Slew maneuver of a flexible space structure with constraint on bending moment

A control scheme is proposed for a rest-to-rest slew maneuver of a flexible space structure with constraints on the maximum value of the bending moment of the flexible structure. The flexible space structure treated is a rigid body equipped with a flexible appendage. The slew maneuver is a rest-to-rest maneuver with a constraint on the bending moment at the root of the flexible appendage, and a control scheme is studied to minimize the bending moment due to the structural vibration inevitably excited by the slew maneuver of the flexible structure. The optimal control profile is studied both analytically and experimentally to solve the control algorithm and also to verify the validity of the implementation. Results of the numerical and experimental analyses of the present control are compared with those of the well-known time-optimal control and the robust time-optimal control to demonstrate the effectiveness of the present control scheme.