Optimal boundary control with critical penalization for a PDE model of fluid-solid interactions

We study the finite-horizon optimal control problem with quadratic functionals for an established fluid-structure interaction model. The coupled PDE system under investigation comprises a parabolic (the fluid) and a hyperbolic (the solid) dynamics; the coupling occurs at the interface between the regions occupied by the fluid and the solid. We establish several trace regularity results for the fluid component of the system, which are then applied to show well-posedness of the Differential Riccati Equations arising in the optimization problem. This yields the feedback synthesis of the unique optimal control, under a very weak constraint on the observation operator; in particular, the present analysis allows general functionals, such as the integral of the natural energy of the physical system. Furthermore, this work confirms that the theory developed in Acquistapace et al. [Adv. Differential Equations, 2005] -- crucially utilized here -- encompasses widely differing PDE problems, from thermoelastic systems to models of acoustic-structure and, now, fluid-structure interactions.Comment: 22 pages, submitted; v2: misprints corrected, a remark added in section

Predictor control for wave PDE / nonlinear ODE cascaded system with boundary value-dependent propagation speed

summary:This paper investigates predictor control for wave partial differential equation (PDE) and nonlinear ordinary differential equation (ODE) cascaded system with boundary value-dependent propagation speed. A predictor control is designed first. A two-step backstepping transformation and a new time variable are employed to derive a target system whose stability is established using Lyapunov arguments. The equivalence between stability of the target and the original system is provided using the invertibility of the backstepping transformations. Stability of the closed-loop system is established by Lyapunov arguments

Control Problems for Conservation Laws with Traffic Applications

Conservation and balance laws on networks have been the subject of much research interest given their wide range of applications to real-world processes, particularly traffic flow. This open access monograph is the first to investigate different types of control problems for conservation laws that arise in the modeling of vehicular traffic. Four types of control problems are discussed - boundary, decentralized, distributed, and Lagrangian control - corresponding to, respectively, entrance points and tolls, traffic signals at junctions, variable speed limits, and the use of autonomy and communication. Because conservation laws are strictly connected to Hamilton-Jacobi equations, control of the latter is also considered. An appendix reviewing the general theory of initial-boundary value problems for balance laws is included, as well as an appendix illustrating the main concepts in the theory of conservation laws on networks

Control Problems for Conservation Laws with Traffic Applications

Conservation and balance laws on networks have been the subject of much research interest given their wide range of applications to real-world processes, particularly traffic flow. This open access monograph is the first to investigate different types of control problems for conservation laws that arise in the modeling of vehicular traffic. Four types of control problems are discussed - boundary, decentralized, distributed, and Lagrangian control - corresponding to, respectively, entrance points and tolls, traffic signals at junctions, variable speed limits, and the use of autonomy and communication. Because conservation laws are strictly connected to Hamilton-Jacobi equations, control of the latter is also considered. An appendix reviewing the general theory of initial-boundary value problems for balance laws is included, as well as an appendix illustrating the main concepts in the theory of conservation laws on networks

Point-actuated feedback control of multidimensional interfaces

We consider the application of feedback control strategies with point actuators to stabilise desired interface shapes. We take a multidimensional Kuramoto--Sivashinsky equation as a test case; this equation arises in the study of thin liquid films, exhibiting a wide range of dynamics in different parameter regimes, including unbounded growth and full spatiotemporal chaos. In the case of limited observability, we utilise a proportional control strategy where forcing at a point depends only on the local observation. We find that point-actuated controls may inhibit unbounded growth of a solution, if they are sufficient in number and in strength, and can exponentially stabilise the desired state. We investigate actuator arrangements, and find that the equidistant case is optimal, with heavy penalties for poorly arranged actuators. We additionally consider the problem of synchronising two chaotic solutions using proportional controls. In the case when the full interface is observable, we construct feedback gain matrices using the linearised dynamics. Such controls improve on the proportional case, and are applied to stabilise non-trivial steady and travelling wave solutions

Mini-Workshop: Recent Developments on Approximation Methods for Controlled Evolution Equations

This mini-workshop brought together mathematicians engaged in partial differential equations, functional analysis, numerical analysis and systems theory in order to address a number of current problems in the approximation of controlled evolution equations

A primer on noise-induced transitions in applied dynamical systems

Noise plays a fundamental role in a wide variety of physical and biological dynamical systems. It can arise from an external forcing or due to random dynamics internal to the system. It is well established that even weak noise can result in large behavioral changes such as transitions between or escapes from quasi-stable states. These transitions can correspond to critical events such as failures or extinctions that make them essential phenomena to understand and quantify, despite the fact that their occurrence is rare. This article will provide an overview of the theory underlying the dynamics of rare events for stochastic models along with some example applications