EC3023D - CONTROL

SYSTEMS
Lectures 15-18
Root locus
 Closed loop system definition

Closed loop poles are difficult to find and they change with respect to system parameters (eg. System gain)
Defining root locus - Pole
location as a function of gain
It is this representation of the paths of the closed-loop poles as the gain is varied is what we call a Root locus.
Observations
K < 25 – Overdamped
K=25 – critically damped
K>25 – Under damped
Regardless of the value of gain, the real parts of the complex poles are always the same. Hence
regardless of the value of gain, the settling time for the system remains the same under all
conditions of underdamped responses.
Also, as we increase the gain, the damping ratio diminishes, and the percent overshoot increases.
The damped frequency of oscillation, which is equal to the imaginary part of the pole, also
increases with an increase in gain, resulting in a reduction of the peak time.
Finally, since the root locus never crosses over into the right half-plane, the system is always
stable, regardless of the value of gain, and can never break into a sinusoidal oscillation.
How can we analyze systems of order>2?
Properties of Root locus
Consider a general control system,

A pole exists when

Properties of Root locus
if a value of s is substituted into the function KG(s)H(s), a complex number results. If the angle of
the complex number is an odd multiple of 180°, that value of s is a system pole for some
particular value of K.
How do we test if a point ‘s’ in
the complex plane is a closed
loop pole?
 Test if s=-2+j3 is a closed loop
pole in the previous system?

Thus, the point -2+j3 is not a point on the root locus

What about -2+j(√2/2)?
Angle of KG(s)H(s) = 180 deg

Thus, the point -2+j(√2/2) is a point on the root locus for a gain of
0.33
6. Real axis Break away and Break-in points
The point where the locus leaves the real axis, σ1, is called the breakaway point, and the
point where the locus returns to the real axis, σ2, is called the break-in point.
At the breakaway or break-in point, the branches of the root locus form an angle of 180°/n
with the real axis, where n is the number of closed-loop poles arriving at or departing from
the single breakaway or break-in point on the real axis
The breakaway point occurs at a point of maximum gain on the real axis between the open-
loop poles and that the gain at the break-in point is the minimum gain found along the real
axis between the two zeros.
If we differentiate K with respect to σ and set the derivative equal to zero, we can find the
points of maximum and minimum gain and hence the breakaway and break-in points.
7. jω crossings
The jω-axis crossing is a point on the root locus that separates the stable operation of the
system from the unstable operation.
The value of ω at the axis crossing yields the frequency of oscillation, while the gain at the jω-
axis crossing yields, for this example, the maximum positive gain for system stability.
What if your system has root locus starting from RHP and ending in LHP?
To find jω crossings, forcing a row of zeros in the Routh table will yield the gain; going back
one row to the even polynomial equation and solving for the roots yields the frequency at the
imaginary-axis crossing
8. Angles of departure and arrival from/to complex open loop poles and zeros
The root locus starts at the open-loop poles and ends at the open-loop zeros.
When there are complex open loop poles/zeros, we want to calculate the root locus
departure angle from the complex poles and the arrival angle to the complex zeros.
If we assume a point on the root locus ϵ close to a complex pole, the sum of angles drawn
from all finite poles and zeros to this point is an odd multiple of 180°. Except for the pole that
is ϵ close to the point, we assume all angles drawn from all other poles and zeros are drawn
directly to the pole that is near the point. Thus, the only unknown angle in the sum is the
angle drawn from the pole that is ϵ close. We can solve for this unknown angle, which is also
the angle of departure from this complex pole.
 Sketching the Root locus
1. No of branches
2. Symmetry
 3. Real axis segments

At each point the angular contribution of a pair of open-loop complex poles or zeros is zero, and the contribution of the open-
loop poles and open-loop zeros to the left of the respective point is zero. If we calculate the angle at each point using only the
open-loop, real-axis poles and zeros to the right of each point, we note the following:
(1) The angles on the real axis alternate between 0° and 180°
(2) the angle is 180° for regions of the real axis that exist to the left of an odd number of poles and/or zeros.
4. Starting and ending points

Consider the unity feedback system shown below

5. Behaviour at infinity
Sketching the Root locus
6. Real axis Break away and Break-in points
The point where the locus leaves the real axis, σ1, is called the breakaway point, and the point
where the locus returns to the real axis, σ2, is called the break-in point.
At the breakaway or break-in point, the branches of the root locus form an angle of 180°/n with
the real axis, where n is the number of closed-loop poles arriving at or departing from the single
breakaway or break-in point on the real axis
The breakaway point occurs at a point of maximum gain on the real axis between the open-loop
poles and that the gain at the break-in point is the minimum gain found along the real axis
between the two zeros.

if we differentiate K with respect to σ and set the derivative equal to zero, we can find the points
of maximum and minimum gain and hence the breakaway and break-in points.
Angle at break away/break in point = 180/2 =90 deg
Sketching the Root locus
7. jω crossings
The jω-axis crossing is a point on the root locus that separates the
stable operation of the system from the unstable operation.
The value of ω at the axis crossing yields the frequency of
oscillation, while the gain at the jω-axis crossing yields, for this
example, the maximum positive gain for system stability.
What if your system has root locus starting from RHP and ending
in LHP?
To find jω crossings, forcing a row of zeros in the Routh table will
yield the gain; going back one row to the even polynomial
equation and solving for the roots yields the frequency at the
imaginary-axis crossing
Sketching the Root locus
8. Angles of departure and arrival from/to complex open loop poles and zeros
The root locus starts at the open-loop poles and ends at the open-loop zeros.
When there are complex open loop poles/zeros, we want to calculate the root locus departure
angle from the complex poles and the arrival angle to the complex zeros.
If we assume a point on the root locus ϵ close to a complex pole, the sum of angles drawn from
all finite poles and zeros to this point is an odd multiple of 180°. Except for the pole that is ϵ
close to the point, we assume all angles drawn from all other poles and zeros are drawn directly
to the pole that is near the point. Thus, the only unknown angle in the sum is the angle drawn
from the pole that is ϵ close. We can solve for this unknown angle, which is also the angle of
departure from this complex pole.