Design of Control System Using Root Locus

To design compensator using root locus method for SISO.

The requirement for control system design is performance specifications.

Transient: - such as maximum overshoot or settling time using step input.

Steady state:- steady sate error-ramp.

Design problem:-performance specification, relative stability and speed of response.

Design by root locus: - reshaping the root locus of the system by adding poles and zeros
to the system open loop transfer function.

System compensation: - increase the gain K to improve the steady state error but will
result poor stability or even instability.

Resign by addition of device or component to alter the behaviour is called compensation.

Commonly used compensators are lead, lag, lead-lag or PID.

Design by Root Locus is based on reshaping the locus of the system by adding poles and
zeros to the system’s open loop transfer function and forcing the root loci to pass through
the desired closed loop poles in the s plane.

Design Considerations

a. Effects of additions of Poles

b. Effects of additions of Zeros
 Root Locus Editor (C) Root Locus Editor (C)
1 3

0.8

2
0.6

0.4
1

0.2

Im ag A x is
Im a g A x is

0 0

-0.2
-1
-0.4

-0.6 -2

-0.8

-3
-1 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1
-4 -3.5 -3 -2.5 -2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 Real Axis
Real Axis
Root Locus Editor (C)
1.5

1 Figure 1 shows examples of the root loci

illustrating the effects of addition of pole
0.5
to a single pole system and addition of two
poles to a single-pole system
Im a g A x is

-0.5

-1

-1.5
-2 -1.8 -1.6 -1.4 -1.2 -1 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0
Real Axis
 Root Locus Editor (C) Root Locus Editor (C)
5 2

4
1.5

3
1
2

0.5
1
Im ag Ax is

Im ag Ax is
0 0

-1
-0.5

-2
-1
-3

-1.5
-4

-5 -2
-3.5 -3 -2.5 -2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 -2 -1.8 -1.6 -1.4 -1.2 -1 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0
Real Axis Real Axis

Figure 2 shows the root loci for the system that is stable for all values of gain from
initially unstable for large gain for three poles system.

System Compensation

Redesign and/or addition of a suitable device is called compensation while the device is
called compensator. Common compensators and controllers are lead, lag and lead-lag,
and PID controllers.

Series and Parallel compensator

R(s) C(s)
+ GC(s) G(s)
-

H(s)

(a) Series Compensation

 R(s) C(s)
+ G1(s) + G(s)
- -

Gc(s)

H(s)

(b) Parallel or Feedback Compensation

If a compensator is required to meet the performance specifications, the designer must

decide on the physical device the prescribed transfer function of the compensator. Among
the many kinds of compensators widely employed are lead compensators, lag
compensators, lead-lag compensators and velocity feedback compensators.

jω jω

x σ x σ

(b) lag network

(a) lead network

Lead Compensator

The original problem in which either the system is unstable for all values of gain or stable
but undesirable transient response characteristics
Example

Consider the system shown in figure. The feed forward transfer function is

4
G(s) = . The damping ratio of the closed loop poles is 0.5. The undamped
s ( s + 2)
natural frequency of the closed loop pole is 2 rad/s. The static velocity error constant is 2
sec-1.

R(s) C(s)
K
+ s ( s + 2)
-

Figure 1: Control System

Modify the closed loop poles so that the undamped natural frequency is ωn = 4 rad/s
without changing the damping ratio ζ = 0.5.

Solution

jω

Closed-loop poles j2

j1

σ
-4 -3 -2 -1
-j1

-j2

Figure 2 :Root locus plot

Since the damping ratio is the same, with the undamped natural frequency specify as 4
rad/s, therefore the desired poles location are s = 2 ± j2 3

The compensated system will have the function as

⎛ 1 ⎞
⎜ s+ ⎟
G(s)Gc(s) = ⎜ K c T ⎟ G(s)
⎜ 1 ⎟
⎜ s+ ⎟
⎝ αT ⎠
Where

⎛ 1 ⎞
⎜ s+ ⎟
⎛ Ts + 1 ⎞
Gc(s) = ⎜ K cα ⎟ = ⎜ Kc T ⎟
⎝ αTs + 1 ⎠ ⎜
s+
1 ⎟
⎜ ⎟
⎝ αT ⎠

A
P jω

φ
2
j2
φ
2
j1

σ
-4 -2 O
1 -3 -1
-
C αT 1
-
B D T

4
For the existing system, the angle position is ∠ = -210o
s ( s + 2) s = −2 + j 2 3

In order to pull the root locus through the desired closed loop pole , the lead compensator
must contribute φ = 30o. at this point, which give:

Zero at s = -2.92 and Pole at s = -5.46 or

 1 1
T= = 0.345 and αT = = 0.185 thus α = 0.537
2.9 5.4

s + 2.9 4 K ( s + 2.9)
GC (s)G(s) =KC = where K = 4KC
s + 5.4 s ( s + 2) s ( s + 2)( s + 5.4)

The value of K is evaluated using the magnitude condition

k ( s + 2.9
=1 or K = 18.7
s ( s + 2)( s + 5.4) s = −2 + j 2 3

therefore

18.7( s + 2.9)
GC (s)G(s) = and
s( s + 2)( s + 5.4)

18.7
KC = = 4.68
4

Therefore the lead compensator has the transfer function

4.68( s + 2.9)
GC (s) =
( s + 5.4)

The static velocity error constant Kv is is obtained from the expression

18.7( s + 2.9)
KV = lim sGC ( s )G ( s ) = lim s = 5.02
s→0 s →0 s( s + 2)( s + 5.4)
Lag Compensator

The lag compensator the transfer function is given by

1
s+
Ts + 1 ) T
Gc(s) = Kcβ = KC
βTs + 1 s+
1
βT

The requirement for lag compensator is necessary when the system exhibits satisfactory
transient response characteristics but unsatisfactory steady state characteristics.
Compensation in this case essentially consists of increasing loop gain without
appreciably changing the transient response characteristics. This means that the root locus
of the dominant roots should not be changed appreciably.

To avoid appreciable change in the loci, the angle contribution of the lag network should
be limited to small amount, say 5o. To assure this, the place of the pole and zero of the lag
network is relatively close together and near to the origin of the s plane. The compensated
system will be shifted slightly from their original position.

R(s) C(s)
Gc(s) G(s)
+
-

Figure
Consider the compensator as

1
Ts + 1 ) s+T
Gc(s) = Kcβ = KC
βTs + 1 s+
1
βT

If the pole and zero is closed to each other then from the dominant pole the magnitude is
 1 1
) s1 + T ) s1 +
Gc ( s1 ) = K c ≈ K c and the angle contribution is -5o< ∠ T <0o
1 1
s1 + s1 +
βT βT
)
If the value of K c is set to 1, then the transient response characteristics will not be
altered, which means that the overall gain can be increased by a factor β where β>1.If the
pole an zero is placed close together the value of β can be made large.

The static velocity error of the uncompensated system is Kv = lim sG(s).

s →0
) )
For the compensated system K c = lim sGc(s)G(s) = lim Gc(s)Kv = K c βKv.
s →0 s →0
) )
Thus, the static velocity error constant is increased by a factor of K c β, where K c is
approximately unity.

Example
1.06
Consider the system shown. The feedforward transfer function is G(s) =
s ( s + 1)( s + 2)

R(s) C(s)
1.06
+ s ( s + 1)( s + 20
-

The dominant closed poles are s = -0.33 ± j0.59 and the damping ratio is ζ = 0.49. The
undamped natural frequency is 0.673 rad/s and the velocity error constant is 0.53 sec-1.

It is required that the static velocity error constant is 5 sec-1 without changing the location
of the dominant poles.

To meet this requirement, insert a lag compensator. To increase the static velocity error
constant by a factor of about 10, choose β = 10.

) s + 0.05
Gc(s) = K c where angle contribution is about 4o.
s + 0.005
 ) s + 0.05 1.06 K ( s + 0.05) )
Gc(sG(s) ) = K c = where K = 1.06 K c
s + 0.005 s( s + 1)( s + 2) s( s + 0.005)( s + 1)( s + 2)