Nichols Chart & Diagram

Introduction
Nathaniel B. Nichols and his colleagues realized that the calculation of a closed-loop
linear system response from the open-loop transfer function characteristics was a problem
frequently faced by designers. It was from this need that the graphical design aid was
created which we now call the Nichols Chart.
The Nichols Chart is a tool for the designer to read off closed-loop gain and phase
directly from a plot of open-loop logarithmic gain and phase, parameterized by
frequency.

It can be rather difficult and cumbersome to find an explicit relationship between the open-
loop transfer function and the closed-loop transfer function for a general system. Hence,
we use the Nichols chart and show how it can be used for stability analysis. In essence, we
follow the procedure shown in the figure below.

find the intersection of read off the closed-

plot open-loop data the open-loop response loop information (gain
using open-loop grid with the closed-loop and phase margins)
(Nichols Diagram) contours (M and N according to their
circles) corresponding rules

Figure 1: Nichols Chart Method

System dynamics analysis with the Nichols chart is a modification of the Bode and Nyquist
methods but with some other advantages. The Nichols diagram is the graphical
representation, for an open loop system, of the magnitude as a function of the phase, that
is to say |𝐺 (𝑗𝑤)| 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑔[𝐺 (𝑗𝑤)]. Whereas the Nichols chart is a transformation of
the M and N circles (discussed below) in the rectangular coordinates representation to non-
circular contours M and N in the polar coordinates representation (the magnitude in
decibels against the phase angle in degrees). The gain and phase margins of the
corresponding closed-loop system are determined by superimposing the Nichols diagram
and the Nichols chart.
Transfer Function of a Closed-Loop Control System
In order to derive the basic Nichols chart + diagram relationships, let consider the unity-
feedback system illustrated in the figure below.

Figure 2: Unity Feedback System

The closed-loop transfer function is given by:

𝐺(𝑠)
𝑀(𝑠) =
1 + 𝐺(𝑠)
Equation 1: Closed-Loop Transfer Function

The sinusoidal transfer function of the open-loop system is a complex expression as a

function of frequency and can be represented symbolically as follows:
𝐺 (𝑗𝑤) = 𝑅𝑒[𝐺 (𝑗𝑤)] + 𝐼𝑚[𝐺(𝑗𝑤)] = 𝑅𝑒 + 𝑗𝐼𝑚
Equation 2: Open-Loop Transfer Function in the Frequency Domain

𝑅𝑒 being the real part of the complex expression that corresponds to G(jw) and 𝐼𝑚 the
imaginary part of it.
When evaluating the transfer function of the closed control loop, M(s), for s = jw, it turns
out that:
𝐺 (𝑗𝑤) 𝑅𝑒 + 𝑗𝐼𝑚
𝑀(𝑗𝑤) = =
1 + 𝐺 (𝑗𝑤) (1 + 𝑅𝑒 ) + 𝑗𝐼𝑚
Equation 3: Closed-Loop Transfer Function in the Frequency Domain

Thus, the modulus and the angle of M(jw) will be, respectively:

√𝑅𝑒2 + 𝐼𝑚
2
|𝑀(𝑗𝑤)| =
√(1 + 𝑅𝑒 )2 + 𝐼𝑚
2

Equation 4: Modulus of M(jw)

and
𝐼𝑚 𝐼𝑚
𝑎𝑟𝑔[𝑀(𝑗𝑤)] = 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 ( ) − 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 ( )
𝑅𝑒 1 + 𝑅𝑒
Equation 5: Phase Angle of M(jw)

Constant Magnitude Loci (M Circles)

If, by simplification, we take the modulus of M(jw) = M, we have:

𝑀√(1 + 𝑅𝑒 )2 + 𝐼𝑚
2 = √𝑅 2 + 𝐼 2
𝑒 𝑚
Equation 6

From the above equality, algebraic operations can be made that allow it to be reorganized
and transformed into the following form:

2 2
𝑀2 2
𝑀
(𝑅𝑒 − ) + 𝐼𝑚 = ( ) 𝑀 ≠1
1 − 𝑀2 1 − 𝑀2
Equation 7

For a given value of M, this equation represents a circle with center at the coordinates
𝑀2 𝑀
( , 0) and a radius with a measure given by | |. When M takes on different
1− 𝑀2 1− 𝑀2
values, the previous equation describes in the plane G(jw), a family of circles that are called
the loci of constant M, or circles of constant M; these are symmetric with respect to the line
M =1 and the real axis.

Constant Phase Loci (N Circles)

The phase angle equation expressed above:

𝐼𝑚 𝐼𝑚
𝜃 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 ( ) − 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 ( )
𝑅𝑒 1 + 𝑅𝑒
Equation 8
can be written as:
𝐼𝑚 𝐼𝑚
−
𝑅𝑒 1 + 𝑅𝑒
𝑁 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 =
𝐼 𝐼
1 + ( 𝑚) ( 𝑚 )
𝑅𝑒 1 + 𝑅𝑒
Equation 9

From the above equality, algebraic operations can be made that allow it to be reorganized
and transformed into the following form:
1 2 1 2 1 1
(𝑅𝑒 + ) + (𝐼𝑚 − ) = +
2 2𝑁 4 4𝑁 2
Equation 10

For a given value of N, this equation represents a circle with center at the coordinates
1 1 1 1
( ,− ) and a radius with a measure given by | + |. When N takes on different
2 2𝑁 4 4𝑁 2
values, the previous equation describes in the plane G(jw), a family of circles that are
called the loci of constant N, or circles of constant N. The constant-phase locus of a
closed-loop system can be plotted in the G(jw)-plane through a method similar to that
used to plot the constant M circles.

Figure 3: Nichols Chart in Rectangular Coordinates

Nichols Chart in Polar Coordinates

When observing the Nichols chart in rectangular coordinates, it is found that it is easier to
know the magnitude and the angle of the sinusoidal transfer function using the Bode
diagrams than to know the real and imaginary parts of the sinusoidal transfer function by
means of the Nichols chart in rectangular coordinates. For this reason, the transformation
of the Nichols chart to a representation in polar coordinates such as the one shown in the
figure below is proposed, with the axes being the magnitude and the phase angle of the
open-loop transfer function. In this type of transformation, the corresponding circles of M
and N are distorted and lose their circular shape. Advantages of the log-magnitude-versus-
phase plot are that the relative stability of the closed-loop system can be determined quickly
and that compensation can be worked out easily.

Figure 4: Nichols Chart in Polar Coordinates

As an illustration for the Nichols chart, it is plotted in MATLAB for the following
transfer function:
1
𝐺 (𝑠 ) =
(𝑠 + 1)(𝑠 + 3)(𝑠 + 5)
 Figure 5: Nichols Chart Superimposed on the Nichols Diagram ( for the above transfer function)

Stability Analysis Using the Nichols Chart

Some characteristics of the Nichols chart as a resource for the stability analysis of a system
are:

• The critical point is the intersection of the gain axis 0 db and the phase axis -180º.
• The intercept of the Nichols diagram of a system with the phase axis -180º is called
the phase crossover point and the corresponding ordinate is the magnitude for a
phase of -180º.
• The intercept of the Nichols diagram of a system with the axis of magnitude 0 db is
called the gain crossover point.
• The gain margin is the vertical distance in dB measured from the phase crossing to
the critical point.
• The phase margin is the horizontal distance in dB measured from the crossing of
magnitudes to the critical point.
 Critical point

Figure 6: Example on the Stability Graphical Analysis

It should be noted that, as always, the system is:

1. a Stable System: when both of the margins are positive or when the phase margin
is greater than the gain margin.
2. a Marginally Stable System: when both of the margins are zero or when the
phase margin is equal to the gain margin.
3. an Unstable System: if any of the two margins is negative or when the phase
margin is less than the gain margin.
Stability based on the Nichols chart is further illustrated in the figure below:

Figure 7: Stability of the System based on the Nichols Chart