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SPEED AND TORQUE CONTROL OF A DC SHUNT MOTOR

Conference Paper · October 2009

DOI: 10.13140/2.1.1673.2963

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 SPEED AND TORQUE CONTROL OF A DC SHUNT MOTOR
Jessica Cabiles-Magsino
Elmer R. Magsino

Abstract – This paper discusses the speed and torque control of a shunt DC motor through
MATLAB Simulink simulations. The DC shunt motor is 120Vdc with rated speed of 1800
revolutions per minute. Blocks pertinent to the control of the DC motor are modeled using basic
blocks found in the Simulink library.

INTRODUCTION

DC motors have been in long use for quite a number of years now. Its application has
been widely prevalent in automotives, manufacturing and industrial application, automation,
stepper drives etc. Types of motors are classified with respect to the field excitation of the
machine. The excitation of the field is dependent upon the connections of the field winding
relative to the armature winding. For shunt field DC motor, the field is in parallel to the armature
winding. Shunt DC motors find very wide use in constant speed requirements since the drop in
the speed from its no-load speed is relatively small. However, it is not recommended for
variable-speed application.
Speed control techniques for a DC motor are available in two types. The two techniques
are: first, the armature control technique and the second one being the field control. For this
paper design the armature control is employed. In armature control the field current is
maintained as a constant parameter. The speed of the motor is a function of the applied voltage.
A reversal in the applied voltage changes the direction of the motor. In reality however, constant
voltage – DC supplies are utilized. Thus there is a need for the fixed voltage to be converted to a
variable voltage source. Choppers are often employed in such required function. [1]
A two-quadrant chopper is utilized in the speed control of the motor. Given the rated
speed of the machine, the DC chopper is designed in such a way that the output voltage of the
chopper would be sufficient enough to deliver the required speed and torque rating.
Mathematical modeling of the DC chopper and the shunt motor are done in Matlab-Simulink©
environment. Design of the speed and current controllers will be done using Matlab’s SISO Tool
under the Control Toolbox. The expected output performance of the motor speed is taken from
the simulation results.

SYSTEM MODEL

The general system model for the speed and torque control of a DC shunt motor is shown
Figure 1. The desired speed of operation is 0 – 100 rpm both in the clockwise and
counterclockwise direction.

ωs ia
Chopper Motor
Current Armature
- - Controller Circuit

Tacho-
Speed generator
Controller
ia
Hc

ωmr Hω ωm
1 + sTω

Figure 1 Speed- and Torque-controlled DC Shunt Motor [1]

From the system model, there are two loops from which the speed is dependent upon.
The inner loop being the current loop, where the armature current, ia, is being fed back to the
current controller/compensator. The outer loop is composed of the sampled operating speed, ωm,
being compared to the actual speed, ωs,

DC Shunt Motor – The equivalent circuit of a DC shunt motor model is shown in Figure 2.
From the schematic, the field winding is connected between the armature terminals, thus the
armature voltage Va is equal to the field voltage Vf.

Rfx Rf LAA
Ra

+ if im if
LFF Va
Laf+ωrif
-

Figure 2 Equivalent Circuit of a Shunt Connected Motor [2]

The block diagram of the DC Shunt motor is shown below.

Ia 1 + Va
ra
-
sτ a + 1

Kv K v ωr
×

1 - TL
v ωr Js + Bm
+
Te
×
Figure 3 Block Representation of Shunt DC Motor [2]

The block diagram is implemented in the Simulink environment of Matlab. The inputs to
the system will be the armature voltage and the load torque while the outputs of the system will
the armature current and the motor speed.

DC-DC Chopper and PWM block - The direction of rotation of the motor speed control is
controlled by the chopper circuit by controlling the amount of induced voltage applied in the
motor.
The two-quadrant DC-DC converter of Figure 4 is utilized in this paper.[3]

v0
CH1 D2

R i0 L E
V
+ v0 − i0

D1 CH2

Figure 4 : Two Quadrant DC Chopper (Class D) [4]

The two quadrant DC chopper used is also known as a Class D chopper. The output
voltage of the chopper is dependent upon the state of the switches of the circuit (CH1 and CH2).
At the instant that both of the switches are triggered ON, the current flows through the load by
means of the resistor R in the circuit. A positive induced voltage is impressed upon the load.
During the moment that both of the switches turn OFF, the current continues to flow in the same
direction as before. However, the voltage across the load no longer maintains its previous
polarity; thus, a negative voltage is seen at the output. It can therefore be said that the circuit is
capable of voltage inversion, depending on the duty cycle of the converter.

The model of the DC-DC chopper is:

Vout = DV − (1 − D)V

where

V = Input DC Voltage
D = 1 or 0
Vout = Output Voltage

Current Controller –In a current-controlled DC machine, the torque is controlled by controlling

the current. Moreover, current control can be used to prevent damaging large armature currents,
particularly during start-up.
From Figure 1, the armature current, ia, is fed back to the current controller which in turn
drives the chopper circuit. In particular, this is being fed to the logic and base drive circuits of the
chopper.
Usually for a DC motor application, the current controller is of the proportional-integral
type represented by

K c (1 + sTc )
Gc ( s ) =
sTc

where the subscript c denotes current controller. The K and T correspond to the gain and time
constants of the controller.

Speed Controller - The speed controller of the system is the outer loop of the block diagram.
This loop ensures that the actual speed is delivered all the time regardless of the load.
Similar to the current controller, the speed controller conventionally used for a DC motor
is the proportional- integral type. It is represented as

K s (1 + sTs )
Gs (s) =
sTs

where the subscript s corresponds to the speed controller and the K and T correspond to the gain
and time constants of the controller.
For the two control loops, the inner current loop assures a fast current response and also
limits the current to a safe preset level. The inner current loop is responsible for making the
converter a linear current amplifier. On the other hand, the outer speed loop is responsible for
ensuring that the actual speed is always equal to the commended speed and that any transient is
overcome within the shortest feasible time without exceeding the motor and converter capability.
[1]

METHODOLOGY

Design Specifications, Assumptions and Limitations – The design of the 2-quadrant chopper
is driven by the need of a 1.5horse-power, 120 Vdc shunt motor with a rated speed of 1800
revolutions per minute, with a required speed rate of 0 to 100 rpm. Speed control is necessary in
the design.
For the motor parameters, theoretical values are assumed, with close similarity to
practical values.
 Motor Parameters Values
Armature Resistance, Ra 4 ohms
Inertia, J 0.0607 kg-m2
Armature Inductance, La 0.072 H
Friction, Bt 0.0769 N-m/rad/sec
Motor constant, Kv 1.26 V/rad/sec
B1 0.01 N-m/rad/sec

Table 1: Specification of Motor Parameters for the Design

The input voltage source of the motor is presumed to be a battery source. Although in
practice, the more prevalent form of input is with the use of the rectified AC supply. The battery
is chosen over the rectified AC supply to minimize the complexity of the design.

Derivation of the Current Controller

From Figure 1, the loop transfer function of the inner loop is:

I
GH (s ) = GPWM (s )* GChopper (s )* H c * a (s )
Va

GH (s ) = 1*
240k
* 0.05 *
(sJ + B1)
s + 2000 (sLa + Ra )(sJ + B1) + K v 2
12k (sJ + B1)
GH (s ) =
(s + 2000)(sLa + Ra )(sJ + B1) + K v 2
Compensating the above loop transfer function was done using Matlab’s SISO Design
Tool from the Control System Toolbox. The compensator is a PI controller having a transfer
function:
s + 20
GCompensator (s ) = 0.5 *
s
The compensated loop transfer function including its stability margins is shown below.

Bode Diagram
Gm = Inf dB (at Inf rad/sec) , Pm = 75.8 deg (at 784 rad/sec)
40

20
Magnitude (dB)

-20

-40

-60

-80
0

-45
Phase (deg)

-90

-135

-180
-2 0 2 4
10 10 10 10
Frequency (rad/sec)

Figure 8 : Compensated Loop Transfer Function

Derivation of the Speed Controller

Once the inner loop controlling the current provides a satisfactory result, the speed controller
design is next. The closed loop transfer function of the inner loop is:

Ia 7.284 s 2 + 146.9 s + 24
(s ) =
Ia * 2.185e − 6 s 4 + 0.004549 s 3 + 0.7252 s 2 + 13.73s + 1.2

The low pass filter of the tachometer, as seen from Section 3.6.5 of Electric Motor Drives by
Krisnan, has a transfer function equal to:

GLowpass (s ) =
100
s + 100
ω
We now derive the transfer function of (s ) . This is shown below.
Ia
ω Kv
(s ) =
Ia sJ + B1

Again, using Matlab’s SISO Design Tool from the Control System Toolbox to compensate for
the speed of the system, we have the PI controller as:

s + 0.2
GCompensator (s ) = 0.5 *
s

The closed loop transfer function, its frequency and stability margins, are shown below.

ωa 4.589e 4 s 3 + 9.345e5 s 2 + 3.363e5 s + 3.024e 4

(s ) =
Va 0.001326 s 6 + 2.762 s 5 + 4641s 4 + 1.397e5 s 3 + 9.644e5 s 2 + 3.387e5 s + 3.024e 4

B o d e Dia g r a m
G m = 4 6 .2 d B ( a t 1 .8 6 e +0 0 3 r a d /s e c ) , Pm = 1 7 5 d e g ( a t 0 .9 0 5 r a d /s e c )
50

0
Magnitude (dB)

-50

-100

-150
0

-90
Phase (deg)

-180

-270
-1 0 1 2 3 4 5
10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Fr e q u e n c y ( r a d /s e c )

Figure 9 : Closed Loop Transfer Function of the Speed Controller

SIMULATION

-K- 10.02

rad/sec-rpm Output Speed

in rpm

speed
10 wdes Speed In1 Out1 In1 Out1 duty PWM d Va Va
Ia
speed Tload
Softstart Te
Speed Current PWM 2Q Chopper
in rpm DC Motor Model
Controller Controller block

Scope
0.0769

Bload

0.05

Current Feedback
Gain
100
s+100
T acho Low
Pass Filter

0.08065

Load T orque

Figure 10 : Simulink Top Level Block Model Representation for the 2-Quadrant DC Chopper Motor Speed Control
 The top level block model representation of the 2 quadrant DC Chopper is shown above.
It can be seen that the blocks are individual models as well.

Soft-start Block

The soft-start stage model used in Simulink is shown below. This stage protects the
system from too much demand from speed and current due to the immediate need of the system
to reach its desired speed value. This is especially true when the input is equal to 100rpm. The
desired speed (in rpm) is passed on to an rpm-rad/sec gain and a speed value limiter. The values
of the limits of the limiter are ± 10.5 rad/sec. It is then passed to an attenuator before compared
to a slow-rising ramp. The maximum time for soft-start is one second corresponding to an input
of 100rpm.

Figure 11 : Simulink Implementation of Soft-start Block

PI Controllers

The speed and current controllers are designed using Matlab’s SISO Design Tool under
the Control System Toolbox. The block representations of the controllers are shown below.

Figure 12: Simulink Implementation of Speed and Current Controllers

PWM Block

The PWM block model implementation mimics the generation of the duty cycle of the
chopper. In practice, an integrated circuit is used for this implementation. The Simulink
representation of the PWM Block is shown below.
 Figure 13 : Simulink Implementation of the PWM Block

Two Quadrant Chopper

The two quadrant chopper implementation came about with the use of equation 14 above
where D is the command signal for on and off.

Figure 14 : Simulink Implementation of 2 Quadrant Chopper

DC Motor Model

The model of the DC motor is shown below. Using Figure 3 as the reference block
model, the result is the Simulink implementation as depicted in the block below.

Figure 15 : Simulink Implementation of the DC Motor

 PERFORMANCE CURVES

The performance curves are taken from the scope function of Simulink. The motor speed
in radians/second, armature current, electric torque and the duty cycle are all plotted. Several
snapshots of the output given a required speed are taken.

Motor Speed
-10.427

-10.428

-10.429

-10.43

Armature Current
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2

Electric Torque

-0.5

-1

-1.5

PWM Signal
1

0.5

0
2.49 2.495 2.5 2.505 2.51 2.515 2.52 2.525

Figure 16 : Motor Response at Desired Speed of -100 RPM, (Plot in rad/sec)

-3
x 10 Motor Speed

5
Armature Current
0.5

-0.5

Electric Torque

0.5

-0.5

PWM Signal
1

0.5

0
2.242 2.244 2.246 2.248 2.25 2.252 2.254 2.256

Figure 17 : Motor Response at Desired Speed 0 RPM, (0 Rad/sec)

 Motor Speed

10.45

10.449

10.448

Armature Current

1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2

Electric Torque
1.5

0.5

PWM Signal
1

0.5

0
3.95 3.96 3.97 3.98 3.99 4 4.01 4.02

Figure 18 : Motor Response at Desired Speed 100 RPM (Output in Rad/sec)

REFERENCES

[1] R. Krisnan, Electric Motor Drives: Modeling, Analysis, and Control, Prentice Hall, New
York, 2001.
[2] C. Krause, O. Wasynzuck, S. Sudhoff, Analysis of Electric Machinery and Drive Systems,
Wiley Inter-Science, New York, 2002.
[3] Prof. T.K. Anantha Kumar, DC Choppers Lecture Slides, Virginia Tech University.
[4]http://www.eee.strath.ac.uk/~bwwilliams/Book/Chapter%2013.pdf, Date accessed March 21,
2009.
[5] A. Hughes, Electric Motors and Drives: Fundamentals, Types and Applications, Newnes
Publications, Burlington MA, 2006.
[6] D. Hart, Introduction to Power Electronics, Prentice Hall, New York, 1997.
[7] M. Rashid, Power Electronics Handbook, Academic Press, London, UK, 2001.
[8] http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/step/circuits.html#bipolar, Date accessed, March 29, 2009.
[9] http://www.silicon-link.com/products/as384x.pdf, Date accessed, April 1, 2009.
[10] http://www.beigebag.com/case_dc_motor_t1.htm, Date accessed, April 1, 2009.
[11]http://www.ecircuitcenter.com/Circuits/dc_motor_model/DCmotor_model.htm, Date
accessed, March 29, 2009.
[12] AS 384x datasheet, Silicon Link
[13] http://www.infineon.com
[14] http://www.stonline.com

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