Date of Award
Fall 12-2020
Access Type
Thesis - Open Access
Degree Name
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Department
Mechanical Engineering
Committee Chair
Patrick Currier
First Committee Member
Sergey V. Drakunov
Second Committee Member
Charles F. Reinholtz
Abstract
Solar Sail spacecraft have become increasingly popular due to their ability to perform long term missions without the need for propellant. Because solar sail propulsion is so unique, most research has been focused on developing new mechanical control techniques. However, it can be argued that more advanced control algorithms can be used to mitigate the shortcomings of commonly used control actuators, specifically reaction wheels, when applied to solar sails. This thesis will research how a sliding mode controller compares to a PID controller with respect to settling time and state response error over a range of maximum reaction wheel torque values. The actuator saturation and actuator energy are then compared for two different sliding mode controllers and a PID controller. It was found that the sliding mode controller performed at minimum 14% better in terms of settling time and 7.7% better in terms of state response error, however the PID controller performed 24% better in terms of actuator saturation and energy. Further research should be done to study the potential benefits of sliding mode controllers in terms of their benefits to reduce actuator saturation and energy.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Ormiston, Kayla Marie, "A Comparison of PID and Sliding Mode Controllers When Applied to the Orbit Raising of a Satellite Using Solar Sail Propulsion" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses. 552.
https://commons.erau.edu/edt/552
