EE 301: Control Systems

Practice Questions

1. The block diagram below represents a position control system. The motor
has a time constant 0.1 s; thus it can reach a full speed from standstill in
approximately 0.4 s when operated open loop. The gain of the power amplifier
K can be tuned to achieve any design requirement.

R(s) 10
C(s)
K s(0.1s+1)
−

Find the position, velocity and acceleration error constants associated with the
above system. Find a value of the gain K that would ensure that the error
remains within 0.01 cm/s.

2. Consider the temperature control system shown below. Assume that the com-

R(s) 5
C(s)
Gc (s) s+0.1
−

0.05

pensator is a proportional type Gc (s) = K and the resultant closed-loop system

is stable.

(a) Find the various error constants and the associated steady-state error.
(b) If you were to employ a PI compensator Gc (s) = KP + KsI , how would
these error constants change? Find the associated stead-state error.
(c) Find the value of KP and KI that would ensure that the stead-state error
is 0.02.

3. Comment on the stability of the system with characteristic polynomial

P (s) = s4 + s3 + 3s2 + 2s + 2.

1
 R(s) 2
C(s)
K s3 +4s2 +5s+2
−

4. For the system shown below, find the value of K that ensures stability. Also
find the lower bound on the steady-state error associated with the above choice
of gain K.

5. Consider the system shown below.

R(s) 2K
C(s)
s(s+1)(s+2)
−

(a) Derive the characteristic equation of this system.

(b) Determine the value of K that will cause the system to be marginally
stable.
(c) For this value of K, determine the frequency of oscillation of the system
output.

6. The characteristic equation of a system is given by

2(KP s + KI )
1 + Gc (s)G(s) = 1 + = 0.
s(s3+ 4s2 + 5s + 2)

Find the range of compensator gains KP and KI , assuming both to be positive,

such that the closed-loop system is stable.
K(s+1)
7. Sketch the root locus of 1 + s2 (s+9)
as K varied in the range (0, ∞).

8. Plot the root locus for a system that is represented by the block diagram below

2
 R(s) C(s)
K/s s+1
−

1/s

9. Consider a negative feedback system with the characteristic equation

K
1+ = 0.
s(s + 3)(s2 + 2s + 2)

Plot the root locus, and find the value of gain K that places the closed-loop
poles at s = −0.4 ± j0.7.

10. A temperature-control system has the following characteristic equation

  
KI 0.25
1 + Gc (s)Gp (s)H(s) = 1 + KP + = 0.
s s + 0.1

(a) Fix the value of KI such that the steady-state error is 0.4.
(b) Plot the root locus as KP is varied.
(c) From the root locus, find the value of KP that ensures that the closed-loop
system is critically damped.

11. Consider the servo system shown below. Sketch the root locus of the system as
the velocity feedback constant Kt varies from 0 to ∞.

θr (s) 10 θ̇ 1 θ
s+1 s
− −

Kt

2
12. Consider a negative-feedback system with G(s) = s(s+2) in the forward path
and H(s) = 1 + αs in the feedback path. Sketch the root locus as the feedback
gain α is varied.

3
13. Consider a unity feedback system with forward path transfer function G(s) =
K
s(s+1)(s+4)
. Specifications require a damping ratio 0.5 and ωn = 2. Design a suit-
able compensator to achieve this specification. Assume that the compensator
is placed in series with G(s).

14. For the system in Q13, assume that we require the velocity error constant
Kv ≥ 5. Design a suitable compensator for the compensated system obtained
in Q13.
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15. For a unity feedback system with forward path transfer function G(s) = s(s+2) ,
you are required to design a PD controller Gc (s) = KP + sKD (to be placed in
series with G(s)) such that the resultant system has a damping ratio of 0.707
and a settling time of ≤ 2 sec. Find the value of KP and KD using root locus
method.

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 Answers:

1. Kp = ∞, Kv = 10K, and Ka = 0. K ≥ 10.

1
2. (a) Kp = 2.5K, ess = 1+2.5K .
0.4
(b) Kv = 2.5KI , ess = KI .
(c) KI = 20.
3. Marginally stable. One pair of roots on the imaginary axis.
4. −1 < K < 9,√ess > 0.1
5. K = 2, ω = 2
9+8KP −KP 2
6. KP < 9, KI < 8
.
7. Root locus has 3 branches. Real axis [-9,-1] forms a branch of the root locus.
2 asymptotes. Angle of asymptotes = −90◦ , 90◦ . Asymptotes intersect at -4. The
branches emanating at the poles at 0, break in at -3 and then run parallel to the
asymptotes.
8. Root locus has 2 branches, starting at the origin. Real axis [−∞, −1] forms a part
of the root locus. 1 asymptote at 180◦ . Break-in point at −2.
9. Poles are 0, −3, −1 ± j. Root locus has 4 branches, all going towards zeros at infin-
ity. Real axis between [−3, 0] forms a part of the root locus. There are 4 asymptotes
at angles 45◦ , −45◦ , 135◦ , −135◦ , intersecting at −1.25. Break away point at −2.29.
For the complex poles, angle of departure 180 − 90 − 135 − 26 = −71 and 71 for the
conjugate pole. The branches from the complex poles cross over the imaginary axis
at j1.09. Gain at s = −0.4 + j0.7 is 2.91.
10. (a) KI = 1.
(b) The characteristic equation is

(KP s + 1)0.25
1+ = 0.
s(s + 0.1)

Which can be rewritten as

0.25KP s
1+ = 0.
s(s + 0.1) + 0.25

For plotting root locus, use K = 0.25KP .

There is one zero at 0, and two poles at s = −0.05 ± j0.49. There are two root
locus branches, one ending at the origin and the other going to infinity. There is
one asymptote parallel to real axis. Real axis [−∞, 0] coincides with the root locus.
Break in point at −0.5.
(c) For critical damping we require ζ = 1. The dominant closed-loop poles, as seen
from the root locus, indicate ωn ≈ 0.5. The closed-loop that ensure critical damping
is thus −ζωn = −0.5. The value of gain K that satisfies the magnitude condition at
s = −0.5 is 0.9. From this KP = 3.6.
11. Solving the inner feedback loop, we get a unity-feedback system with G(s) =
10
s(s+10Kt )
. The characteristic equation for which may be rewritten as 1 + 10K ts
s2 +10
= 0.
There are two poles at ±j3.16 and one zero at the origin. There are two root locus
branches. The real axis [−∞, 0] is a part of the root locus. There is one asymptote,

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which is parallel to the real axis. The break in point is −3.16.
Ks
12. The characteristic equation can be rewritten as 1 + s2 +2s+2 = 0, where K = 2α.
There is a zero at the origin and two poles at −1±j. The root locus has two branches,
real axis [∞, 0] forms a part of the root locus. There is √ only one asymptote, it is
parallel to the real axis. The break in point is at s = − 2. The angle of departure
at the complex poles is 225◦ and −225◦ .
13. Start by drawing the root locus of uncompensated system. There are 3 poles,
the root locus has 3 branches, all of them going to infinity. The real axis [−1, 0] and
[−∞, −4] forms a part of the root locus. The break away point is −0.46 and the two
branches cross over the imaginary axis at ±2j. The given specifications require the
closed-loop pole to be placed at −1 ± j1.732. This point does not lie on the current
s+1/T
root locus. We need to design a compensator of the form Gc (s) = Kc s+1/αT . The
compensator must contribute an angle of 60◦ . One possible design is T = 1, α =
0.25. The value of Kc can be chosen such that the compensated system satisfies the
magnitude condition at −1 ± j1.732.
14. The compensated system obtained in Q13, has an open-loop transfer function
24
Gc (s)G(s) = s(s+4) 2 . The error constant for this system is Kv = 1.5. We must design

a lag compensator such that the resultant system has Kv ≥ 5. Choose Kv = 6.

The compensator transfer function is given by K̂c s+0.25
s+0.06
. The resultant system has
s+0.25
the forward path transfer function K̂c s(s+0.06)(s+4)2 . For the required value of error
constant K̂c = 23.
15. Similar to Lab Exercise 7 8. Resultant controller has KP = 8 and KD = 2.