Rocket Controller Design

Summary

This laboratory is concerned with the design of a controller for a rocket.

We learn about limitations associated with designing a controller to achieve best performance. Specifically a controller is designed to stabilize a rocket in flight. The design is validated using linear and nonlinear models of the rocket.

This Laboratory was designed and contributed by Jim Kusters (a Masters student from the Technical University of Eindhoven, Netherlands). The laboratory was written while he was a visiting postgraduate student at the University of Newcastle, Australia with advice from Professor Robert Skelton from University of California, San Diego’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Professor Skelton was a visiting academic at the University of Newcastle and was able to give advice to Jim Kusters during the preparation of this laboratory, and the final designs were constructed with the aid of Professor Peter Welstead (from Hamilton Institute of the National University of Ireland assisted during his time as a visiting academic at the University of Newcastle).

Figure 11.1: Screenshot of Program
Figure 11.1: Screenshot of Program

The Physical Apparatus

This virtual laboratory is a continuation of virtual laboratory 10 (Rocket Dynamics). We refer the reader to section 9.1.1 for background data on rockets and their use.

In virtual laboratory 10, Rocket Dynamics, you learnt about the fundamental dynamics of a rocket in 2D flight, some of the tradeoffs in rocket design, and how to linearise the equations of motion about an operating point. In this laboratory you will design a controller for the rocket and learn some limitations on designing a controller to achieve the best performance. Specifically you will design feedback controllers to stabilize the rocket in flight and validate your controller design using linear and nonlinear models of the rocket.

Prerequisites

We assume that you have done the first rocket laboratory and you have:

  • a knowledge of frequency domain design (Nyquist and Bode).

Learning Objectives

The objectives of this laboratory are:

  • To design a controller for a system that is open loop unstable
  • To understand the value of a controller, designed on linearised system, for a nonlinear system
  • To understand what the influence of disturbances is on the performance of a controller