Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/3342
Date of Award
6-2026
Degree Name
MS in Mechanical Engineering
Department/Program
Mechanical Engineering
College
College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences
Advisor
Mohammad Hasan
Advisor Department
Mechanical Engineering
Advisor College
College of Engineering
Abstract
This thesis presents the development of a cascaded reaction wheel control system for Cal Poly's Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator. This work considers system architecture, empirical modeling, high-fidelity simulation, embedded firmware, hardware integration, and experimental characterization. In discrete-time simulation, it is shown that nonlinear direct model reference adaptive control (NDMRAC) enables a nonlinear, partially known plant with realistic actuator dynamics to track the response of a canonical second-order transfer function, with settling time within 4.67% and percent overshoot within order of magnitude of the second-order response. In hardware, the feasibility of a cascaded reaction wheel control architecture is experimentally demonstrated, achieving settling time within 3.88% of the ideal second-order response and a minimum steady-state error of 7.56 degrees, while also revealing tradeoffs between accuracy, disturbance rejection, and actuator smoothness among inner-loop control strategies. More broadly, this thesis presents a holistic approach to control architecture design by connecting empirical actuator modeling, numerical simulation, embedded implementation, and hardware validation.
Included in
Acoustics, Dynamics, and Controls Commons, Electro-Mechanical Systems Commons, Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics Commons