UNIT 6

Stability of Linear Control System

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 Lec16: Objectives

At the end of the lecture, I should be able to:

Define stability of a system
Make and interpret a basic Routh table to determine the stability of a
system
Make and interpret a Routh table where either the first element of a
row is zero or an entire row is zero

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 Stability Issue

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 Stable or unstable??

Im(s)
Stable Unstable
Poles Poles

s = negative s = positive

Re(s)

1/(s+1) 1/(s-1)

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 Stable or unstable??
A linear, time invariant system is stable if the
natural response approaches zero as time
approaches infinity

A linear, time invariant system is unstable if the

natural response grows without bound as time
approaches infinity

A linear, time invariant system is marginally

stable if the natural response neither decays
nor grows but remains constant or oscillate as
time approaches infinity
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 BIBO

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 BIBO definition of stability

1.A system is stable if every bounded

input yields a bounded output
2. A system is unstable if any bounded
input yields an unbounded output

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
In order to determine the systems stability:

need to know whether the poles are in the right-half or

left-half of the s-plane

use the Routh-Hurwitz criterion

indicate that a characteristics polynomial with
negative or missing coefficients, the system is
unstable
Can tell how many poles are on the right-half or
left-half of the plane
A polynomial that satisfies the criterion is
guaranteed stable.
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 Example 24
Let us look at an example of a closed-loop system below,
in which the overall transfer function is fourth order.
R(s) + 1 C(s)
K s 3 4s 2 3s
_
1
s 1

K
The system has an
overall transfer
G(s)
s 3
4 s 2
3s
function of G(s) 1 H ( s)G ( s) 1 K
1 3
s 1 s 4s 3s
2

MCB3013/rmz/jan14
 Example 24

K
The system has an

G(s)
s 3
4 s 2
3s
overall transfer 1 H ( s )G ( s ) 1 K
function of G(s) 1 3
s 1 s 4s 3s
2

K ( s 1)

( s 1)( s 3 4s 2 3s ) K
K ( s 1)
4
s 5s 3 7 s 2 3s K

And hence the characteristic

equation (C.E.) of s 5s 7s 3s K 0
4 3 2

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 Example 24

s 5s 7s 3s K 0
4 3 2

Let us examine the case of K = 5. The Routh-Herwitz method runs as

follows;

Step 1:
Write out the characteristic equation as a polynomial, for example:
a0 s n a1s n1 a2 s n2 a3 s n3 ...... 0 s 4 5s 3 7s 2 3s 5 0
Step 2:
Examine the terms in the equation if any coefficients are zero (i.e.
they do not appear in the equation) or if any have a negative
coefficient, then the equation will have at least one positive (or zero)
root and the system is unstable. You need not to proceed any further.
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 Example 24
s 4 5s 3 7s 2 3s 5 0
Step 3:
Arrange the coefficients in two rows and label them sn and sn-1 as
below. This is called Routh table. Each row in the Routh table is called
Routh array.
4
s n a0 a2 a4 a6 s 1 7 5
sn-1 a1 a3 a5 s3 5 3 0
Step 4:
Add extra rows one at a time in
the following way: s4 1 7 5
s n a0 a2 a4 a6
sn-1 a1 a3 a5 s3 5 3 0
sn-2 b1 b2 b3 3 1 0 1
2 7 6.4 5 5 0
where; s 5 5
a0 a3 aa aa
b1 a2 , b2 a4 0 5 , b3 a6 0 7
a1 a1 a1
MCB3013/rmz/jan14
 Example 24
Step 4:
Add extra rows one at a time in
the following way: s4 1 7 5
s n a0 a2 a4 a6
sn-1 a1 a3 a5
s3 5 3 0
sn-2 b1 b2 b3 s2 6 .4 5 0
where;
b1 a2
a0 a3 aa aa
, b2 a4 0 5 , b3 a6 0 7 5 5 05
a1 a1 a1 s 1 3 0.9 0 0 0
6.4 6.4
The next row will be:
sn a0 a2 a4 0 6.4
sn-1 a1 a3 a5 s 0 5 5 0
0.9
sn-2 b1 b2 b3
sn-3 c1 c2
where:
a1b2 ab
c1 a3 , c2 a5 1 3
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b1 b1
 Example 24

Step 5: 4
Look at the numbers you have s 1 7 5
in the first column i.e. a0 , a1 , b1
, c1 etc. s3 5 3 0
For the system to be stable
all these coefficients must be
s2 6 .4 5 0
positive
s1 0 .9 0 0
Each change of sign from
either +ve-ve or from - s 0 5 0 0
ve+ve indicates one root in
the right hand side of the s- 1 sign change from +ve to ve
plane = 1 root in the right plane
For this example we should find
that with K=5 the system is 1 sign change from -ve to +ve
unstable. = 1 root in the right plane

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