Robust control of uncertain distributed delay systems with application to the stabilization of combustion in rocket motor chambers

The problems of robust stability and robust stabilization of uncertain linear systems with distributed delay occurring in the state variables are studied in this paper. The essential requirement for the uncertainties is that they are norm-bounded with known bounds. Conditions for the robust stability of distributed time delay systems are given and a design method for the robust stabilizing control law of the uncertain systems is presented. The proposed method is applied to the stabilization of combustion in the chamber of a liquid monopropellant rocket motor. It is found that the combustion can be robustly stabilized when the two parameters pressure exponent γ and maximal time lag r vary in specified intervals, respectively.