Concept of stability

The stability of a system implies that small changes in the system input, in the initial
conditions or in system parameters do not result in large changes in the system
output.
A linear time invariant system is stable if the following two notions of system
stability are satisfied:
 When the system is excited by bounded input, the output is bounded.
 In the absence of the input, the output tends towards zero irrespective of
initial conditions.
In vast majority of practical systems, the following statements on stability are quite
useful:
 If all the roots of the characteristic equation have negative real parts, the
system is stable.
 If any root of the characteristic equation has a positive real part or if there is
repeated roots on the 𝑗𝜔- axis, the system is unstable.
 If first condition is met except for the presence of one or more non-repeated
roots on the 𝑗𝜔 axis, the system is limitedly stable.
𝑗𝜔
Limitedly stable

Stable Unstable
𝜎

Response contributed by various types of roots

Roots in the s-plane Corresponding impulse response
𝑗𝜔 𝑐(𝑡)

X 𝜎 𝑡

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Roots in the s-plane Corresponding impulse response
𝑗𝜔 𝑐(𝑡)

X 𝜎 𝑡

Roots in the s-plane Corresponding impulse response

𝑗𝜔 𝑐(𝑡)

X
𝜎 𝑡
X

Roots in the s-plane Corresponding impulse response

𝑗𝜔 𝑐(𝑡)

X
𝜎 𝑡
X

Roots in the s-plane Corresponding impulse response

𝑗𝜔 𝑐(𝑡)

X
𝜎 𝑡
X

Roots in the s-plane Corresponding impulse response

𝑗𝜔 𝑐(𝑡)

XX
𝜎 𝑡
XX

Roots in the s-plane Corresponding impulse response

𝑗𝜔 𝑐(𝑡)

X 𝜎 𝑡

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 Roots in the s-plane Corresponding impulse response
𝑗𝜔 𝑐(𝑡)

X X 𝜎 𝑡

Ruoth stability criterion

The criterion is based on ordering the coefficients of the characteristic equation
into an array, called the Ruoth array. For example if we have:
𝑞(𝑠) = 𝑎0 𝑠 𝑛 + 𝑎1 𝑠 𝑛−1 + 𝑎2 𝑠 𝑛−2 + ⋯ ⋯ + 𝑎𝑛−1 𝑠 + 𝑎𝑛 = 0
Ruoth array:
𝑎0 𝑎2 𝑎4 𝑎6
𝑠𝑛
𝑠 𝑛−1 𝑎1 𝑎3 𝑎5 ⋯
𝑠 𝑛−2 𝑏1 𝑏2
⋯ ⋯
𝑠 𝑛−3 𝑐1 𝑐2 ⋯
𝑠 𝑛−4 𝑑1 𝑑2 ⋯
⋮ ⋮ ⋮

𝑒1 𝑎𝑛
𝑠2
𝑠1 𝑓1
𝑠0 𝑎𝑛

The coefficients 𝑏1 , 𝑏2 , ⋯ are determined as follows:

𝑏1 = (𝑎1 𝑎2 − 𝑎0 𝑎3 )/𝑎1
𝑏2 = (𝑎1 𝑎4 − 𝑎0 𝑎5 )/𝑎1
This process is continued till we get zero as the last coefficient in the third row.
Similarly the coefficient of the 4th and 5th and all the other rows are evaluated for
example:
𝑐1 = (𝑏1 𝑎3 − 𝑎1 𝑏2 )/𝑏1
𝑐2 = (𝑏1 𝑎5 − 𝑎1 𝑏3 )/𝑏1

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 𝑑1 = (𝑐1 𝑏2 − 𝑏1 𝑐2 )/𝑐1
𝑑2 = (𝑐1 𝑏3 − 𝑏1 𝑐3 )/𝑐1
It is noted that the process of generating the Routh array, the missing terms are
regarded as zero. Also all the elements of any row can be divided by a positive
constant during the process to simplify the computational work. The Routh stability
criterion states:
“For a system to be stable, it is necessary and sufficient that each term of the 1 st
column of the Routh array of its characteristic equation be positive if 𝑎0 > 0. If this
condition is not met, the system is unstable and the number of sign changes of the
terms of the first column of the array corresponds to the number of roots of the
characteristic equation in the right half of the s-plane,”
Special cases
Occasionally in applying the Routh criterion, certain difficulties arise causing
breakdown of the Routh test. The difficulties encountered are generally of the
following types:
When the first term in any row of the array is zero while the rest of the row has
at least one non-zero term:
Because of the zero term, the terms in the next row will be infinite and hence the
test breaks down. This difficulty is overcome using the following methods:
a. Substitute a small positive number 𝜖 for the zero and then evaluate the rest
of the Routh array. Then the signs of the first column are examined as 𝜖 → 0.
1
b. Modify the original characteristic equation by replacing 𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ . Apply
𝑍
Routh test on the modified equation in terms of 𝑧. The number of z roots
with positive real parts are the same as the number of s roots with positive
real parts. This method works in most of the cases but not all.
When all elements in any one row of the Routh array are zero:
This condition indicates that there are symmetrically located roots in the 𝑠 plane
(pair of real roots with opposite signs and/ or pair of conjugate roots on the
imaginary axis and / or complex conjugate roots forming quadrates in the 𝑠 plane).

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The polynomial whose coefficients are the elements of the row just above row of
the zeros in the array is called auxiliary polynomial. This polynomial gives the
number and location of root pairs of the characteristic equation which are
symmetrically placed in the 𝑠 plane. The order of the auxiliary polynomial is always
even.
Application of Routh array
Routh stability criterion is frequently used for the determination of the condition
of stability of linear feedback control systems. For instance we can determine the
range of 𝑘 for the following block diagram for which the system will remain stable.
+
𝑅(𝑠) 𝑘
𝐶(𝑠)
- 𝑠(𝑠 2 + 𝑠 + 1)(𝑠 + 4)

The closed loop transfer function of the system is given by:

𝐶(𝑠) 𝐺 𝑘
= =
𝑅(𝑠) 1 + 𝐺 𝑠(𝑠 2 + 𝑠 + 1)(𝑠 + 4) + 𝑘
Therefore the characteristic equation is given by:
𝑠(𝑠 2 + 𝑠 + 1)(𝑠 + 4) + 𝑘 = 0
𝑠 4 + 5𝑠 3 + 5𝑠 2 + 4𝑠 + 𝑘 = 0
From the characteristic equation we have the following Routh array:
𝑠4 1 5 𝑘
3
𝑠 5 4 0
𝑠 2 21 5 𝑘 0
𝑠1 84 21
− 5𝑘 ÷ 0 0
5 5
𝑠0 𝑘 0 0

Since for a stable system, the signs of elements of the first column of the array
should be positive, the condition for the system stability requires that:
𝑘>0
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 84
− 5𝑘 > 0
5
84
𝑂𝑅 𝑘<
25
Therefore for the system to remain stable, the range of 𝑘 should be:
84
0<𝑘<
25
84
When 𝑘 = , there will be zero at the first entry in the 4th row of the array. This
25
84
corresponds to a pair of symmetrical roots which are pure imaginary. There 𝑘 =
25
will cause sustained self-oscillations in the closed loop system.
84
For 𝑘 = , the auxiliary polynomial is given by coefficients of the 3rd row:
25

21 2 84
𝑠 + =0
5 25
Which gives the following roots:

4
𝑠 = ±𝑗√ = ±𝑗𝜔0
5

84 4
Hence the frequency of oscillations which are sustained at 𝑘 = is √ radians/sec.
25 5

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