This monograph deals with cases where optimal control either does not exist or is not unique, cases where optimality conditions are insufficient of degenerate, or where extremum problems in the sense of Tikhonov and Hadamard are ill-posed, and other situations. A formal application of classical optimisation methods in such cases either leads to wrong results or has no effect. The detailed analysis of these examples should provide a better understanding of the modern theory of optimal control and the practical difficulties of solving extremum problems.

The published material represents the outgrowth of teaching analytical optimization to aerospace engineering graduate students. To make the material available to the widest audience, the prerequisites are limited to calculus and differential equations. It is also a book about the mathematical aspects of optimal control theory. It was developed in an engineering environment from material learned by the author while applying it to the solution of engineering problems. One goal of the book is to help engineering graduate students learn the fundamentals which are needed to apply the methods to engineering problems. The examples are from geometry and elementary dynamical systems so that they can be understood by all engineering students. Another goal of this text is to unify optimization by using the differential of calculus to create the Taylor series expansions needed to derive the optimality conditions of optimal control theory.

Geared toward advanced undergraduate and graduate engineering students, this text introduces the theory and applications of optimal control. It serves as a bridge to the technical literature, enabling students to evaluate the implications of theoretical control work, and to judge the merits of papers on the subject. Rather than presenting an exhaustive treatise, Optimal Control offers a detailed introduction that fosters careful thinking and disciplined intuition. It develops the basic mathematical background, with a coherent formulation of the control problem and discussions of the necessary conditions for optimality based on the maximum principle of Pontryagin. In-depth examinations cover applications of the theory to minimum time, minimum fuel, and to quadratic criteria problems. The structure, properties, and engineering realizations of several optimal feedback control systems also receive attention. Special features include numerous specific problems, carried through to engineering realization in block diagram form. The text treats almost all current examples of control problems that permit analytic solutions, and its unified approach makes frequent use of geometric ideas to encourage students' intuition.

Systems that evolve with time occur frequently in nature and modelling the behavior of such systems provides an important application of mathematics. These systems can be completely deterministic, but it may be possible too to control their behavior by intervention through "controls". The theory of optimal control is concerned with determining such controls which, at minimum cost, either direct the system along a given trajectory or enable it to reach a given point in its state space. This textbook is a straightforward introduction to the theory of optimal control with an emphasis on presenting many different applications. Professor Hocking has taken pains to ensure that the theory is developed to display the main themes of the arguments but without using sophisticated mathematical tools. Problems in this setting can arise across a wide range of subjects and there are illustrative examples of systems from fields as diverse as dynamics, economics, population control, and medicine. Throughout there are many worked examples, and numerous exercises (with solutions) are provided.

Optimal control theory is a technique being used increasingly by academic economists to study problems involving optimal decisions in a multi-period framework. This textbook is designed to make the difficult subject of optimal control theory easily accessible to economists while at the same time maintaining rigour. Economic intuitions are emphasized, and examples and problem sets covering a wide range of applications in economics are provided to assist in the learning process. Theorems are clearly stated and their proofs are carefully explained. The development of the text is gradual and fully integrated, beginning with simple formulations and progressing to advanced topics such as control parameters, jumps in state variables, and bounded state space. For greater economy and elegance, optimal control theory is introduced directly, without recourse to the calculus of variations. The connection with the latter and with dynamic programming is explained in a separate chapter. A second purpose of the book is to draw the parallel between optimal control theory and static optimization. Chapter 1 provides an extensive treatment of constrained and unconstrained maximization, with emphasis on economic insight and applications. Starting from basic concepts, it derives and explains important results, including the envelope theorem and the method of comparative statics. This chapter may be used for a course in static optimization. The book is largely self-contained. No previous knowledge of differential equations is required.

Want to know not just what makes rockets go up but how to do it optimally? Optimal control theory has become such an important field in aerospace engineering that no graduate student or practicing engineer can afford to be without a working knowledge of it. This is the first book that begins from scratch to teach the reader the basic principles of the calculus of variations, develop the necessary conditions step-by-step, and introduce the elementary computational techniques of optimal control. This book, with problems and an online solution manual, provides the graduate-level reader with enough introductory knowledge so that he or she can not only read the literature and study the next level textbook but can also apply the theory to find optimal solutions in practice. No more is needed than the usual background of an undergraduate engineering, science, or mathematics program: namely calculus, differential equations, and numerical integration. Although finding optimal solutions for these problems is a complex process involving the calculus of variations, the authors carefully lay out step-by-step the most important theorems and concepts. Numerous examples are worked to demonstrate how to apply the theories to everything from classical problems (e.g., crossing a river in minimum time) to engineering problems (e.g., minimum-fuel launch of a satellite). Throughout the book use is made of the time-optimal launch of a satellite into orbit as an important case study with detailed analysis of two examples: launch from the Moon and launch from Earth. For launching into the field of optimal solutions, look no further!

Computational Optimal Control: Tools and Practice provides a detailed guide to informed use of computational optimal control in advanced engineering practice, addressing the need for a better understanding of the practical application of optimal control using computational techniques. Throughout the text the authors employ an advanced aeronautical case study to provide a practical, real-life setting for optimal control theory. This case study focuses on an advanced, real-world problem known as the “terminal bunt manoeuvre” or special trajectory shaping of a cruise missile. Representing the many problems involved in flight dynamics, practical control and flight path constraints, this case study offers an excellent illustration of advanced engineering practice using optimal solutions. The book describes in practical detail the real and tested optimal control software, examining the advantages and limitations of the technology. Featuring tutorial insights into computational optimal formulations and an advanced case-study approach to the topic, Computational Optimal Control: Tools and Practice provides an essential handbook for practising engineers and academics interested in practical optimal solutions in engineering. Focuses on an advanced, real-world aeronautical case study examining optimisation of the bunt manoeuvre Covers DIRCOL, NUDOCCCS, PROMIS and SOCS (under the GESOP environment), and BNDSCO Explains how to configure and optimize software to solve complex real-world computational optimal control problems Presents a tutorial three-stage hybrid approach to solving optimal control problem formulations

Upper-level undergraduate text introduces aspects of optimal control theory: dynamic programming, Pontryagin's minimum principle, and numerical techniques for trajectory optimization. Numerous figures, tables. Solution guide available upon request. 1970 edition.