We study the finite-horizon optimal control problem with quadratic functionals for an established fluid-structure interaction model. The coupled PDE system under investigation comprises a parabolic (the fluid) and a hyperbolic (the solid) dynamics; the coupling occurs at the interface between the regions occupied by the fluid and the solid. We establish several trace regularity results for the fluid component of the system, which are then applied to show well-posedness of the Differential Riccati Equations arising in the optimization problem. This yields the feedback synthesis of the unique optimal control, under a very weak constraint on the observation operator; in particular, the present analysis allows general functionals, such as the integral of the natural energy of the physical system. Furthermore, this work confirms that the theory developed in Acquistapace et al. [Adv. Differential Equations, 2005] -- crucially utilized here -- encompasses widely differing PDE problems, from thermoelastic systems to models of acoustic-structure and, now, fluid-structure interactions.
This work is concerned with a class of optimal control problems governed by a partial differential equation that are motivated by an application in radiotherapy treatment planning, where the primary design objective is to minimize the volume where a functional of the state violates a prescribed level, but prescribing these levels in the form of pointwise state constraints can lead to infeasible problems. We therefore propose an alternative approach based on $L^1$ penalization of the violation. We establish well-posedness of the corresponding optimal control problem, derive first-order optimali…
Common computational problems, such as parameter estimation in dynamic models and PDE constrained optimization, require data fitting over a set of auxiliary parameters subject to physical constraints over an underlying state. Naive quadratically penalized formulations, commonly used in practice, suffer from inherent ill-conditioning. We show that surprisingly the partial minimization technique regularizes the problem, making it well-conditioned. This viewpoint sheds new light on variable projection techniques, as well as the penalty method for PDE constrained optimization, and motivates robust…
We prove some regularity results for a connected set S in the planar domain O, which minimizes the compliance of its complement O§, plus its length. This problem, interpreted as to find the best location for attaching a membrane subject to a given external force f so as to minimize the compliance, can be seen as an elliptic PDE version of the average distance problem/irrigation problem (in a penalized version rather than a constrained one), which has been extensively studied in the literature. We prove that minimizers consist of a finite number of smooth curves meeting only by three at 120 deg…
We propose a local regularization of elliptic optimal control problems which involves the nonconvex $L^q$ fractional penalizations in the cost function. The proposed \emph{Huber type} regularization allows us to formulate the PDE constrained optimization formulation as a DC programming problem (difference of convex functions) that is useful to obtain necessary optimality conditions and tackle its numerical solution by applying the well known DC algorithm used in nonconvex optimization problems. By this procedure we approximate the original problem in terms of a consistent family of parameteriz…
We consider a typical problem in Mean Field Games: the congestion case, where in the cost that agents optimize there is a penalization for passing through zones with high density of agents, in a deterministic framework. This equilibrium problem is known to be equivalent to the optimization of a global functional including an $L^p$ norm of the density. The question arises as to produce a similar model replacing the $L^p$ penalization with an $L^\infty$ constraint, but the simplest approaches do not give meaningful definitions. Taking into account recent works about crowd motion, where the densi…
Optimal control problems including partial differential equation (PDE) as well as integer constraints merge the combinatorial difficulties of integer programming and the challenges related to large-scale systems resulting from discretized PDEs. So far, the Branch-and-Bound framework has been the most common solution strategy for such problems. In order to provide an alternative solution approach, especially in a large-scale context, this article investigates penalization techniques. Taking inspiration from a well-known family of existing exact penalty algorithms, a novel improved penalty algor…
We consider a mathematical model for the interactions of an elastic body fully immersed in a viscous, incompressible fluid. The corresponding composite PDE system comprises a linearized Navier-Stokes system and a dynamic system of elasticity; the coupling takes place on the interface between the two regions occupied by the fluid and the solid, respectively. We specifically study the regularity of boundary traces (on the interface) for the fluid velocity field. The obtained trace regularity theory for the fluid component of the system -- of interest in its own right -- establishes, in addition,…
This paper studies {a} mixed singular/switching stochastic control problem for a multidimensional diffusion with multiples regimes on a bounded domain. Using probabilistic, partial differential equation (PDE) and penalization techniques, we show that the value function associated with this problem agrees with the solution to a Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation. In that way, we see that the regularity of the value function is $C^{0,1}\cap\W^{2,\infty}_{loc}$.
This paper presents the control design of the two-phase Stefan problem. The two-phase Stefan problem is a representative model of liquid-solid phase transition by describing the time evolutions of the temperature profile which is divided by subdomains of liquid and solid phases as the liquid-solid moving interface position. The mathematical formulation is given by two diffusion partial differential equations (PDEs) defined on a time-varying spatial domain described by an ordinary differential equation (ODE) driven by the Neumann boundary values of both PDE states, resulting in a nonlinear coup…
The Stefan PDE system is a representative model for thermal phase change phenomena, such as melting and solidification, arising in numerous science and engineering processes. The mathematical description is given by a Partial Differential Equation (PDE) of the temperature distribution defined on a spatial interval with a moving boundary, where the boundary represents the liquid-solid interface and its dynamics are governed by an Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE). The PDE-ODE coupling at the boundary is nonlinear and creates a significant challenge for state estimation with provable converge…
As the capabilities of additive manufacturing techniques increase, topology optimization provides a promising approach to design geometrically sophisticated structures which can be directly manufactured. Traditional topology optimization methods aim at finding the conceptual design but often lack a sufficient resolution of the geometry and structural response, needed to directly use the optimized design for manufacturing. To overcome these limitations, this paper studies the viability and characteristics of the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) in combination with the Level-Set Method (LSM…
This paper develops a control and estimation design for the one-phase Stefan problem. The Stefan problem represents a liquid-solid phase transition as time evolution of a temperature profile in a liquid-solid material and its moving interface. This physical process is mathematically formulated as a diffusion partial differential equation (PDE) evolving on a time-varying spatial domain described by an ordinary differential equation (ODE). The state-dependency of the moving interface makes the coupled PDE-ODE system a nonlinear and challenging problem. We propose a full-state feedback control la…
This paper is concerned with a practical inverse problem of simultaneously reconstructing the surface heat flux and the thickness of a solid structure from the associated ultrasonic measurements. In a thermoacoustic coupling model, the thermal boundary condition and the thickness of a solid structure are both unknown, while the measurements of the propagation time by ultrasonic sensors are given. We reformulate the inverse problem as a PDE-constrained optimization problem by constructing a proper objective functional. We then develop an alternating iteration scheme which combines the conjugate…
In this paper we consider optimal control problems where the control variable is a potential and the state equation is an elliptic partial differential equation of a Schrödinger type, governed by the Laplace operator. The cost functional involves the solution of the state equation and a penalization term for the control variable. While the existence of an optimal solution simply follows by the direct methods of the calculus of variations, the regularity of the optimal potential is a difficult question and under the general assumptions we consider, no better regularity than the $BV$ one can be …
This paper presents a topology optimization framework for structural problems subjected to transient loading. The mechanical model assumes a linear elastic isotropic material, infinitesimal strains, and a dynamic response. The optimization problem is solved using the gradient-based optimizer Method of Moving Asymptotes (MMA) with time-dependent sensitivities provided via the adjoint method. The stiffness of materials is interpolated using the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) method and the Heaviside Projection Method (HPM) is used to stabilize the problem numerically and impro…
We consider shape and topology optimization for fluids which are governed by the Navier--Stokes equations. Shapes are modelled with the help of a phase field approach and the solid body is relaxed to be a porous medium. The phase field method uses a Ginzburg--Landau functional in order to approximate a perimeter penalization. We focus on surface functionals and carefully introduce a new modelling variant, show existence of minimizers and derive first order necessary conditions. These conditions are related to classical shape derivatives by identifying the sharp interface limit with the help of…
We introduce the concept of {\it mean-field optimal control} which is the rigorous limit process connecting finite dimensional optimal control problems with ODE constraints modeling multi-agent interactions to an infinite dimensional optimal control problem with a constraint given by a PDE of Vlasov-type, governing the dynamics of the probability distribution of interacting agents. While in the classical mean-field theory one studies the behavior of a large number of small individuals {\it freely interacting} with each other, by simplifying the effect of all the other individuals on any given …
High-relative-degree control barrier functions (hi-rel-deg CBFs) play a prominent role in automotive safety and in robotics. In this paper we launch a generalization of this concept for PDE control, treating a specific, physically-relevant model of thermal dynamics where the boundary of the PDE moves due to a liquid-solid phase change -- the so-called Stefan model. The familiar QP design is employed to ensure safety but with CBFs that are infinite-dimensional (including one control barrier "functional") and with safe sets that are infinite-dimensional as well. Since, in the presence of actuato…
We consider a problem of optimal distribution of conductivities in a system governed by a non-local diffusion law. The problem stems from applications in optimal design and more specifically topology optimization. We propose a novel parametrization of non-local material properties. With this parametrization the non-local diffusion law in the limit of vanishing non-local interaction horizons converges to the famous and ubiquitously used generalized Laplacian with SIMP (Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization) material model. The optimal control problem for the limiting local model is typical…
Lagrangian Relaxation for Continuous-Time Optimal Control of Coupled Hydrothermal Power Systems Including Storage Capacity and a Cascade of Hydropower Systems with Time Delays
In this paper, a backstepping observer and an output feedback control law are designed for the stabilization of the one-phase Stefan problem. The present result is an improvement of the recent full state feedback backstepping controller proposed in our previous contribution. The one-phase Stefan problem describes the time-evolution of a temperature profile in a liquid-solid material and its liquid-solid moving interface. This phase transition problem is mathematically formulated as a 1-D diffusion Partial Differential Equation (PDE) of the melting zone defined on a time-varying spatial domain …
This paper presents a control design for the one-phase Stefan problem under actuator delay via a backstepping method. The Stefan problem represents a liquid-solid phase change phenomenon which describes the time evolution of a material's temperature profile and the interface position. The actuator delay is modeled by a first-order hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE), resulting in a cascaded transport-diffusion PDE system defined on a time-varying spatial domain described by an ordinary differential equation (ODE). Two nonlinear backstepping transformations are utilized for the contr…
This paper is devoted to the theoretical and numerical study of an optimal design problem in high-temperature superconductivity (HTS). The shape optimization problem is to find an optimal superconductor shape which minimizes a certain cost functional under a given target on the electric field over a specific domain of interest. For the governing PDE-model, we consider an elliptic curl-curl variational inequality (VI) of the second kind with an L1-type nonlinearity. In particular, the non-smooth VI character and the involved H(curl)-structure make the corresponding shape sensitivity analysis ch…
