Mechanical, Automotive, & Materials Engineering

401 Sunset Avenue

Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4
519 253 3000 (2616)
www.uwindsor.ca/mame

MECH-3221 Control Theory

Fall 2022
Midterm Exam 1

Exam Instructions

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a limited number of inquiries regarding the exam material will be entertained. If you have uncertainties
about the exam, make sure you have read the entire question, state your assumptions, and proceed.
• Answer all questions, to the best of your ability.

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1
 Mechanical, Automotive, & Materials Engineering
401 Sunset Avenue
Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4
519 253 3000 (2616)
www.uwindsor.ca/mame

Question 1
(12 marks) Consider the device shown in Figure 1. Two rigid bodies, of mass 𝑚1 and 𝑚2 respectively, are restricted
to horizontal sliding motion. The first body is anchored to the ground by a spring and damper, acting in parallel.
Between the two sliding bodies is a series spring-damper, and a second series spring-damper anchors the second
body to the ground. Note that the springs are fixed firmly to the masses, and can transmit either tension or
compression, as determined by the motion of the bodies. A force 𝑓1 acting on the first body drives the motion.

a) Draw free body diagrams both bodies. You can safely ignore weight and sliding friction.
b) Write the equation of motion for each body.
c) Combine the equations in a matrix-vector form like 𝐌𝒙̈ + 𝐂𝒙̇ + 𝐊𝒙 = 𝒇.
d) What qualities stand out in the equation above?

𝑐1 𝑥1 𝑥2

𝑘2 𝑐2 𝑘3 𝑐3
𝑘1 𝑚1 𝑚2

𝑓1

Figure 1: Two sliding bodies, with connecting springs and dampers.

2 ©BP Minaker PhD PEng, 2022

 Mechanical, Automotive, & Materials Engineering
401 Sunset Avenue
Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4
519 253 3000 (2616)
www.uwindsor.ca/mame

Solution
a) Free body diagram, see Figure 2

𝑥1 𝑥2
𝑓3 𝑓4
𝑚1 𝑓4 𝑚2
𝑓2 𝑓5
𝑓1

Figure 2: Free body diagrams

b) Consider the summation of forces on body 1

𝛴𝑓 = 𝑓1 − 𝑓2 − 𝑓3 − 𝑓4 = 𝑚1 𝑥̈1

𝑓2 = 𝑘1 𝑥1 , 𝑓3 = 𝑐1 𝑥̇ 1 , 𝑓4 = 𝑘2 (𝑥1 − 𝑥3 )
Substitute
𝑚1 𝑥̈1 + 𝑐1 𝑥̇ 1 + (𝑘1 + 𝑘2 )𝑥1 − 𝑘2 𝑥3 = 𝑓1
Consider the summation of forces on body 2

𝛴𝑓 = 𝑓4 − 𝑓5 = 𝑚2 𝑥̈2

𝑓5 = 𝑘3 (𝑥2 − 𝑥4 )
Substitute
𝑚2 𝑥̈2 + 𝑘2 (𝑥3 − 𝑥1 ) + 𝑘3 (𝑥2 − 𝑥4 ) = 0
𝑚2 𝑥̈2 − 𝑘2 𝑥1 + 𝑘3 𝑥2 + 𝑘2 𝑥3 − 𝑘3 𝑥4 = 0

Note from sum of forces on ficticious bodies

𝑘2 (𝑥1 − 𝑥3 ) = 𝑐2 (𝑥̇ 3 − 𝑥̇ 2 )

𝑐2 (𝑥̇ 3 − 𝑥̇ 2 ) + 𝑘2 (𝑥3 − 𝑥1 ) = 0

3 ©BP Minaker PhD PEng, 2022

 Mechanical, Automotive, & Materials Engineering
401 Sunset Avenue
Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4
519 253 3000 (2616)
www.uwindsor.ca/mame

and
𝑘3 (𝑥2 − 𝑥4 ) = 𝑐3 𝑥̇ 4
𝑐3 𝑥̇ 4 + 𝑘3 (𝑥4 − 𝑥2 ) = 0
c) Vector matrix form, using 𝑥1 , 𝑥2 , 𝑥3 , 𝑥4

⎡𝑚1 0 ⎧ ⎫ ⎧ ⎫ ⎡𝑘1 + 𝑘2 0 −𝑘2 0 ⎤ ⎧ ⎫ ⎧ ⎫

0 0⎤ ⎪
⎪𝑥̈1 ⎪
⎪ ⎡𝑐1 0 0 0⎤⎪ ⎪ 𝑥̇ 1 ⎪
⎪ ⎪
⎪ 𝑥1 ⎪
⎪ ⎪
⎪𝑓1 ⎪
⎪
⎢ ⎥⎪ ⎪ ⎢ ⎥⎪ ⎪ ⎢ ⎥⎪ ⎪
⎢ 0 𝑚2 0 0⎥ ⎪𝑥̈2 ⎪ ⎢ 0 0 0 0⎥⎪ 𝑥̇ 2 ⎪ ⎢ −𝑘2 𝑘3 𝑘2 −𝑘3 ⎥ ⎪ 𝑥2 ⎪ ⎪⎪0⎪ ⎪
+ + =⎨ ⎬
⎢0 0 0 0⎥ ⎨
⎪
⎪𝑥̈ ⎬
⎪
3⎪ ⎢ 0 −𝑐 2 𝑐2 0 ⎥ ⎨
⎪
⎪ 𝑥̇ 3⎪
⎬
⎪ ⎢ −𝑘 2 0 𝑘2 0 ⎥ ⎨
⎪
⎪ 𝑥 ⎬
⎪
3⎪ ⎪
⎪ 0 ⎪
⎪
⎢0 0 0 ⎥
0 ⎪⎪𝑥̈ ⎭⎪ ⎢ 0 0 ⎥
0 𝑐3 ⎪ ⎪ 𝑥̇ ⎭ ⎪ ⎢ 0 −𝑘3 0 ⎥
𝑘3 ⎪ ⎪ ⎪
𝑥⎭ ⎪ ⎪ ⎪
⎣ ⎦ ⎩ 4⎪ ⎣ ⎦ ⎩ 4⎪ ⎣ ⎦ ⎩ 4⎪ ⎩0⎪ ⎭
Note the asymmetry, this is unusual. But watch if we subtract the third equation from the second.

⎡𝑚1 0 ⎧ ⎫ ⎧ ⎫ ⎡𝑘1 + 𝑘2 0 −𝑘2 0 ⎤ ⎧ ⎫ ⎧ ⎫

0 0⎤ ⎪
⎪ 𝑥̈1 ⎪⎪ ⎡𝑐1 0 0 0⎤⎪ ⎪ 𝑥̇ 1 ⎪
⎪ ⎪
⎪𝑥1 ⎪⎪ ⎪
⎪ 𝑓1 ⎪
⎪
⎢ ⎥⎪ ⎪ ⎢ ⎥⎪ ⎪ ⎢ ⎥⎪ ⎪
⎢ 0 𝑚2 0 0⎥ ⎪ 𝑥̈2 ⎪ ⎢ 0 𝑐2 −𝑐2 0 ⎥ ⎪ 𝑥̇ 2 ⎪ ⎢ 0 𝑘3 0 −𝑘3 ⎥ ⎪ 𝑥2 ⎪ ⎪ ⎪0⎪ ⎪
+ + =⎨ ⎬
⎢0 0 0 0⎥ ⎨
⎪
⎪ 𝑥̈ 3⎪
⎬
⎪ ⎢ 0 −𝑐 2 𝑐2 0 ⎥ ⎨
⎪
⎪ 𝑥̇ 3⎪
⎬
⎪ ⎢ −𝑘 2 0 𝑘2 0 ⎥ ⎨
⎪
⎪𝑥 3⎪
⎬
⎪ ⎪
⎪ 0 ⎪
⎪
⎢0 0 0 ⎥
0 ⎪⎪ 𝑥̈ ⎪
⎪ ⎢ 0 0 0 𝑐 ⎥ ⎪
⎪ 𝑥̇ ⎪
⎪ ⎢ 0 −𝑘 0 𝑘 ⎥ ⎪𝑥 ⎪ ⎪ 0 ⎪
⎣ ⎦⎩ ⎭ ⎣ 4 3
⎦⎩ ⎭ ⎣ 4 3 3 ⎪
⎦⎩ ⎭ ⎩ ⎪
4 ⎪ ⎪ ⎭
d) Note that the mass matrix is singular (a whole row or a whole column of zeros) which means that it
has no inverse, so we can’t multiply by the mass inverse to solve for the accelerations. It’s trickier to
reduce to state space form.

4 ©BP Minaker PhD PEng, 2022

 Mechanical, Automotive, & Materials Engineering
401 Sunset Avenue
Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4
519 253 3000 (2616)
www.uwindsor.ca/mame

Question 2
(8 marks) Consider the following system: A standard permanent magnet DC motor is connected to a power supply
with voltage 𝑣in . The output shaft of the DC motor is connected to a device called a potentiometer. The potentiometer
is a device with variable output voltage that depends on the angular position of an input shaft, much like the
volume knob on a radio. It can be modelled with the equation 𝑣p = 𝑘p 𝜃, where 𝑣p is the output voltage, 𝑘p is a
known constant property of the potentiometer, and 𝜃 is the angular position of the shaft. In this example system,
the motor current is influenced by the potentiometer voltage, as shown in the schematic diagram in Figure 3.
Assumptions:

• The ‘back-voltage’ of the motor is proportional to its angular speed: 𝑣b = 𝑘b 𝜔

• The torque produced by the motor is proportional to the motor current: 𝑡m = 𝑘m 𝑖
• The motor and potentiometer together have a combined drag torque: 𝑡d = 𝑐𝜔
• The motor circuit has a resistance 𝑅 and an inductance 𝐿
• The motor and potentiometer together have a combined inertia 𝐼
• There is a negligible external load torque on the motor

a) Write the differential equation that governs the electrical current in the motor.
b) Write the differential equation the governs the angular position of the motor.
c) Combine the equations into a single matrix-vector equation. Either first or second order form is ac-
ceptable, but you must clearly state your choice in the solution.

𝑅 𝐿 𝜃
+
+ 𝑣p
𝑣in
- - + -
𝑣b

Figure 3: A schematic diagram of a PM DC motor driving a potentiometer.

5 ©BP Minaker PhD PEng, 2022

 Mechanical, Automotive, & Materials Engineering
401 Sunset Avenue
Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4
519 253 3000 (2616)
www.uwindsor.ca/mame

Solution
a) Current equation from sum of voltages around the loop.

𝑣in − 𝑣1 = 𝑖𝑅

𝑣1 − 𝑣2 = 𝐿𝑖̇
𝑣2 = 𝑣p + 𝑣b
𝑖𝑅 + 𝐿𝑖̇ + 𝑣p + 𝑣b = 𝑣in
𝑖𝑅 + 𝐿𝑖̇ + 𝑘p 𝜃 + 𝑘b 𝜃̇ = 𝑣in
b) Motor angular position
𝛴𝑚 = 𝐼 𝜃̈
𝑘m 𝑖 − 𝑐𝜃̇ = 𝐼 𝜃̈
𝐼 𝜃̈ + 𝑐 𝜃̇ − 𝑘m 𝑖 = 0
c) If we choose second order form
{ } { } { } { }
0 0 𝑖̈ 𝐿 𝑘b 𝑖̇ 𝑅 𝑘p 𝑖 𝑣
̈ + ̇ + = in
[0 𝐼 ] 𝜃 [0 𝑐 ] 𝜃 [−𝑘m 0 ] 𝜃 0
If we choose first order, we recognize that 𝜔 = 𝜃.̇

⎡𝐿 0 0 ⎤ ⎧
⎪
⎪
𝑖̇ ⎫
⎪
⎪ ⎡ 𝑅 𝑘b 𝑘p ⎤ ⎧
⎪
⎪
𝑖⎫
⎪
⎪
⎧
⎪
⎪
𝑣in ⎫
⎪
⎪
⎢ 0 𝐼 0⎥ ⎨𝜔̇ ⎬ + ⎢−𝑘m 𝑐 0 ⎥ ⎨𝜔⎬ = ⎨ 0 ⎬
⎢ ⎥⎪ ̇⎪ ⎢ ⎥⎪ ⎪ ⎪ ⎪
⎣ 0 0 1⎦ ⎪
⎩𝜃⎪ ⎭ ⎣ 0 −1 0 ⎦ ⎪⎩𝜃⎪⎭ ⎪
⎩0⎪ ⎭

6 ©BP Minaker PhD PEng, 2022