Proceedings of the 14th International Middle East Power Systems Conference (MEPCON’10), Cairo University, Egypt, December 19-21,
2010, Paper ID 291.
Dynamic Simulation of Switched Reluctance Motor
using Matlab and Fuzzy Logic
M. Nagrial, J. Rizk and W. Aljaism
School of Engineering
University of Western Sydney,
Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC
NSW 1797 Australia
m.nagrial@uws.edu.au
Abstract-This paper presents simulation results for three
phase, 6/4 poles and four phase, 8/6 poles switched
reluctance motor (SRM). The main focus of this paper is to
investigate the dynamic performance of switched
reluctance (SR) motors. This investigation is achieved
through simulation using MATLAB/SIMULINK and
Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC).
Index Terms-Switched Reluctance Machines, Dynamic
Simulation, Matlab , Simulink, Fuzzy Control.
I. INTRODUCTION
The switched reluctance machine’s (SRM) principle
of operation has been known for more than a century,
under general name of the doubly salient variable
reluctance motor. However, an intensive research on
SRM began about thirty years ago, mainly due to the
progress in power electronics and microprocessors. Its
principal advantages are simple and robust construction,
possibility to work at very high speeds, high mechanical
torque at low speeds, and simple power electronic drives
[1-6].
Many electrical machine researchers are investigating
the dynamic behaviour of switched reluctance motor
(SRM) by monitoring the dynamic response (torque and
speed), minimising the torque ripples, building different
types of controllers to reduce the cost, to increase the
general performance of SRM and reliability. In the
present study, the switched reluctance motor is
simulated to study the dynamic performance using
Matlab / Simulink environment. It is very useful and
powerful simulation tool and provides greater flexibility
to simulate various features of SR motors’s performance
[7-10].
Fuzzy logic is a powerful problem-solving
methodology with a myriad of applications in embedded
control and information processing. Fuzzy logic
provides a remarkably simple way to draw definite
conclusions from vague, ambiguous or imprecise
information. Fuzzy logic resembles human decision
making with its ability to work from approximate data
and find precise solutions. Unlike classical logic that
requires a deep understanding of a system, exact
equations, and precise numeric values, fuzzy logic
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incorporates an alternative way of thinking, which
allows modelling complex systems using a higher level
of abstraction, originating from our knowledge and
experience. In 1965 Lotfi A. Zadeh published his
seminal work "Fuzzy Sets” which described the
mathematics of fuzzy set theory, and by extension fuzzy
logic [11,12]. This theory proposed making the
membership function (or the values false and true)
operate over the range of real numbers [0.0, 1.0]. New
operations for the calculus of logic were proposed, and
showed to be in principle at least a generalization of
classic logic. Many researchers extended the work and
applied to control problems [13-15]. SR motor is highly
nonlinear electromagnetic structure. Fuzzy logic control
is a powerful technique to study the simulation and
control aspects. Many researchers have employed fuzzy
logic to study various aspects of SR motor drive
systems [16-22]. The authors have used fuzzy logic to
simulate 8/6 and 6/4 pole SR motors.
II. MATLAB SIMULATION
Matlab / Simulink package is used to simulate the SR
motor and look up table of the torque τ (θ, I) is used to
represent the simulation. The torque is a function of
rotor position and current, which is extracted from the
numerical data of the motor design by a finite elements
method [23]. The look up table from Simulink library is
used to represent the developed torque in the 3 phase,
6/4 poles base SRM and 3 phase, 6/4 poles optimized
SRM. The displacement angles are considered as a row
parameters (horizontal parameters), that varied between
(0° to 45°), and the mmf is considered as column
parameters (vertical parameters), which is varied
between (30 to 210 AT).
This simulation is based on equation (1), where T is
the torque, Τ is the electromechanical torque, Τ is the
e l
load torque, and ω is the rotational velocity of the shaft,
J moment of inertia. Figure 1 shows how to multiply the
developed torque table by moment of inertia (1/J), and
then through single and double integration, ω and θ
have been obtained.
dω
T = Te - T = J (1)
1
dt

Figure 1: Block Diagram for 3 Phase, 6/4 Poles SRM (Base).
Since the torque is a function of rotor angle
displacement as shown in figure 2a and ampere turns
(AT) as shown in figure 2b, these two inputs are used to
feed the look up table.
[0 5 10 17 23 27 30 35 40 45]
a) b)
Figure 2: a) Angle displacement, b) AT, Inputs of Look-up Table for 3
Phase, 6/4 Poles Base SRM.
Figure 3 shows the two inputs (rotor displacement
angle) and AT (ampere/turn) and the output is the
developed torque values allocated in the table. If the
rotor is in the aligned position (0°), which is shown in
the row parameters and the value of (AT) varies from 30
to 210, which is shown in the column parameters, then
the output (developed torque) is allocated in table
parameters.
Figure 3: Look-up table for 3 phase, 6/4 poles SRM.
820
The output of integrator 4 is (ω) as shown in figure 4a
when the rotor moved from unaligned to aligned
positions for different mmfs. The output of integrator 3
is θ as shown in figure 4b when the rotor moved from
unaligned to aligned positions.
a) b)
Figure 4: a) Speed (ω) versus Time, b) Angle θ versus Time for 3
Phase, 6/4 Poles Base SRM.
The same procedure is repeated to simulate another
design, termed as optimised design [23].
Figure 5a shows the simulation results for speed (ω)
of the optimized SRM when the rotor moved from
unaligned to aligned positions for different mmfs. Figure
5b shows the simulation results for angle (θ) versus time
of the 3 Phase, 6/4 Poles optimized SRM when the rotor
moved from unaligned to aligned positions for different
mmfs. It is obvious that the speed obtained from the 3
phase, 6/4 poles optimized SRM, is higher than the
speed obtained for the 3 phase, 6/4 poles base SRM as
shown in figures 4 and 5 respectively. It can be
attributed to higher developed torque and hence higher
speed in case of optimised design. Similarly figures 6
and 7 show the simulation of speed and angles for a 4-
phase, 8/6 pole SRM designs. Figure 6 shows the results
for a base design while figure 7 shows the results for an
optimised design of 8/6 pole SR motor.
a) b)
Figure 5: a) Speed (ω) versus Time, b) Angle θ versus Time for 3
Phase, 6/4 Poles Optimized SRM.
 Table 1: Linguistic Data Base

E\DE NM NS ZE PS PM

NM NM NM NM NS ZE

NS NM NM NS ZE PS

ZE NM NS ZE PS PM

PS NS ZE PS PM PM
a) b) PM ZE PS PM PM PM
Figure 6: a) Speed (ω) versus Time, b) Angle θ versus Time (Base 4
Phase, 8/6 Poles SRM).

a) b)
Figure 7: a) Speed (ω) versus Time, b) Angle θ versus Time
(Optimized 4 Phase, 8/6 Poles SRM).

I. FUZZY LOGIC CONTROLLER

Figure 8 shows the basic structure of the fuzzy logic
controller (FLC). The controller uses fuzzy logic as a
process of mapping from a given input (crisp numerical
value) to an output (signal control u). This process has a
basic structure that involves a fuzzifier, an inference
engine, a knowledge base (rule data base), and a
deffuzzifier, which transforms fuzzy sets into real
numbers to provide control signals. Figure 9 shows the
block diagram of the fuzzy logic controller.
Figure 9: Elements of a Fuzzy Logic Controller.
Table 2 shows the rule matrix for the FLC, The
antecedents linguistic variables (eω, ceω) are
represented by the highlighted zones (row 1 and column
1) and the consequent linguistic variables are
represented by highlighted zones (all rows and columns
except 1s only). Both of them are represented by seven
triangular membership functions. Error-dot = d(error)/dt,
Speed error = ω - ω
ref actual

Figure 8: FLC Structure

Table 1 shows the five linguistic fuzzy sets. Let E and

DE be the red input labels corresponding to e signal and
its derivative. FLC output consists of a signal control u
named U (the green label). Let it be assumed that fuzzy
linguistic sets are already defined and the rules are as
follows:
Sample Rule: “IF (E is NS AND DE is NS) THEN U is
NM”. First step is to take E and DE and determine the
degree to which they belong to each of the appropriate
fuzzy sets via membership functions.

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 Table 2: The Rule Matrix Δω Δt
J = τ ⇒ Δω = τ
Δt J
Δt 0.0013
ceω = τ = * 1.5 = 20
J 0.01 ∗10 −2
Δt = 0.0013, J = 0.01 *10 −2 , τ = 1.5.
∆t is the interruption time, J is the moment of inertia, τ
is the developed torque in Nm and maximum absolute
value for the ∆I universe was obtained by trial and
ref
error. The initial limits for the universes after some
manual changes of the antecedents (eω, ceω) and
consequent (∆I ) are:
ref
Fuzzy logic controller generates current reference
eω = -850, 850 rad/sec;
changes (∆I ) based on speed error eω and its changes
ref ceω = -20, 20 rad/sec/sec;
ceω. eω has its minimal value when the motor speed has ∆I = -1.5, 1.5 A.
ref
its nominal value, 850 rad/sec, and is inverted to –850
Figure 11 shows the membership function for the
rad/sec, so according figure 8, the value of error:
antecedent, the second input is the change in the speed
eω = ω - ω (2)
ref actual error.
Then the speed error equals:
eω = (-850) - (850) = - 1700 rad/sec. Fis Variable Membership function plots
The maximum value, +1700, is obtained as shown in
figure 10
Membership function plots
Fis Variable

ew O/P

ew O/P

cew

cew

Input variable (cew)

Input variable (ew) Figure 11: Change of Speed Error (ceω)

Figure 12 shows the membership function for

Figure 10: Speed Error (eω) consequent linguistic variable. (∆I ) is the output of the
ref
FLC.
error-dot = d(error)/dt. (3)
The changes of speed error (ceω) and according to
equation (3) can be written in another form:
ceω = eω(k+1) - eω(k) (4)
= eω(k+1) - eω(k)
= (ωref – ω(k)) – (ωref – ω(k – 1))
= - (ω(k) – ω(k-1) = -∆ ω
Substituting equation (2) and (4) into equation (1);
dω
T = Te - T1 = J (1)
dt

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 Fis Variable Figure 14 shows the surface viewer for FLC for
Membership function plots
switched reluctance motor. Two inputs (eω, ceω) are
represented by the x-axis, while the output is represented
by the y-axis.

ew O/P

cew

Output current

Figure 12: Member Function for Output.

Figure 13 shows (∆I ) generation by FLC, as soon as

ref
any antecedent’s linguistic variables change or both (eg.
eω or ceω or both) during the process, then the output Figure 14: Surface Viewer for 3 Phase, 6/4 Poles SRM Fuzzy Logic
(∆I ) changes accordingly. The results appear at the Controller.
ref
bottom of the third columns.
Figures 15 and 16 show the dynamic response of
SRM when there is a change in load and in speed
reference. At first, 0.1 Nm load is applied to this motor,
at 0.27s, the load is increased to 1 Nm, requiring higher
torque. At 0.61 s, the speed reference is decreased to 80
rads and in consequence the current decreases during
deceleration.
200
180
160
140
Speed (rad/sec)

120
100
80
60
40
20
0
0 0.1 0.26 0.3 0.5 0.61 0.7 0.8 1

Time (sec)
I/P I/P O/P Figure 15: Dynamic response of speed versus time for 3 Phase,
6/4 Poles SRM
Figure 13: Rules Viewer for 3 Phase, 6/4 Poles SRM Fuzzy Logic
Controller.

823

Current Reference (A)
Figure 16: Current response versus time for 3 Phase, 6/4 Poles SRM
Time (sec)
VI. CONCLUSIONS
MATLAB-SIMULINK package is employed to study
the dynamic response of SR motors while the torque is
computed from finite element analysis and used as input
for dynamic response studies. The dynamic response of
speed for an optimum design SRM is much improved
compared with non-optimum (base) design. Fuzzy logic
control (FLC) is also employed and generated current
reference variations, based on speed error and its
changes. FLC has performed well for the speed control
of SRM, overcoming its nonlinearities.
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