances and minimax objectives. The maximum is taken with respect to both time and all sequences of disturbances; that is, the value of a criterion is the maximal stage cost for the worst possible sequence of disturbances. It is assumed that the system and the cost functions are stationary. The proposed solution method is based on reference point approach and inverse mapping from the space of objectives into the space of control policies and their domains in state space.     

Contributions to the development of differential systems exactly solved by multistep finite-difference schemes

The motivation underlying this contribution has been to complete some of the topics concerning exact schemes for numerically solving ordinary differential equations. A procedure for obtaining differential systems exactly solved by a given finite-difference method is described. Examples illustrating the application of the procedure for obtaining first-order, second-order and systems of differential equations exactly solved by different numerical methods are given. Among the numerical methods considered there are the Trapezoidal Rule, the two-step Adams-Bashforth method and the Numerov method. Some numerical examples are presented to provide evidence that the procedure works properly.     

Remarks on bang-bang control in a Hilbert space

The control of a linear system, whose performance index is the sum of a linear term and a quadratic term, is considered. A necessary and sufficient condition is given for the optimal control to be bang-bang, and this is used to extend and clarify the results of Refs. 1–2. As an illustration, an application to an elliptic boundary-value problem is given.This research was supported by the SFB 72 of the DFG, West Germany.     

Exponential B-spline collocation method for self-adjoint singularly perturbed boundary value problems

We present an exponential B-spline collocation method for self-adjoint singularly perturbed boundary value problem. The convergence analysis is given and the method is shown to have second order uniform convergence. Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the efficiency of the method.     

A globally contergent method for nonlinear programming

In this paper a new method for solving the nonlinear programming problem with equality and inequality constraints is presented. With the aid of feasibility functions the feasible region is blown up so that the enlarged region has interior points. Then, under certain assumptions, the solution of the original problem is achieved by constructing a sequence of points which are optimal for the perturbed problems. These are solved by a method of feasible directions for which usable feasible directions can be given in an explicit form.