Sliding mode tracking control of a class of fractional-order nonstrict-feedback nonlinear systems

Since the Leibniz rule for integer-order derivatives of the product of functions, which includes a finite number of terms, is not true for fractional-order (FO) derivatives of that, all sliding mode control (SMC) methods introduced in the literature involved a very limited class of FO nonlinear systems. This article presents a solution for the unsolved problem of SMC of a class of FO nonstrict-feedback nonlinear systems with uncertainties. Using the Leibniz rule for the FO derivative of the product of two functions, which includes an infinite number of terms, it is shown that only one of these terms is needed to design a SMC law. Using this point, an algorithm is given to design the controller for reference tracking, that significantly reduces the number of design parameters, compared to the literature. Then, it is proved that the algorithm has a closed-form solution which presents a straightforward tool to the designer to obtain the controller. The solution is applicable to the systems with a mixture of integer-order and FO dynamics. Stability and finite-time convergence of the offered control law are also demonstrated. In the end, the availability of the suggested SMC is illustrated through a numerical example arising from a real system.