Sliding mode control of morphing-aided maneuver for folding aircraft

The modeling and control problem of folding aircraft performing morphing-aided maneuver is studied in this paper. The relationship between the aircraft folding angle and the aerodynamic parameters is analyzed and modeled. The wing folding angle is viewed as an extra control input and the dynamic model of the morphing-aided maneuver is constructed. Considering the high nonlinearity and the hybrid disturbances of the system, a novel feedback linearization-based non-singular dynamic terminal sliding mode control (NDTSMC) approach is proposed. The convergence of the aircraft states within a finite time is proved to be guaranteed by NDTSMC, and chattering is eliminated by the integration of the switching control signals. Simulation results show that, the control precision and the robustness of the morphing aircraft are improved by NDTSMC, with a better chattering elimination. Higher maneuverability and disturbance rejection capability compared to conventional aircraft are also demonstrated by simulation.