A Hybrid Optimal Control Approach to Multi-Aircraft Formation Flying

Title

A Hybrid Optimal Control Approach to Multi-Aircraft Formation Flying

 Author

Stolwijk, Joris (TU Delft Aerospace Engineering)

Contributor

Hartjes, S. (mentor)
Visser, H.G. (graduation committee)
van Kampen, E. (graduation committee) ORCID 0000-0002-5593-4471

 Degree granting institution

Delft University of Technology

 Programme

Aerospace Engineering

 Date

2017-11-30

 Abstract

A Hybrid Optimal Control (HOC) framework which can be used in conjunction with existing optimal control software is presented. By using hybrid optimal control theory, trajectory optimization problems for systems that are both discrete time and continuous time from a mathematical perspective can be solved. A case study on multi-aircraft formation flying for civil aviation is performed which demonstrates the capabilities of the designed method. Whilst previous research has dealt with either high accuracy trajectories for small formation flying problems or low accuracy modelling of very large formation flying trajectories, in this thesis HOC is used to achieve a high accuracy optimal trajectory for formations of three aircraft and larger. Given the number of flights that are performed every day, the impact of saving fuel just by optimizing their trajectories using formation flying can be significant on a global scale, both environmentally and economically.

 Subject

Formation Flight
Hybrid Optimal Control
Branch and Bound
Trajectory Optimization

 To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f35d7060-8c87-47e6-a555-1bd8b1d0373c

 Embargo date

2017-11-30

 Part of collection

Student theses

 Document type

master thesis

 Rights

© 2017 Joris Stolwijk
Files
PDF MSc_Thesis_G_Stolwijk_A_H ... Flying.pdf 4.06 MB
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