Assignment A1

MAAE 4500, Fall 2010 (sections A and B)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University

Due date: Friday October 1, 2010, 2:00pm

Drop your assignment in the Orange Box in front of MAE office (room 3135ME)
Notes:
1. You are expected to solve all the problems as part of this course. However, for your
assignment mark, only the ones with * sign will be marked and returned to you.
2. For any problem that involves simulations and using Matlab, include both the list of your
program and the related plots with appropriate description.

*Question 1 [20 points] After analyzing an unknown physical system’s input-output behaviour,
an engineer finds out that a system’s transfer function, G(s), must have a gain of 1, a zero at s= -5,
a pole at s = -2, a pole at s = -6, and a triple pole at s = -4.
(a) [5] Write down the transfer function and use partial expansions to find the mathematical
form of the time response of this system to a unit impulse input (as a function of time t).
(a) [5] Plot the obtained output response, which you found manually in part (a), using
Matlab’s plotting utilities (from 0 sec to 10 seconds).
(b) [5] Use Matlab utilities to find the same partial fractional form of part (a).
(c) [5] Use Matlab utilities to simulate the response of the G(s) to a unit impulse input and
compare it to the curve you obtained in part (b).

*Question 2 [20 points] The mechanical part of a read/write head in a hard disk drive is shown
below. A DC motor turns the Read head through a thin flexible shaft, which can be modelled as a
torsional spring (stiffness k and damping b). The motor inertia, I1, sees the motor commanded
torque MC, and Disturbance torque MD. The upper part of the actuator has an inertia I2.
(a) [5] Assuming that disturbance load MD is zero, write down the equations of motion for
both inertias
(d) Find the transfer function of the output angle of the Read head, θ2(s), to the input torque
MC(s). Gp(s) = θ2(s) /MC(s).
(e) [5] Assume that this plant is used in the unity feedback configuration with a proportional
controller having gain kp = 1 as shown in Figure 2. Consider all the parameters (inertia,
damping, stiffness, etc.) have a value of 1 and find the closed-loop transfer function from
the reference input R(s) to output Y(s)? Use Matlab to find the unit step response.
(f) [5] What is the steady-state output yss(t) and steady state error ess(t), if a step input is
used.
 R(s) + E(s) U(s) Y(s)
Kp Gp(s)
-

Figure 2.

Question 3: A light-seeking control system, used to track the sun, is shown in Figure 1. The
output shaft, driven by the motor through a worm reduction gear, has a bracket attached on which
are mounted two photocells. Complete the closed-loop control system, via drawing a block
diagram, such that the system follows the light source (Explain the role of different elements in
the control loop). A photocell is mounted in each tube. The light reaching each cell is the same in
both only when the light source is exactly in the middle as shown. Therefore, if the sun is not in
the middle, one receives more light than the other.

Figure 1

Question 4: Find the overall transfer function from input R2(t) to the output Y1(t) in the following
block diagram. Show the steps of block simplifications.
Question 5: In a hard disk, a DC motor is used to position the read head over the reference track.
The read head is assumed to be rigid; hence, neglecting the flexure’s deflection. Assume that the
read head is directly connected to the output shaft of a motor with the total inertia of Jm= 1 N m
s2/rad and viscous friction coefficient of b=2 N m s/rad. The motor torque is proportional to the
current via torque constant Km = 5 Nm/A. The Back EMF voltage is proportional to the shaft
angular speed via a constant Ke assumed to be zero in this problem. The armature resistance is
R=1 Ohm and Inductance is L=1mH.

(g) Write down all the governing equations.

(h) Express the system in a state space form. Use voltage va as the input and the angular
position m as the output.
(i) Find the transfer function between the input voltage va and angular position m.
(j) If this motor is used in a feedback loop (unity feedback) with a proportional controller of
gain Ka in series with the motor, what will be the feedback system’s transfer function
(from the reference angle to the output angle), and find the steady-state response (using
final value theorem) to a unit step input.
(k) Use Matlab to simulate the response of the feedback system to a unit step for the Ka gains
of 0.1, 4, and 1000 (for 10 seconds of simulation). Comment on the responses you obtain.