STABILITY

CHAPTER 6
 c(t) = cforced(t) + cnatural(t) WHAT IS STABILITY

• 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
oscillates as time approaches infinity.
 STABILITY

• Only the forced response remains

• A system is stable if every bounded input yields a
bounded output (BIBO)
• A system is unstable if any bounded input yields an
unbounded output
STABLE SYSTEM – UNIT STEP RESPONSE
UNSTABLE SYSTEM – UNIT STEP RESPONSE
 SOME SYSTEMS ARE DIFFICULT TO FIND IF THEY ARE
STABLE
Poles are known for
the C(s)/E(s) but more
difficult to determine
for C(s)/R(s) – closed
loop. Finding the roots
of a 5th order
polynomial tend to be
tedious.
 Poles are on the JW axis – marginally
stable. Response does not increase nor
IMPULSE RESPONSE decrease

Poles in the left Poles in the right

hand S-plane hand S-plane are
are stable not stable
ROUTH-HURWITZ CRITERION
• A method to yield the stability information of closed-loop systems without the need to find its
poles.
• This method determines how many poles are in the LHP and RHP but not their exact location.
• Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion is having one necessary condition and one sufficient condition
for stability.
• If any control system doesn’t satisfy the necessary condition, then we can say that the control
system is unstable.
• But, if the control system satisfies the necessary condition, then it may or may not be stable.
So, the sufficient condition is helpful for knowing whether the control system is stable or not.
NECESSARY CONDITION FOR ROUTH-HURWITZ
STABILITY
• The necessary condition is that the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial should be positive.
This implies that all the roots of the characteristic equation should have negative real parts.

• Note that, there should not be any term missing in the nth order characteristic equation. This means
that the nth order characteristic equation should not have any coefficient that is of zero value
SUFFICIENT CONDITION FOR ROUTH-HURWITZ
STABILITY
• The sufficient condition is that all the elements of the first column of the Routh
array should have the same sign.
• This means that all the elements of the first column of the Routh array should
be either positive or negative.
ROUTH ARRAY METHOD

• If all the roots of the characteristic equation exist to the left half of the ‘s’ plane, then
the control system is stable. If at least one root of the characteristic equation exists to
the right half of the ‘s’ plane, then the control system is unstable.
• So, we have to find the roots of the characteristic equation to know whether the
control system is stable or unstable. But, it is difficult to find the roots of the
characteristic equation as order increases.
• So, to overcome this problem there we have the Routh array method.
ROUTH ARRAY METHOD

• In this method, there is no need to calculate the roots of the characteristic

equation.
• First formulate the Routh table and find the number of the sign changes in the
first column of the Routh table.
• The number of sign changes in the first column of the Routh table gives the
number of roots of characteristic equation that exist in the right half of the ‘s’
plane and the control system is unstable.
ROUTH ARRAY METHOD

Note − If any row elements of the Routh table have some common factor,
then you can divide the row elements with that factor for the simplification
will be easy.
 ROUTH ARRAY METHOD

The following table shows the

Routh array of the nth order
characteristic polynomial.
 ROUTH-HURWITZ CRITERION STEPS

Example: 4th order system

1. Begin by labeling rows with powers of s from highest power

Create a table of all the of the denominator of the closed-loop transfer function to s0
powers of s in each row 2. Next start with coefficient of highest power of s in
denominator and list, horizontally in 1st row, every other
coefficient
3. In 2nd row, list horizontally, starting with the next highest
power of s, every coefficient that was skipped in the 1st row
 ROUTH-HURWITZ CRITERION - EXAMPLE
Example: 4th order system – Completed Routh table
4. remaining entries are filled in as follows. 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.
5. The left-hand column of the determinant is always
the first column of the previous two rows, and the
righthand column is the elements of the column
above and to the right
EXAMPLE
Let us find the stability of the control system having characteristic equation,
EXAMPLE
Let us find the stability of the control system having characteristic equation,
EXAMPLE
Let us find the stability of the control system having characteristic equation,
 SPECIAL CASES OF ROUTH ARRAY
We may come across two types of situations, while forming the Routh table. It is difficult
to complete the Routh table from these two situations.

The two special cases are

•The first element of any row of the Routh array is zero.

•All the elements of any row of the Routh array are zero.
FIRST ELEMENT OF ANY ROW OF THE ROUTH
ARRAY IS ZERO
• If any row of the Routh array contains only the first element as zero and at
least one of the remaining elements have non-zero value, then replace the first
element with a small positive integer, ϵ
• And then continue the process of completing the Routh table. Now, find the
number of sign changes in the first column of the Routh table by substituting ϵ
tends to zero
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
ALL THE ELEMENTS OF ANY ROW OF THE
ROUTH ARRAY ARE ZERO
• In this case, follow these two steps −

• Write the auxilary equation, A(s) of the row, which is just above the row of zeros.

• Differentiate the auxiliary equation, A(s) with respect to s. Fill the row of zeros with these
coefficients.
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE

Step 3 − Verify the sufficient condition for

the Routh-Hurwitz stability.
There are two sign changes in the first
column of Routh table. Hence, the control
system is unstable.

In the Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion, we

can know whether the closed loop poles
are in on left half of the ‘s’ plane or on the
right half of the ‘s’ plane or on an
imaginary axis. So, we can’t find the
nature of the control system.
 STABILITY DESIGN USING ROUTH-HURWITZ

• Find the range of gain, K, for

the following system that will
cause the system to be
stable, unstable, and
marginally stable. Assume K 𝐺(𝑠) 𝐺(𝑠) 𝐾
𝑇 𝑠 = = 1+𝐺 = 𝑠3+ 18𝑠2+ 77s + K
>0 𝑅(𝑠) 𝑠 ∗𝐻(𝑠)
 STABILITY DESIGN USING ROUTH-HURWITZ
𝐺(𝑠) 𝐺(𝑠) 𝐾
𝑇 𝑠 = = =
𝑅(𝑠) 1 + 𝐺 𝑠 ∗ 𝐻(𝑠) 𝑠 3 + 18𝑠 2 + 77s + K

System is unstable if K >1386

If K = 1386, the entire row of

𝑆 1 is zero →𝑃 𝑠 = 18𝑠 2 + K
𝑑𝑃(𝑠) Is system stable if K < 1386 ???
= 36𝑠 + 0
𝑑𝑡
 STABILITY DESIGN USING ROUTH-HURWITZ

• the row of zeros tells us of the existence of an

Even polynomials have
even polynomial whose roots are symmetric
double symmetric poles
about the origin. 𝑃 𝑠 = 𝑠 4 + 5𝑠 2 + 7
• Some of these roots could be on the jω-axis. It has only even powers
• since jω roots are symmetric about the origin, of s which causes zero
if we do not have a row of zeros, we cannot rows in the R-H table to
possibly have jω roots. appear.
 STABILITY DESIGN USING ROUTH-HURWITZ
• We only have options A, B ,
and C for an Even
polynomial
 STABILITY DESIGN USING ROUTH-HURWITZ
• Since there are no sign change after the even
polynomial, case A, and C are eliminated
because there are no poles in RHP, hence case
B is prevalent, the two poles are on the jw axis
• Therefore, the system is marginally stable.