Title: Adaptive steering and roll damping control for yachts

Authors: Cheng Mo Xiao, Sing Kiong Nguang, Peng Shi

Addresses: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. ' Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. ' University of Glamorgen, Pontypridd CF37 1DL, UK

Abstract: Due to many special characteristics of the motion of a yacht in response to wind, sea and other conditions, the issues associated with designing an automatic controller for a yacht steering and rolling stabilisation are quite different from those for engine-powered vessels. This paper presents some simulation results of the behaviour of a 12-m America|s Cup yacht, indicating the non-linear character of yacht motion. With a view to developing an adaptive steering and roll damping controller for yachts, the behaviour of linear yacht models is examined and a case presented for online recursive modelling. Some aspects of adaptive controller design are reviewed and simulation results are presented of the performance of the resulting adaptive control law using a Simulink model of the 12-m America|s Cup yacht model.

Keywords: adaptive control; nonlinear modelling; identification; yacht control; rudder roll damping; yachts; steering control; rolling stabilisation; yacht motion; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIC.2008.022016

International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control, 2008 Vol.5 No.2, pp.113 - 121

Published online: 16 Dec 2008 *

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