Topic 3.

0: Stability Analysis of
Feedback Control Systems:
by Engr. Mudono
3.1 Introduction: Definition of Stability
3.2 Stability Criterion & Characteristic equation
3.3 Routh – Hurwitz Criterion
3.4 Direct Substitution
3.5 Root – Locus Analysis
3.1 Introduction: Definition of Stability
• The most important dynamic aspect of any system is its
stability.
• The stability requirement applies to any system, open loop
or closed loop.
• For a system to be stable, the poles of the transfer function,
must lie in the left half of the s plane (LHP).
• The stability of an open loop process depends upon the
location of the poles of its open loop transfer function.
• The stability of an closed loop process depends upon the
location of the poles of its closed loop transfer function.
• During designing a feedback control system, i.e.
selecting its components and tuning its controller, we
are seriously concerned about its stability
characteristics, i.e.
notion of stability and
stability characteristics of closed-loop systems
• A system is considered unstable if, after it had been
disturbed by an input change, its output does not return
to the set point (state of rest).
Definition of a stable (Linear System):
• An unconstrained linear system is said to be stable if
the output response is bounded for all bounded
inputs, otherwise it is said to be unstable.
• By a bounded input, an input variable stays within upper
and lower limits for all values of time
For example, consider a variable u(t) that varies with time.
If u(t) is a step or sinusoidal function , then it is bounded.
However, the function u(t) = t and u(t) = e3t are not
bounded
• A stable system will be defined as one for which the
output response is bounded for all bounded inputs.
• A system exhibiting an unbounded response to a
bounded input is unstable.
STABLE SYSTEM → a bounded input produces a
bounded output (BIBO)
• A dynamic system is considered to be stable if for
every bounded input it produces a bounded output,
regardless of its initial state.
• According to the definition, a system with response like those in Fig
3.1 (a) is stable, while Fig 3.1 (b) shows the responses of unstable
systems.

Fig 3.1 (a) stable response and (b) unstable response

3.2 Characteristic Equation & Stability Criterion

Fig 3.2 Standard block diagram of a Feedback control system

3.2.1 Characteristic equation
• From the block diagram of the control system Fig 3.2 we
obtain:
𝐾𝑚 𝐺𝑐 𝐺𝑣 𝐺𝑝 𝐺𝑑
𝑌= 𝑌𝑆𝑃 + 𝐷 −− −1
1 + 𝐺𝑂𝐿 1 + 𝐺𝑂𝐿

𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒, 𝐺𝑂𝐿 = 𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑣 𝐺𝑝 𝐺𝑚
• Considering set – point changes eq. 1 becomes:

𝑌 𝐾𝑚 𝐺𝑐 𝐺𝑣 𝐺𝑝
= −− −2
𝑌𝑆𝑃 1+𝐺𝑂𝐿
• Eqn 2 can be rearranged and factored into poles (pi) and zeros (zi)
• The roots of the denominator are called the poles of the transfer
function.
• The roots of the numerator are called the zeros of the transfer
function (these values of s make the transfer function equal zero)
• Factoring both numerator and denominator yields:

𝑌 𝑠 − 𝑧1 𝑠 − 𝑧2 ⋯ 𝑠 − 𝑧𝑚
𝐺 𝑠 = = 𝐾´ −− −3
𝑌𝑆𝑃 𝑠 − 𝑝1 𝑠 − 𝑝2 ⋯ 𝑠 − 𝑝𝑛

• zi zeros of the transfer function

• pi poles of the transfer function
• K´ is a multiplicative constant selected to give the correct steady –
state gain.
• To have a physically realizable system, the number of
poles must be greater than or equal to the number of
zeroes; that is, n ≥ m.
• Note: a pole cancellation occurs if a zero and a pole
have the same numerical value.
• Comparing eqns. 2 & 3 shows that the poles are the
roots of the following equation:
1 + 𝐺𝑂𝐿 −− −4 (𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛)

• The characteristic equation plays a vital role in

determining system stability.
• For a unit change in set point:
1
𝑌𝑆𝑃 (𝑠) =
𝑠
• Eqn. 3 becomes:

𝐾´ 𝑠 − 𝑧1 𝑠 − 𝑧2 ⋯ 𝑠 − 𝑧𝑚
𝑌= −− −5
𝑠 𝑠 − 𝑝1 𝑠 − 𝑝2 ⋯ 𝑠 − 𝑝𝑛
• If there are no repeated poles (i.e. if they are all distinct
poles) then the partial fraction expansion of eqn. 5
becomes:

𝐴0 𝐴1 𝐴2 𝐴𝑛
𝑌 𝑠 = + + + ⋯+ −−− −6
𝑠 𝑠 − 𝑝1 𝑠 − 𝑝2 𝑠 − 𝑝𝑛

• Taking the inverse of Laplace transform of eqn.6:

𝑦 𝑡 = 𝐴0 + 𝐴1 𝑒 𝑝1𝑡 + 𝐴2 𝑒 𝑝2𝑡 + ⋯ + 𝐴𝑛 𝑒 𝑝𝑛𝑡 −− −7

• Suppose that one of the poles is a positive real
number, i.e.pk > o, then it is clear from eqn.7 that y(t)
is unbounded and the closed – loop system in Fig 3.2 is
unstable.
• If pk is a complex number, pk = ak + jbk, with a positive
real part (ak > 0), then the system is also unstable.
• If all of the poles are negative (or have negative real
parts), then the system is stable.
• The roots of the characteristic equation, which are the
poles of the transfer function, must be real or must
occur as complex conjugate pairs.
• In addition, the real part of all poles must be negative
for the system to be stable.
• A system is stable if all its poles lie to the left half of
the s plane.
3.2.2 Stability Criterion
General Stability Criterion:
• The feedback control system in Fig 3.2 is stable if and only if all
roots of the characteristic equation are negative or have
negative real parts, otherwise the system is unstable.

Fig 3.3 Graphical interpretation of Stability regions in the complex plane for roots of the
characteristic equation
3.3 Routh – Hurwitz Criterion
• The Routh test is a purely algebraic method for determining
how many roots of the characteristic equation have positive
real parts:
 can also be determined whether the system is stable,
 for if there are no roots with positive real parts, the
system is stable.
• The test is limited to systems that have polynomial
characteristic equations.
cannot be used to test the stability of a control system
containing a transportation lag.
• The criterion of stability for closed-loop systems does
not require the calculation of the actual values of the
roots of the characteristic polynomial.
only requires knowing, if any root is to the right of
the imaginary axis.
• The Routh-Hurwitz procedure allows us to test if any
root is to the right of imaginary axis and thus reach
quickly a conclusion as to the stability of the closed-
loop system without computing the actual values of
the roots.
• The procedure for examining the roots is to write the
characteristic equation as an expanded polynomial form:

1 + 𝐺𝑂𝐿 = 𝑎0 𝑠 𝑛 + 𝑎1 𝑠 𝑛−1 + ⋯ + 𝑎𝑛−1 𝑠 + 𝑎𝑛 = 0 −− −8

 where a0 > 0 (If a0 is originally negative, both sides are

multiplied by -1.)
In this form, it is necessary that all the coefficients:
a0, a1, a2,. .. , an-1, an be positive if all the roots are to lie in
the left half-plane.
• If any coefficient is negative, the system is definitely
unstable, and the Routh test is not needed to answer
the question of stability.
If all the coefficients are positive, the system may
be stable or unstable
 necessary to apply the following procedure to
determine stability.
• The Routh method can be used to find out if there are
any roots of a polynomial in the RHP.
• It can be applied to either closed loop or open loop
systems by using the appropriate characteristic
equation.
• Assuming the characteristic equation of interest is an
Nth-order polynomial:

𝑁 𝑁−1
𝑎𝑁 𝑠 + 𝑎𝑁−1 𝑠 + ⋯ + 𝑎1 𝑠 + 𝑎𝑜 = 0 −− −9
• The Routh array formed is given below:

• In general the array has n+1 rows.

• Routh array is formed by first filling in the sn and sn-1 rows with the
coefficients from the characteristic equation, as shown and it is
assumed that n is even.
• If n were odd, then a0 would appear in the sn-1 row.
• Having done this, it is time to fill in the sn-2 row.
• The appropriate coefficients are found as follows:

• Notice the pattern: it is like finding 2×2 determinants.

• You keep on filling in this row until i is greater than or equal to n,
• where i = 2, 4, 6,...
• The sn-3 row can now be found in an exactly analogous manner from
the sn-1 and sn-2 rows.
• The coefficients are given by:

• Again, this row is filled in until i ≥ n, where i = 3, 5,7,...

• Row after row can be filled in an analogous manner until the s0 row
is reached and this row will have only one entry.
• Having completed the array, you may use it to determine the
number of unstable roots.
• The basic rule is:
The number of poles in the right half plane equals the number of
sign changes in the first column of the Routh Array.
• The first column is, of course:

• A sign change occurs when two values, one immediately above

the other, do not have the same sign:
 e.g., sign (an-1) ≠ sign (bn-2).
THEOREMS OF THE ROUTH TEST
Theorem 3.1.
• The necessary and sufficient condition for all the roots of
the characteristic equation to have negative real parts
(stable system) is that all elements of the first column of the
Routh array (a0, a1, b1, c1, etc.) be positive and nonzero.
Theorem 3.2.
• If some of the elements in the first column are negative, the
number of roots with a positive real part (in the right half-
plane) is equal to the number of sign changes in the first
column.
Theorem 3.3.
• If one pair of roots is on the imaginary axis, equidistant
from the origin, and all other roots are in the left half-
plane, all the elements of the nth row will vanish and
none of the elements of the preceding row will vanish.
• The location of the pair of imaginary roots can be
found by solving the equation:
2
𝐶𝑠 +𝐷 =0
where the coefficients C and D are the elements of the array in
the (n – 1)st row as read from left to right, respectively.
3.4 Direct Substitution Analysis
• The direct-substitution method is a simple method for
finding the values of parameters in the characteristic
equation that put the system just at the limit of
stability.
• The system is stable if all the roots of the characteristic
equation are in the LHP and unstable if any of the roots
are in the RHP.
• The imaginary axis represents the stability boundary.
• On the imaginary axis 𝑠 is equal to some pure
imaginary number: 𝑠 = 𝑗𝜔
• The technique consists of substituting 𝑗𝜔 for 𝑠 in the
characteristic equation and solving for the values of 𝜔
and other parameters (e.g. controller gain) that satisfy
the resulting equations.
• The imaginary axis divides the complex plane into stable
and unstable regions for the roots of the characteristic
equation.
• On the imaginary axis, the real part is zero, and thus: 𝑠 =
𝑗𝜔, and substituting 𝑠 = 𝑗𝜔 into the characteristic
equation allows us to find a stability limit such as the
maximum value of Kc
3.5 Root – Locus Analysis
• A root locus plot is a figure that shows how the roots of the
closed loop characteristic equation vary as the gain of the
feedback controller is varied from zero to infinity.
• The abscissa is the real part of the closed loop root; the
ordinate is the imaginary part.
• Since we are plotting closed loop roots, the time constants
and damping coefficients that we will pick off these root locus
plots are all closed loop time constants and closed loop
coefficients.
• The root locus method is a graphical procedure for finding the
roots of 1 + GOL = 0, as one of the parameters of GOL varies
continuously.
the parameter that will be varied is the gain (or sensitivity) Kc
of the controller
• Stability characteristics of a closed-loop system depend on the
value of the gain Kc.
• The root loci are merely the plots in the complex plane of
the roots of the characteristic equation as the gain Kc is
varied from zero to infinity.
• They are very useful in determining the stability
characteristics of a closed-loop system as the gain K
changes.