OBSERVER-BASED SLIDING MODE APPROACH FOR SYNCHRONIZING MOTION IN LARGE AIRCRAFT HYBRID MECHATRONIC ACTUATION SYSTEM

Abstract

In hybrid mechatronic actuation systems comprising electro-mechanical and servo-hydraulic actuators, precise motion synchronization is imperative for reliable performance, particularly in large-scale civil aircraft applications. A lack of synchronization between actuators gives rise to the *Force-Fighting* phenomenon, which occurs when differential forces are produced while both actuators jointly drive the same control surface. This research investigates the mitigation of Force-Fighting and the enhancement of motion coordination within hybrid actuation systems. An observer-based Sliding Mode Control (SMC) framework is proposed to achieve robust motion synchronization. To address modeling uncertainties, actuator coupling effects, external disturbances, and the unavailability of complete state information, an Extended State Observer (ESO) is integrated into the control design. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is validated through extensive simulations conducted in MATLAB/Simulink. Comparative results with existing methods demonstrate that the proposed control approach significantly improves motion synchronization accuracy, enhances load disturbance rejection capability, and effectively suppresses the Force-Fighting phenomenon in hybrid mechatronic actuation systems.