On Feedback Linearizable Plants

An input-output approach is used to inestigate stabilization of a class of nonlinear plants that can be rendered linear time-invariant under nonlinear stable dynamic feedback. Results are obtained for the standard unity-feedback configuration subject to bounded disturbances. It is shown that the design method based on applying the inverse transformation on any stabilizing controller for the transformed linear time-invariant plant, does not necessarily yield a stabilizing controller for the nonlinear plant. Condition under which the method is justified are derived.