Global stability of nonlinear feedback systems with fractional positive linear parts (Q2023599)

In this paper, the author establishes a sufficient condition for the global stability of certain nonlinear continuous-time feedback systems with positive, not necessarily asymptotically stable, fractional linear parts. To introduce the fractional parts, the Caputo definition of a fractional derivative is employed. The characteristics \(u=f(e)\) of the nonlinear elements are assumed to satisfy the estimation \(k_1e\leq f(e)\leq k_2e\) for positive \(k_1,k_2\), where the gain \(k_1\) is chosen so that the transfer function is asymptotically stable. By applying the Lyapunov method to the fractional nonlinear system and using Hurwitz estimations, it is shown that this system is globally asymptotically stable provided that the Nyquist plot of the linear part is located on the right-hand side of the circle \((-\frac{1}{k_1},-\frac{1}{k_2})\), the formal definition of the latter being given {\em ad hoc}. This result can be regarded as an extension of the Kudrewicz theorem to the case of fractional nonlinear systems with positive linear parts. The practical utility of the above-mentioned global stability criterion is illustrated by means of a suitable numerical example.