Lesson 3: RLC circuits & resonance

• Inductor, Inductance
• Comparison of Inductance and Capacitance
• Inductance in an AC signals
• RL circuits
• LC circuits: the electric “pendulum”
• RLC series & parallel circuits
• Resonance

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 Inductor
dI
VL=L
dT
VL
r ⇒ Z= =iωL
•
r r
Start with Maxwell’s equation ∇ × E = − ∂B I
∂t
• Integrate over a surface S (bounded by contour C) and Magnetic
use Stoke’s theorem: flux in Weber
r
r r r r r ∂B r ∂Φ
∫∫ ∇ × E.dA =
S
∫
S∈C
E.dl = − ∫∫ .dA = −
S
∂t ∂t
• The voltage is thus
∂Φ
VL = −emf =
∂t
P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008 Wihelm Weber (1804-1891)
 Inductor
• Now need to find a relation between magnetic field
generated by a loop and current flowing through the
loop’s wire. Used Biot and Savart’s law:
r µ 0 r rˆ
dB = Idl × 2 ⇒ B ∝ I
4π r
• Integrate over a surface S the magnetic flux is going to
be of the form
Φ ≡ LI
Inductance measured
• The voltage is thus in Henri (symbol H)

∂Φ dI
VL = =L
∂t dt
Joseph Henri (1797-1878)
P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008
 Inductor
• Case of loop made with an infinitely thin wire
µ
B= δl.I
4π

• If the inductor is composed of n loop per meter then

total B-field is
µ
B= nI
4π
Increase magnetic
• So inductance is permeability (e.g. use
metallic core instead of air)
µ µ
Φ ≡ BA = AnI ⇒ L = An
4π 4π Increase number of wire
per unit length increase L
Area of the loop

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 Inductor in an AC Circuit
dI
VL = L VT
dT VL
VL IL
⇒Z = = i ωL VL
I
• Introduce reactance for an inductor:
X L = ωL
VL
I
P

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 Inductor , Capacitor, Resistor

• Resistance = friction against motion of electrons

• Reactance = inertia that opposes motion of electrons

X L = ωL Z
1
XC = −
ωC X
R
• Impedance is a generally complex number:
Z = R + iX
• Note also one introduces the Admittance:
1
Y = = G + iB
Z
susceptance
conductance

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 Inductor versus Capacitor
CAPACITOR
INDUCTOR

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 RL series Circuits
dI
VT =V R+VL = RI + L = ( R + iωL) I ⇒ Z = R + iωL = R + iX L
dt

VT VT
VL

VR
• For the above circuit we can compute a numerical
value for the impedance:

Z = (5 + 3.7699i ) Ω
| Z |= 52 + 3.7699 2 ≈ 6.262, Θ = 37.02°

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 RL parallel Circuits

V 1 1 1
+ ∫ Vdt = ( + )V ⇒ Z −1 = R −1 + (iωL )
−1
I = I R+ I L =
R L R iωL
V

• For the above circuit we can compute a numerical

value for the impedance:
Z = (1.81 + 2.40i ) Ω
| Z |≈ 3.01, Θ = 52.98°

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 Inductor: Technical aspects
• Inductors are made a conductor wired
around air or a ferromagnetic core

• Unit of inductance is Henri, symbol is H

• Real inductors also have a resistance (in

series with inductance)

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

RLC series/parallel Circuits

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 RLC series/parallel Circuits: an example

• Compute impedance of the circuit below

– Step 1: consider C2 in series with L Ö Z1
– Step 2: consider Z1 in parallel with R Ö Z2
– Step 3: consider Z2 in series with C
• Let’s do this:

 1  1
Z1 = i  L ω −  = 1523 .34i Z = = 429.15 − 132.41i
Cω 
2
 1 1
+
i Z1 R
Z3 = Z 2 − = 429.15 − 629.79i
C1ω
• Current in the circuit is
V
I= = 76.89 + 124.86i ⇒| I |= 146.64 mA, ∠I = 58.371°
Z3
• And then one can get the voltage across any components

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

LC circuit: An electrical pendulum

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 LC circuit: An electrical pendulum
• Mechanical pendulum: oscillation between
potential and kinetic energy

• Electrical pendulum: oscillation between

magnetic (1/2LI2) and electrostatic
(1/2CV2)
energy

• In practice, the LC circuit showed has

some resistance, i.e. some energy is
dissipated and therefore the oscillation
amplitude is damped. The oscillation
frequency keeps unchanged.

• LC circuit are sometime called tank circuit

and oscillate (=resonate)

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 Example of a simple “tank” (LC) circuit

• ODE governing this circuit?

dV 1
I =I C+ I L = C + ∫ Vdt
dt L

dI d 2V 1 d 2V 1 dI
=C 2 + V ⇔ 2 + V=
dt dt L dt LC dt

• Equation of a simple harmonic oscillator with pulsation:

1
ω=
LC

• Or one can state that system oscillate if impedance associated to C and L

are equal, i.e.:
1
Lω =
Cω
P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008
 Example of a simple “tank” (LC) circuit

• What is the total impedance of the circuits?

i
Z −1
= iLω − = i ( Lω − Lω ) = 0 ⇒ Z = ∞
Cω
• So the tank circuit behaves as an open circuit at resonance!

• In a very similar way one can show that a series LC circuit behaves as a
short circuit when driven on resonance i.e.,

Z =0

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 RLC series circuit
• 2nd order ODE:
dI Q
RI + L + =V Voltage across
dt C
dQ capacitor
with I = ; Q = CU
dt
d 2U ( t ) dU ( t )
⇒ LC + RC + U (t ) = V (t )
dt 2
dt U(t)
• Resonant frequency still

• Let’s define the parameter

d 2U dU
• Then the ODE rewrites
2
+ 2ζ + ω 0U = V
2

dt dt

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 RLC series circuit: regimes of operation (1)
• Let’s consider V(t) to be a dirac-like impulsion (not physical…) at t=0.
Then for t>0, V(t)=0 and the previous equation simplifies to
d 2U dU
2
+ 2ζ + ω 0U = 0
2

dt dt
• With solutions

U (t ) = Ae λ+ t + Be λ− t
• Where the λ are solutions of the characteristics polynomial is

• The discriminant is
∆ = R 2C 2 − 4 LC
• And the solutions are
1
(
λ± = − 2ζ ± ∆
2
)
P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008
 RLC series circuit: regimes of operation (2)

L
• R<2
If ∆<0 that is if
Under damped C
1/ 2
R  R  1 
2

λ± = − ±   −  ≡ −δ ± δ − ω0
2 2

2 L  2 L  LC 
U(t) is of the form

U (t ) = e −δt  Ae δ 2 − ω 02 t
+ Be
− δ 2 − ω 02 t 
 
A and B are found from initial conditions.

• If ∆=0 critical damping

U (t ) = Ae −δt

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 RLC series circuit: regimes of operation (3)

L
• >2
If ∆>0 that is if R
Strong damping C
2 1/ 2
R  1  R 
λ± = − ± i −   ≡ −δ ± i ω0 − δ
2 2

2 L  LC  2 L  
U(t) is of the form

U (t ) = e − δt  Ae i ω 02 − δ 2 t
+ Be
− i ω 02 − δ 2 t 
 
A and B are found from initial conditions.

Which can be rewritten

(
U (t ) = De −δt sin ω02 − δ 2 t + φ )
P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008
RLC series circuit: regimes of operation (4)

Over-damped Critical damping

• For under-damped regime, the

solutions are exponentially
Under-damped decaying sinusoidal signals.
The time requires for these
oscillation to die out is 1/Q
where the quality factor is
defined as:
1 L
Q≡
R C
P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008
 RLC series circuit: Impedance (1)
• 2nd order ODE:
dI 1
V = VR + VL + VC = RI + L + ∫ I .dt
dt C
d 2 I R dI 1 1 dV
⇒ 2 + + I=
dt L dt LC L dt

• Resonant frequency still

• Let’s define the parameter

• Then the ODE rewrites

d 2I dI 1 dV
2
+ 2ζ + ω0 I =
2

dt dt L dt
P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008
 RLC series circuit: Impedance (2)
• Take back (but could also jut compute the impedance of the
system)
d 2I dI 1 dV
2
+ 2ζ + ω0 I =
2

dt dt L dt
• Explicit I in its complex form and deduce the current:
1
− ω I + 2iζωI + ω I = i ωV
2 2
0
L
I iω 1
⇒Y ≡ = 2 ⇒| Y |=
V ω0 − ω + 2iζω
2
 1 
2

R +  Lω −
2

 Cω 
• Introducing x=ω/ω0 we have
1
| Y |=
2
 1
R 1+ Q2  x − 
 x
P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008
RLC series circuit: resonance
Values of Q

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008

 RLC parallel circuit : resonance
• The same formalism as before can be applied to parallel
RLC circuits.

• The difference with serial circuit is: at resonance the

impedance has a maximum (and not the admittance as in
a serial circuit)

P. Piot, PHYS 375 – Spring 2008