CONTROL

SYSTEMS THEORY

Transient response stability

CHAPTER 5
STB 35103
Objective
Todetermine the stability of a system
represented as a transfer function.
Introduction
In chapter 1, we learnt about 3
requirements needed when designing a
control system
Transient response
Stability
Steady-state errors
Introduction
What is stability?
Most important system specification.
We cannot use a control system if the system
is unstable
Stability is subjective
Introduction
We can determine the stability of a system
based on the system poles.
Stable systems have closed-loop transfer
functions with poles only in the left half-plane.
Unstable systems have closed-loop transfer
functions with at least one pole in the right half-
plane and/or poles of multiplicity greater than 1
on the imaginary axis.
Marginally stable systems have closed-loop
transfer functions with only imaginary axis poles
of multiplicity 1 and poles in the left half-plane.
Introduction
Figure 5.1 a indicates closed-loop poles for
a stable system.

Figure 5.1 a - Closed-loop poles and response for stable system

Introduction
Figure 5.1 a indicates closed-loop poles for
an unstable system.

Figure 5.1 b - Closed-loop poles and response for unstable system

 Stability summary
Introduction
In order for us to know the stability of our
system we need to draw the system poles.
To find the poles we need to calculate the
roots of the system polynomials.

Try to get the system poles for the

systems in Figure 5.1 a and Figure 5.1 b.
Introduction
What about this system? Can you find the root
locus for this polynomial?

Figure 5.2 Close loop system with complex polynomial.

A method to find the stability without solving
for the roots of the system is called Routh-
Hurwitz Criterion.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
We can use Routh-Hurwitz criterion method
to find how many closed-loop system poles
are in the LHP, RHP and on the j-axis
Disadvantage : We cannot find their
coordinates
The method requires two steps:
Generate a data table called a Routh table
Interpret the Routh table to tell how many close-
loop system poles are in the left half-plane, the
right half-plane, and on the j-axis
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Example

Figure 5.3 Equivalent closed-loop transfer function

Figure 5.3 displays an equivalent closed loop
transfer function. In order to use Routh table
we are only going to focus on the
denominator.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
First step (1)
Based on the denominator in Figure 5.3, the
highest power for s is 4, so we can draw initial
table based on this information. We label the
row starting with the highest power to s0.

s4
s3
s2
s1
s0
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Input the coefficient values for each s
horizontally starting with the coefficient
of the highest power of s in the first row,
alternating the coefficients.

s4 a4 a2 a0
s3 a3 a1 0
s2
s1
s0
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Remaining entries are filled as follows. Each entry
is a negative determinant of entries in the
previous two rows divided by the entry in the
first column directly above the calculated row.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Example 6.1
Make a Routh table for the system below

Answer:
get the closed-loop transfer function
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
We can multiply any row in Routh table by
a positive constant without changing the
rows below.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Interpreting the basic Routh table

In this case, the Routh table applies to the

systems with poles in the left and right half-
planes.

Routh-Hurwitz criterion declares that the

number of roots of the polynomial that are in
the right half-plane is equal to the number
of sign changes in the first column.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
If the closed-loop transfer function has all poles in the
left half of the s-plane, the system is stable.
The system is stable if there are no sign changes in
the first column of the Routh table. Example:
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion

-
-
+
Based on the table, there are two sign
changes in the first column. So there are two
poles exist in the right half plane. Which
means the system is unstable.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Exercise 1

Make a Routh table and tell how many roots of the

following polynomial are in the right half-plane and
in the left half-plane.

P s 3s 9s 6 s 4s 7 s 8s 2s 6
7 6 5 4 3 2
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Answer
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Answer
Routh Hurwitz
Exercise 2
Routh Hurwitz
Solution
Routh Hurwitz
Exercise 3

Solution
Routh Hurwitz
Exercise 4
Routh Hurwitz
Solution
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Two special cases can occur:

Routh table has zero only in the first column of

a row
s3 1 3 0
s2 3 4 0
s1 0 1 2

Routh table has an entire row that consists of

zeros.
s3 1 3 0
s2 3 4 0
s1 0 0 0
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Zero only in the first column
There are two methods that can be used to
solve a Routh table that has zero only in the
first column.

1. Stability via epsilon method

2. Stability via reverse coefficients

Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Zero only in the first column
Stability via epsilon method

Example 6.2
Determine the stability of the closed-loop
transfer function

10
T s 5
s 2 s 4 3s 3 6 s 2 5 s 3
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Solution:
We will begin forming the Routh table
using the denominator. When we reach s3
a zero appears only in the first column.
s5 1 3 5
s4 2 6 3
s3 0 7/2 0
s2
s1
Zero in first s0
column
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
If there is zero in the first column we
cannot check the sign changes in the first
column because zero does not have + or
-.
A solution to this problem is to change 0
into epsilon ().
s5 1 3 5
s4 2 6 3
s3 0 7/2 0
s2
s1
s0
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
We will then calculate the determinant for
the next s values using the epsilon.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
If we all the columns and rows in the
Routh table we will get
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
We can find the number of poles on the
right half plane based on the sign changes
in the first column. We can assume as
+ or -
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
There are two sign changes so there are
two poles on the right half plane. Thus the
system is unstable.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Zero only in the first column
Stability via reverse coefficients

Example 6.3
Determine the stability of the closed-loop
transfer function

10
T s 5
s 2 s 4 3s 3 6 s 2 5 s 3
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Solution:
First step is to write the denominator in
reverse order (123653 to 356321)
D s 3s 5s 6 s 3s 2s 1
5 4 3 2

We can form the Routh table using D(s)

values.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
The Routh table indicates two signal
changes. Thus the system is unstable and
has two right-half plane poles.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Entire row is zero

the method to solve a Routh table with zeros in

entire row is different than only zero in first
column.

When a Routh table has entire row of zeros,

the poles could be in the right half plane, or
the left half plane or on the j axis.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Example 6.4
Determine the number of right-half-lane poles
in the closed-loop transfer function

10
T s 5
s 7 s 4 6 s 3 42 s 2 8s 56
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Solution:
Start with forming the initial Routh table
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
We can reduce the number in each row
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
We stop at the third row since the entire
row consists of zeros.

When this happens, we need to do the

following procedure.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Return to the row immediately above the
row of zeros and form the polynomial.

The polynomial formed is

P s s 6s 8
4 2
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Next we differentiate the polynomial with
respect to s and obtain

dP s
4 s 3 12 s 0
ds
We use the coefficient above to replace
the row of zeros. The remainder of the
table is formed in a straightforward
manner.
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
The Routh table when we change zeros
with new values
Routh-Hurwitz Criterion:
Special cases
Solve for the remainder of the Routh table

There are no sign changes, so there are no

poles on the right half plane. The system is
stable.
Example 1- normal
Example 2 - special case
Example 3 special case
Example 4 special case
Exercise
Given that G(s) is the open loop transfer
function for a unity feedback system, find
the range of K to yield a stable system
 Solution
Exercise
Find the range of K to yield a stable
system given the closed loop transfer
function below
Solution