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Singular trajectories in airplane cruise-dash optimizaiton

The problem of determining cruise-dash trajectories is examined for the case of time-fuel optimization using a linear combination of time and fuel as the performance index. These trajectories consist of a transient arc followed by a steady-state arc. For cases where the steady-state arc is flown with full throttle the associated skeletal transient trajectories are also flown with full throttle, and approach the cruise-dash points monotonically in an asymptotic fashion.

When the steady-state arc is flown at an intermediate throttle setting, the transient trajectories follow a singular control law and exhibit a complex structure that is different from the full-throttle transients. Singular transients in the vicinity of singular cruise-dash points are confined to a bounded singular surface. In state-space these trajectories trace out asymptotic spirals on the singular surface as they approach the steady-state arc. If the initial operating point lies outside the singular surface, then the transient trajectories are composites consisting of a full-throttle or zero-throttle segment flown until the singular surface is met, followed by a singular segment that fairs into the cruise-dash point.

Addressing the question of optimality of the steady-state arc, it was found that although steady-state cruise fails a Jacobi-type condition, steady-state cruise-dash can satisfy this condition if the emphasis on time is sufficiently large. The outcome of the Jacobi-type test appears to be connected with the eigenstructure of the linearized state-adjoint system. / PH. D.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/76506
Date January 1987
CreatorsBilimoria, Karl D.
ContributorsAerospace Engineering, Cliff, Eugene M., Kelley, Henry J., Lutze, Frederick H., Stalford, Harold L., Marchman, James F.
PublisherVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Source SetsVirginia Tech Theses and Dissertation
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeDissertation, Text
Formatxiii, 104 leaves, application/pdf, application/pdf
RightsIn Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
RelationOCLC# 15788142

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