NMB 34203 Control Systems

Chapter 5
System Stability: The Routh-Hurwitz
criterion
 CLO and Chapter Objectives

Course Learning Outcome (CLO)

• Evaluate the stability of feedback control system using frequency response
methods (C5)

Chapter Objectives
Upon completion of this topic, the student should be able to :
• Determine the stability of a system represented as a transfer function
• Determine system parameters to yield stability
• Interpret the number of poles in each region of the complex plane

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 Overview

1. Introduction to System’s Stability

2. The Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
 Generating the Routh table
 Interpreting the Routh table
 Special Cases
Introduction

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Introduction

5
 Introduction

Closed-loop poles and response : Stable system:- All poles are in the left-half plane
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 Introduction

Closed-loop poles and response : Unstable system: Poles in the right-half plane
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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion

The methods requires two steps :

1. Generate a data table called a Routh table
2. Interpret the Routh table to tell how many closed-loop system poles are in
the left half-plane, the right half-plane and on the jω-axis

1. Generating A Basic Routh Table

The Equivalent closed-loop transfer function

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion

Step 1: Create the Routh table shown below.

Step 2 : Begin by labeling the rows with power of s from the highest power of
the denominator of the closed-loop transfer function to s0

Step 3 : Start with the coefficient of the highest power of s in the denominator
and list, horizontally in the first row, every other coefficient (skip one)

Step 4 : In the second row list horizontally, starting with the next highest power
of s, every coefficient that was skipped in the first row.
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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
Step 5 : The remaining entries are filled in as follows

Step 6 : 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
Step 7 : The left-hand column of the determinant is always the first column
of the previous two rows and the right-hand column is the elements
of the column above and to the right.
Step 8 : The table is complete when all of the rows are completed down to 10s0.
 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion

Example 1 : Creating a Routh table

Make the Routh table for the system shown below (unity feedback):
G(s)

H(s) = 1

Solution :
The closed-loop transfer function:

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Routh-Hurwitz Criterion

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion

Two roots or poles in

Two times sign changes
the right half-plane
in the 1st column
=> Unstable system
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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion

2. Interpreting The Basic Routh Table

• The basic Routh table applies to systems with poles in the left and
right half-planes.

• The 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.

• If the closed-loop transfer function has all poles in the left half of the s-
plane, the system is stable.

• Thus, a system is stable if there is no sign changes in the first column of

the Routh table.

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion

Example 2:
Make a Routh table and tell how many roots of the following polynomial
are in the right half-plan and in the left half-plane.

P( s)  3s 7  9s 6  6s 5  4s 4  7 s 3  8s 2  2s  6

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion

Example 2:
Make a Routh table and tell how many roots of the following polynomial
are in the right half-plan and in the left half-plane.

P( s)  3s 7  9s 6  6s 5  4s 4  7 s 3  8s 2  2s  6

Solution :

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases

Two special cases can occur :

1. The Routh table sometimes will have a zero only in the first column of a row
2. The Routh table sometimes will have an entire row that consists of zeros

Zero Only in the First Column

Stability via epsilon method:
• If the first element of a row is zero, division by zero would be required to
form the next row.
• To avoid this phenomenon, an epsilon, ε is assigned to replace the zero in
the first column.
• The value ε is then allowed to approach zero from either the positive or the
negative side, after which the signs of the entries in the first column can be
determined.

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases

Example 3: Stability via epsilon method

Determine the stability of the closed-loop transfer function
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T (s) 
s 5  2 s 4  3s 3  6s 2  5s  3
Solution :

Since there are two sign changes, the system is unstable and
has two right half-plane poles, (and three half-left plane poles) 18
 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases
Stability via reverse coefficients
If we can find the polynomial that has the reciprocal roots of the original (i.e.,
polynomial with the coefficient written in reverse order), it is possible that the Routh
table for the new polynomial will not have a zero in the first column.

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases
Example 4: Stability via reverse coefficients
In example 3, we have seen that there is one zero in the first column. Determine the
stability of the same system via reverse coefficients

Solution :
Write a polynomial that has the reciprocal roots of the denominator of equation in
reverse order. Hence, D( s )  3s 5  5s 4  6s 3  3s 2  2s  1

Create a Routh table using the equation above. The table is shown below :

Since there are two sign changes, the system is unstable and has two right half-plane poles.
The same as the result obtained in example 3.
Notice also that this table does not have a zero in the first column. 20
 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases
Entire Row is Zero

• Sometimes while making a Routh table, we find that an entire row consists of
zeros because there is an even polynomial that is a factor of the original
polynomial.

• An entire row of zeros will appear in the Routh table when a purely even or
purely odd polynomial is a factor of original polynomial.

• An example, s4 + 5s2 + 7s0 is an even polynomial (it has only even powers of s).

• Even polynomial only have roots that are symmetrical about the origin
=> Some of these roots could be on the jw-axis
=> If there is no row of zeros in the Routh table, there is no jw-roots

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases
Entire Row is Zero

• The polynomial s5 + 5s3 + 7s is an example of an odd polynomial (it has only

odd powers of s).

• Odd polynomials are the product of an even polynomial and an odd power of
s. Thus the constant term of an odd polynomial is always missing

• When an entire row is zero in the Routh table, we return to the previous row
and form an auxiliary polynomial P(s), using the entries in that row as
coefficients:
 The polynomial will start with the power of s in the label column and
continue by skipping one power of s
 Then, we differentiate the polynomial with respect to s
 Finally, we use the coefficients of the differentiation to replace the row
of zeros
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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases
Entire Row is Zero
This symmetry can occur under three (3) conditions of root position:
• The roots are symmetrical and real
• The roots are symmetrical and imaginary (jw-roots)
• The roots are quadrantal

• Every entry in the Routh table from the Even’s Poly row to
the end of the table applies only to the Even polynomial

• No. of sign changes from the Even poly to the end of the
table equals the no. of right-half plane roots

• Because of the symmetry: the even polynomial must have

the same number of left-half plane roots as its right-half
plane roots

• The remaining roots are thus located on the jw-axis

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases

Example 5 : Stability via Routh table with row of zeros

Determine the number of right half-plane poles in the closed-loop TF
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T (s)  5
s  7 s 4  6 s 3  42s 2  8s  56

Solution :

Form a polynomial P(s)

Entire row is zeros

Use these coefficients

in row 3

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases

Example 6: Pole distribution via Routh table with row of zeros

For the transfer function
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T (s) 
s 8  s 7  12s 6  22s 5  39s 4  59s 3  48s 2  38s  20

determine how many poles are in the right half-plane, in the left half-plane
and on the jω-axis

Solution :

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Form P(s)
Entire row is
zeros

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2 sign changes:
 2 right-half
plane poles &
the rest:
2 left-half plane
poles
Even poly

The system is unstable because it has 2 RHP poles 27

 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases

Skill-Assessment Exercise:
Use the Routh-Hurwitz criterion to find how many poles of the following closed-loop
system, T(s), are in the right half-plane, in the left half-plane and on the jω-axis

s 3  7 s 2  21s  10
T ( s)  6 5
s  s  6s 4  0s 3  s 2  s  6
Solution :

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Special Cases
Second order: 2 roots, one sign change => 1 RHP pole &
the rest: 1LHP pole

Even poly
4th order: 4 roots:
• 1 sign change: 1 RHP
pole & 1 LHP pole
• The rest: 2 jw-poles

The system is unstable because it has 2 RHP poles

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Additional examples

Example 7: Standard Routh-Hurwitz

Find the number of poles in the left half-plane, the right half-plane and on the jω-axis
for the following system

Solution :
Closed-Loop TF:

0
0
0 0
0 0

There are 2 sign changes in the 1st column => 2 RHP poles (thus system is unstable), and the
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rest: 2 LHP poles. No jw-poles because the row of zeros did not appear.
 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Additional examples

Example 8: Routh-Hurwitz with zero in first column

Find the number of poles in the left half-plane, the right half-plane and on the jω-
axis for the following system

Solution :
Closed-Loop TF:

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Additional examples
1st approach: Replace zero in the 1st column with epsilon

2nd approach: Reverse coefficient (reciprocal roots)

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Additional examples

Example 9: Routh-Hurwitz with row of zeros

Find the number of poles in the left half-plane, the right half-plane and on the jω-
axis for the system below. Draw conclusion about the stability of the closed-loop
system.

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 Solution :
Second order: no sign changes, 2 roots = 2 LHP poles

Even
poly
• 2 sign changes: 2 RHP
poles & 2 LHP poles
• The rest: 2 jw-poles
6th order: 6 roots:

The system is unstable because it has 2 RHP poles 34

 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Additional examples

Example 10: Stability design via Routh-Hurwitz

Find the range of gain K, for the system below that will cause the system to be
stable, unstable and marginally stable. Assume K > 0.

Solution :
Closed-loop TF:

A= K is assumed to be positive, but here, the value

A can be >0, <0 or =0 depending on K.

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Additional examples

A= K is assumed to be positive, but here, the value

A can be >0, <0 or =0 depending on K.

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 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Additional examples

Example 11: Stability design via Routh-Hurwitz

For a unity feedback system with the forward transfer function

Find the range of K to make the system stable

Final answer:
To make the system stable: 0 < K < 2

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