Middle East Technical University

Mechanical Engineering Department

1956

ME 511 MODERN CONTROL

Fall 2017
Course Instructor: Dr. Bülent E. Platin

TAKE HOME EXAMINATION 2

Date Assigned: October 31, 2017
Date Due: November 07, 2017 (by 14:40 hours sharp at D-103, Onurcan Kaya’s Office)
Please read the important hints, reminders, and warnings in italics
Problems are not equally weighted
You are allowed to use software like matlab only in problems indicated
Please use the cover page given at the end of this assignment when submitting your solution set

PROBLEM 1: For the following mechanical arrangement

v1 viscous friction, b1

f1(t) viscous friction, b

m1

f2(t) viscous friction, b2

m2

v2
a) Obtain state equations with state variables defined as respective velocities v1 and v2 of masses
m1 and m2.
b) Show that and also explain by using physical reasoning why the system is uncontrollable, if
f1(t)  f2(t)  f(t), m1 = m2, and b1 = b2 = b.
c) Can the system be made fully controllable under the same conditions listed in part (b) except
i) by changing the viscous friction value between masses, only? Why?
ii) by changing the viscous friction value between one of the masses and the ground on either
side, only? Why?
iii)by making f1(t) and f2(t) independent of each other, only? Why?
Warning 1: You may get credit for parts (b) and (c) only if your answer to part (a) is correct.
Warning 2: In part (c), you must support your arguments
 by making the necessary modifications in the system equations and then by checking
formally the controllability feature of the resulting system model; and also
 by using physical reasoning.
Warning 3: In this problem, you are expected to work with parameters symbolically. Do not
attempt to replace them by some arbitrary numerical figures.

ME511/Platin/17F-TH2 Page 1 / 5
PROBLEM 2: Consider two systems represented by the following J , B pairs.
 1 1 0 0 0 0 0   1 1 0 0 0 0 0 
 0 1      0 0 
 1 0 0 0 0   0 1 1 0 0  
i) J   0 0 1 0 0  , B  1 2 ii) J   0 0 1 0 0  , B  1 2 
       
 0 0 0 2 1 0 0   0 0 0 1 1 0 0 
 0 0 0 0  2 2 4  0 0 0 0  1 2 4
Determine controllability feature of each of these systems
a) by applying the standard controllability test on the original system by forming the
controllability matrix M
1. by matlab using its basic definition and also
2. by using matlab command ctrb.
b) by applying the theorem given below.
Theorem: The nth order MIMO system with a system matrix in Jordan form
= ̲ +
= +
with no multiple Jordan blocks associated with the same eigenvalue is
i) controllable iff the input matrix B possesses no row of zeros corresponding to the last row
of each Jordan block,
ii) observable iff the output matrix C possesses no column of zeros corresponding to the first
column of each Jordan block;
with some multiple Jordan blocks associated with the same eigenvalue is
i) controllable iff, in addition to conditions (a-i) stated above, each matrix composed of last
rows of B corresponding to multiple Jordan blocks associated with the same eigenvalue
must have a rank that is equal to the number of such Jordan blocks,
ii) observable iff, in addition to conditions (a-ii) stated above, each matrix composed of first
columns of C corresponding to multiple Jordan blocks associated with the same
eigenvalue must have a rank that is equal to the number of such Jordan blocks.

PROBLEM 3: Consider the following system.

  6 1 0  2
dx 
  11 0 1 x  6 u
 ; y  1 0 0x
dt 
  6 0 0  2
a) Determine the transfer function G(s) by using the resolvent matrix concept, conducting all
necessary matrix manipulations involved in its basic definition and give the results of your
calculations in all intermediate steps.
b) Using your transfer function found in part (a), give the controllable canonical form of this system
by inspection.
c) Derive the controllable canonical form of this system by using the following method.
Hint: You may use matlab only for basic matrix operations like multiplication, transpose, and inverse
in parts (a) and (c).
Method suggested for part (c): It can be shown that (you are not asked to prove all these) for a
general, controllable SISO system represented by
T
x  A x  b u ; y  c x
a linear transformation of state variables
*
xP x with P=MW

ME511/Platin/17F-TH2 Page 2 / 5
transforms the state equations into the phase variable form where M is the controllability matrix,
and
a 2 a 3  a n 1 
a 
 3 a4  1 0 
W    
 
a n 1  0 0 
 1 0  0 0 
where ai’s are the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial; i.e.,

sI  A  sI  A *  s n  a n s n 1    a 2 s  a 1

PROBLEM 4: Obtain diagonal canonical (modified or Jordan when appropriate) forms of the
systems represented by the following state and output equations by using similarity
transformation concept.
 1  2 0  1 
dx 
i) 1 2 0  x  0 u
 y  1 0 1 x
dt
 2  1  3 0

0 1 0  0 
dx 
ii)  0 0 1  x  0 u
 y  1 0 0 x
dt
2  1 2 1

  6 1 0 1
dx 
iii)    9 0 1 x   2  u
 y  3  2 1 x
dt
 0 0 0   1
Warning: You are expected to normalize your eigenvectors such that their smallest elements (other
than zero) are all “1” or “–1”.
Hint: You may use matlab in this problem only for basic matrix operations excluding eigenvalue and
eigenvector computations.

PROBLEM 5: Let a square matrix be defined as

0 1 1 0 0
0 0 1 0 1 

A  0 0 0 0 0
 
0 0 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0
a) Determine its eigenvalues by hand calculations.
b) Obtain all its eigenvectors by hand calculations.
c) Find all generalized eigenvectors (if exist) by hand calculations.
d) Give (do not derive) the Jordan canonical form of the matrix A. Explain how you have
concluded your answer.
e) Construct the transformation matrix P that will transform A exactly into its canonical form
that you have given in part (d).
f) Using matlab, transform A through the transformation matrix P constructed in part (e) and
verify that it really transforms A to the Jordan canonical form given in part (d).

ME511/Platin/17F-TH2 Page 3 / 5
SOME IMPORTANT REMINDERS & GENERAL WARNINGS ABOUT TAKE HOME SOLUTIONS:
 Your take home solutions must be concise but self-explanatory, containing all the details of your
computations/derivations at each step without needing any interpretation of the reader, otherwise will be
considered as "incomplete".
 If you use sources other than the course notes, they should be properly referenced.
 If you need to use readily available software package(s) and/or your own computer codes and want to get credit
for them;
o you must supply all input/output evidences in printed form as well as the source listings of your codes, and
the name (with version number) of the program used;
o printed results of computer codes must be used only as evidence to support your findings;
o your answers based on these results should be presented in a conventional format especially when symbolic
expressions are involved.
 Solutions must be submitted in a written form, prepared professionally,
o by hand writing using pen (not pencil) or
o by using a word processor
on only one side of clean, white papers of A4 size, each numbered showing the current page number and total
number of pages, personalized by your name and student number; properly bound or stapled; no disks or e-mail
or cloud attachments are acceptable as a full or partial content of your take home solutions. Do not forget to
sign and use the special cover page.
 Definitely, no extensions will be given for the date/time of take-home submissions, in full or partial.
 Even though team-work type efforts are encouraged, they must not go beyond discussions on the solution
methods used and/or cross-checking the results of your number-crunching.
 Therefore, every take home paper that you will be handing in should be personalized by fully and correctly
reflecting your own approaches and efforts in it.
 Hence, all duplicate solutions will be disregarded with some serious consequences. In such a case, I will stop
grading your solutions right away, you will be considered absent in the course for the rest of the semester, and
your thesis supervisor (or your department chair in case if you do not have an official supervisor yet) will be
notified all about this.

ME511/Platin/17F-TH2 Page 4 / 5
 Middle East Technical University
Mechanical Engineering Department
1956

ME 511 MODERN CONTROL

Fall 2017
Course Instructor: Dr. Bülent E. Platin

TAKE HOME EXAMINATION 2

Date Assigned: October 31, 2017
Date Due: November 07, 2017 (by 14:40 hours sharp at D-103, Onurcan Kaya’s Office)

Student's Number: ___________________________

Student's Name and SURNAME: ___________________________

I hereby declare that the solutions submitted under this cover are products of my own personal
efforts, wholly. Hence, they truly reflect my personal approaches and knowledge in the subject
areas of questions. If I used sources other than the textbook of this course, they have been properly
referenced. Neither my peer consultations nor any help which I got from others in any form went
beyond discussions on the solution methods used and/or cross-checking my findings. I am fully
aware of serious consequences of any deviations from the statements above as evidenced by my
solutions submitted.

Student's Signature: _____________________