Trajectory optimization involving sloshing media

Abstract

SUMMARYThis paper is concerned with the optimization of the transport motion of an open topped fluid filled container within a warehouse environment. In particular, optimal trajectories of the motion of the drivercontainer system in two-dimensional space will be investigated via numerical solutions of the model equations using sequential quadratic programming. The fluid and the mechanical facility that moves the container are subject to several constraints. The objective of the optimization is the time to transport the container from an initial position to its final destination within the warehouse. Optimization criteria are investigated to control the movement of the fluid within the container. The systems of ordinary and partial differential equations, representing the dynamics of the models are solved numerically using a direct shooting method. The resulting non-linear programming problem is solved using sequential quadratic programming (SQP).