Title: System enhancement on perturbations and wind gusts for twin-rotor helicopter using intelligent active force control

Authors: Sherif I. Abdelmaksoud; Musa Mailah; Tang Howe Hing

Addresses: Aerospace Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261 Dhahran, Saudi Arabia ' Department of Applied Mechanics and Design, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Malaysia ' Department of Applied Mechanics and Design, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Abstract: Models of rotorcraft are classified into different categories, and today, the twin-rotor helicopter is considered one of the most versatile flying machines nowadays and has attracted many researchers from different disciplines. However, it is a multivariate, highly nonlinear, and strongly coupled model. Also, its performance could be further compromised when it is operated under disturbances or uncertainties. This study presents intelligent control schemes based on a technique called active force control (AFC) employing the iterative learning (IL) algorithm and fuzzy logic. Various types of disturbances including the sinusoidal wave, pulsating, and Dryden wind gust model disturbances have been introduced to test the feasibility of the suggested control schemes. Simulated findings show that the proposed AFC-based schemes are effective against disturbances while maintaining system stability. Results indicate that the PID-ILAFC scheme enhances the performance of the twin-rotor helicopter by approximately 70% for pitching motion and almost 30% for yawing motion, under different disturbances.

Keywords: twin-rotor helicopter; TRMS; UAVs; Euler-lagrange method; active force control; AFC; PID controller; iterative learning control; fuzzy logic; Dryden wind gust; disturbance rejection.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIC.2023.132606

International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control, 2023 Vol.43 No.2, pp.166 - 176

Received: 12 May 2022
Received in revised form: 30 Aug 2022
Accepted: 23 Sep 2022
Published online: 30 Jul 2023 *

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