Control Systems

Stability

Chapter 6

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Chapter 6
After completing this chapter the student will be able to:
• Make and interpret a basic Routh table to determine the
stability of a system (Sections 6.1-6.2)

• Make and interpret a Routh table where either the first

element of a row is zero or an entire row is zero (Sections 6.3-
6.4)

• Use a Routh table to determine the stability of a system

represented in state space (Section 6.5)

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B

Stability – A Simple Example

We want the mass to stay at x = 0, but wind gave some initial
speed (f(t) = 0). What will happen?

How to characterize different behaviors with TF?

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Stability – Importance
• The most basic and important specification in control analysis
and synthesis!
• Unstable systems have to be stabilized by feedback.
• Unstable closed-loop systems are useless.
– What happens if a system is unstable?
• may hit mechanical/electrical “stops” (saturation)
• may break down or burn out

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Stability–What Will Happen to Unstable

Systems?
Tacoma Narrows Bridge (July 1-Nov.7, 1940)

Wind-induced vibration Collapsed!

2008…

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6.1 Introduction
• Three requirements enter into the design of a control system:
transient response, stability, and steady-state errors. Thus far we
have covered transient response, which we will revisit in
Chapter 8. We are now ready to discuss the next requirement,
stability.
• Stability is the most important system specification. If a system
is unstable, transient response and steady-state errors are moot
points.
• An unstable system cannot be designed for a specific transient
response or steady-state error requirement.

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6.1 Introduction
What is stability?
There are many definitions for stability, depending upon the kind
of system or the point of view. In this section, we limit ourselves
to linear, time-invariant systems.

A system is stable if every bounded input yields a bounded

output. We call this statement the bounded-input, bounded-
output (BIBO) definition of stability.

A system is unstable if any bounded input yields an unbounded

output.

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Stability – Definition
BIBO (Bounded-Input-Bounded-Output) stability : Any bounded
input generates a bounded output

Asymptotic stability :
Any ICs generates y(t) converging to zero.

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6.1 Introduction
we present the following definitions of stability, instability, and
marginal 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.

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6.1 Introduction
How do we determine if a system is stable? Let us focus on the
natural response definitions of stability

• Stable systems have closed-loop transfer functions with poles

only in the left half-plane.

• If the closed-loop system poles are in the right half of the s-

plane and hence have a positive real part, the system is
unstable.

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6.1 Introduction

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6.1 Introduction

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Stability – “s” Domain Stability

For a system represented by a transfer

function G(s),

system is BIBO stable

All the poles of G(s) are in the open

left half of the complex plane

system is asymptotically stable

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Stability – Remarks on Stability Definition

• For a general system (nonlinear etc.), BIBO stability

condition and asymptotic stability condition are different.

• For linear time-invariant (LTI) systems (to which we can

use Laplace transform and we can obtain a transfer
function), the conditions happen to be the same.

• In this course, we are interested in only LTI systems, we

use simply “stable” to mean both BIBO and asymptotic
stability.

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Stability – Examples

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Stability – Summary
• Stability for LTI systems
– (BIBO and asymptotically) stable, marginally stable,
unstable
– Stability for G (s) is determined by poles of G.

• Next
– Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion to determine stability
without explicitly computing the poles of a system.

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6.2 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion

In this section, we learn a method that yields stability information

without the need to solve for the closed-loop system poles.
Using this method, we can tell how many closed-loop system poles
are in the left half-plane, in the right half-plane, and on the jw-axis.
(Notice that we say how many, not where.)
The method 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 LHP, the RHP, and on the jw-axis.

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Generating a Basic Routh Table

Look at the equivalent closed-loop transfer function shown in Fig

Since we are interested in the system poles, we focus our

attention on the denominator.
In order the above characteristic eq. does not have roots in RHP,
it is necessary but not sufficient that the following hold;
1. All the coefficient of the polynomial have the same sign.
2. None of the coefficient vanishes.
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Generating a Basic Routh Table

We first create the Routh table shown in Table below

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Generating a Basic Routh Table

Only the first 2 rows of the array are obtained from the
characteristic eq. the remaining are calculated as follows;

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Stability – Routh-Hurwitz Example

Find the stability of the characteristic eq;

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Example 6.1 P. 306

PROBLEM: Make the Routh table for the system shown in
Figure

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Example 6.1 P. 306

SOLUTION: The first step is to find the equivalent closed-loop
system because we want to test the denominator of this function.

System is unstable and has 2 poles in RHP.

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Example
Consider the equation

Solution Because the equation has no missing terms and the coefficients
are all of the same sign, it satisfies the necessary condition

System is unstable
because there are two
sign changes in the first
column of the tabulation,
the equation has two
roots in the right half of
the .y-plane.

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6.3 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, or

(2) The Routh table sometimes will have an entire row that consists
of zeros

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Zero Only in the First Column

• 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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Example 6.2 P.308

PROBLEM: Determine the stability of the closed-loop transfer
function

A sign change from the s3

row to the s2 row, and there
will be another sign change
from the s2 row to the s1 row.
Hence, the system is
unstable and has two poles
in the right half-plane.

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Entire Row is Zero

We now look at the second special case. Sometimes while making a
Routh table, we find that an entire row consists of zeros.
Reason for entire row is zero; it indicates one or more of the following
exist:
(1) The roots are symmetrical and real,
(2) the roots are symmetrical and
imaginary, or
(3) the roots are quadrantal.

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Entire Row is Zero

To continue with Routh's tabulation when a row of zero appears,
we conduct the following steps:
1. Form the auxiliary equation P(s) = 0 by using the coefficients from
the row just preceding the row of zeros.
2. Take the derivative of the auxiliary equation with respect to s; this
gives dP(s)/ds = 0.
3. Replace the row of zeros with the coefficients of dP(s)/ds .
4. Continue with Routh's tabulation in the usual manner with the newly
formed row of coefficients replacing the row of zeros.
5. Interpret the change of signs, if any, of the coefficients in the first
column of the Routh's tabulation in the usual manner.

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Example 6.4 P. 310

PROBLEM: Determine the number of right-half-plane poles in the
closed-loop transfer function

Solution

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Example 6.4 P. 310

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6.4 Routh-Hurwitz Criterion: Additional

Examples
Example 6.6 Find the stability of the system shown.

SOLUTION: First, find the closed-loop transfer function as

The system is unstable, since it

has two right-half plane poles
and two left-half-plane poles.
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Example 6.7 P.314

Find the stability of the system

SOLUTION: The closed-loop transfer function is

there are two sign changes, and the

system is unstable, with two poles in
the right half-plane. The remaining
poles are in the left half-plane.
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Example 6.8 P.314

Find the stability of the system

SOLUTION: The closed-loop

transfer function for the system

The closed-loop system is unstable

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Example 6.9 P. 318

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

SOLUTION: First find the closed-loop transfer function as

i) For stable System 0>k>1386

ii) For Unstable System k <1386
iii) For marginal stable k= 1386
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Example
Consider that the characteristic equation of a closed-loop control
system is

Solution: It is desired to find the range of K so that the system is stable.

From the 𝑠 2 row, the condition of stability is K > 0, and from the 𝑠1 row,
the condition of stability is

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Stability – Control Example

.
Determine the range of K that stabilize the closed-loop system

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Stability – Control Example

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Stability – Control Example

Characteristic equation

If K = 35, oscillation frequency is obtained by the auxiliary equation

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