Design of Classical and Adaptive Control Systems for Pitch Angle and Altitude Tracking in Aircraft Dynamics

This paper presents a comprehensive approach to the design and implementation of advanced flight control systems aimed at achieving precise altitude and pitch angle regulation for aerial vehicles. I develop a classical control framework that integrates feedback mechanisms utilizing critical state variables, including angle of attack, pitch rate, and integral error states, to ensure effective control over the vehicle’s dynamics. To stabilize the inner-loop pitch angle dynamics, I employ a compensator designed through root locus analysis. This approach facilitates the attainment of desired stability margins and control performance metrics, thereby enhancing the responsiveness of the system to perturbations. Following this, I address the outer-loop altitude tracking system, which is similarly closed using a compensator design. This section of the system encounters challenges related to the characteristics of a double integrator and the presence of unstable zeros, necessitating a robust control strategy. In addition to the classical control design, I introduce an adaptive control framework to manage uncertainties inherent in system stability and control derivatives effectively. This adaptive architecture employs a model reference approach, enabling the system to dynamically adjust to variations and uncertainties while tracking the desired commands. The adaptive mechanism is grounded in Lyapunov-based methods, which are employed to ensure global stability throughout the control process. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of both the classical and adaptive control strategies. The results indicate that the proposed methodologies successfully achieve stable altitude tracking and robust performance in the presence of various system uncertainties. The findings contribute to the broader field of flight control systems, providing insights into the integration of classical and adaptive techniques for enhanced aerial vehicle performance.