Computer simulation of a large-scale non-linear feedback control system

Abstract

The computer simulation language written in Fortran was used to model the Navy's PHALANX Mount and Antenna Compensation Network. This network is a feedback control system that filters out the effects of surface ship motion on a weapon's response to commands from the ship's fire control center. The network includes a number of non-standard elements that prevent mathematical prediction of its closed-loop response; therefore, a computer model was required to predict the network's output.

The computer models were developed, validated and tested with a number of different inputs. The resultant outputs were compared with actual test data taken from a functional PHALANX mount compensation network.