Stability of Linear Control

Systems
Introduction
o Three requirements enter into the design of a control system:
transient response, stability, and steady-state errors

o Stability is the most important system specification.

o If a system is unstable, transient response and steady-state errors are

moot points.

o An unstable system cannot be designed for a specific transient

response or steady-state error requirement.

o An unstable system whose natural response grows without bound can

cause damage to the system, or to human life. Many times systems
are designed with limited stops.

o Systems under study are linear, time-invariant systems

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Definition of Sability
We know that the total response of a system is given by:

o A system is stable if the natural response approaches zero as

time approaches infinity

o A system is unstable if the natural response grows without bound

as time approaches infinity

o A system is marginally stable or neutral if the natural response

neither decays nor grows but remains constant or oscillates as
time approaches infinity.

Note: the definition of stability implies that only the forced

response remains and the natural response approaches zero
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Alternate Definition of Stability
We know that the total response of a system is given by:

o A system is stable if every bounded input yields a bounded

output

 This is called the bounded-input, bounded-output (BIBO)

definition of stability.

o A system is unstable if any bounded input yields an unbounded

output

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Relations among Stability, Transfer Function, and Poles

Input 𝑅(𝑠) Output 𝐶(𝑠)

𝑮𝒑 (𝒔)

o 𝑐natural 𝑡 only depends on the transfer function (proper system

parameters)

o Stable systems have closed-loop transfer functions with poles

only in the left half-plane
Instability and Closed-Loop Transfer Function Poles

A system is unstable if it has a closed-loop transfer function with at least

one pole in the right half-plane

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Example: Stable, Unstable and Neutral Transient
Response (first-order)

Marginally stable
or neutral Unstable
Stable

A system is marginally stable or neutral if it has a closed-loop

transfer function with imaginary axis poles and poles in the
left half-plane.

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Second-Order Systems
o Stable systems have poles only in the left-half plane

Underdamped Critically damped Overdamped

o Marginally stable systems have poles in the

left-half plane and imaginary axis poles.

Undamped
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Finding the Poles of the Closed-Loop Transfer Function

Consider the feedback system shown:

Stability depends on the roots of the closed-loop transfer function, which

is obtained as follows:
10 𝑠 + 2
𝐺(𝑠) 𝑠(𝑠 + 4)(𝑠 + 6)(𝑠 + 8)(𝑠 + 10)
𝐺𝑒 𝑠 = =
1 + 𝐺 𝑠 𝐻(𝑠) 10 𝑠 + 2
1+
𝑠(𝑠 + 4)(𝑠 + 6)(𝑠 + 8)(𝑠 + 10)

For such a system, the determination of the locations of the poles of the
closed-loop transfer function is not easy to grasp.
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Some Important Properties

o A sufficient but not necessary condition for a system to be

unstable is that all signs of the coefficients of the denominator of
the closed-loop transfer function 𝐺p 𝑠 are not the same.

o If powers of 𝑠 are missing in the denominator of 𝐺p 𝑠 , then the

system is either unstable or, at best, neutral (marginally stable).

In what follows, we present a method to test for stability, without

having to solve for the roots of the denominator.
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Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
o A method that yields stability information without the need to
solve for the closed-loop system poles.

o Using this method, we can tell how many closed-loop system

poles are in the left half-plane, in the right half-plane, and on
the 𝑗𝜔-axis. (Notice that we say how many, not where.)

o We can find the number of poles in each section of the s-plane,

but we cannot find their coordinates.

o The method is called the Routh-Hurwitz criterion for stability

(Routh, 1905).

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Routh-Hurwitz Criterion
o The method requires two steps:
 Generate a data table called a Routh table
 Interpret the Routh table

o Even though modern calculators and computers can tell us the

exact location of system poles, the power of this method lies in
design rather than analysis.

o For example, if you have an unknown parameter in the

denominator of a transfer function, it is difficult to determine via
a calculator the range of this parameter to yield stability.

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Generating a Basic Routh Table

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Generating a Basic Routh Table

Closed-loop transfer function Gp 𝑠

label the rows with powers of 𝑠 from the highest power 𝑠 4 of the
denominator of 𝐺𝑝(𝑠) to 𝑠 0

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Generating a Basic Routh Table

Closed-loop transfer function Gp 𝑠

label the rows with powers of 𝑠 from the highest power 𝑠 4 of

the denominator of 𝐺𝑝(𝑠) to 𝑠 0

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Generating a Basic Routh Table

Closed-loop transfer function Gp 𝑠

The coefficient of the highest power is even. Thus, list the

coefficients of even powers horizontally in the 1st row

List the coefficients of odd powers horizontally in the 2nd row

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Generating a Basic Routh Table

Closed-loop transfer function Gp 𝑠

Note: Any row of the Routh table can be multiplied (or divided) by a
positive constant without changing the values of the rows below 17
Example #1

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Example #2

Solution
First of all, obtain the equivalent closed-loop transfer
function: 1000
𝐺(𝑠) (𝑠 + 2)(𝑠 + 3)(𝑠 + 5)
𝐺𝑒 𝑠 = =
1 + 𝐺 𝑠 𝐻(𝑠) (𝑠 + 2)(𝑠 + 3)(𝑠 + 5) + 1000
(𝑠 + 2)(𝑠 + 3)(𝑠 + 5)

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Now generate the basic Routh table

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Interpreting the Basic Routh Table
The basic Routh table applies to systems with poles in the left and
right half-planes but not on the imaginary axis.
Systems with pure imaginary poles and the kind of Routh table that
results will be discussed in the next section.

The Routh-Hurwitz criterion declares that:

The number of roots of the polynomial that are in the right
half-plane is equal to the number of sign changes in the first
column of the basic Routh table.

A system is stable if all poles of Gp(𝑠) are in the left half-plane,

namely, if there are no sign changes in the first column of the
Routh table.

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Interpreting the Result of Example #2
The table has two sign changes in the first column.

o The first sign change occurs from 1 in the 𝑠 2 row to -72 in the 𝑠1 row.
o The second occurs from -72 in the 𝑠1 row to 103 in the 𝑠 0 row.

Thus, the system is unstable since two poles exist in the right half-plane.

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 Example #3 (Second and third order systems)

ao s 2  a1s  a2  0 ao s  a1s  a2 s  a3  0
3 2

2
s3 ao a2 0
s a0 a2 0
s2 a1 a3 0
s a1 0 0
a1a2  ao a3
s 0
a2 s 0 0
a1
s0 a3

Requirements for stable 2nd Requirements for stable 3rd system

system, all the coefficients be 1- All the coefficients be positive.
positive.
2- a1a2 > aoa3.

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Routh-Hurwitz Criterion Special Cases
Two main special cases may occur in a Routh table
o The first element in any row is zero
o Entire row is zero
Case (1) The first element in any row is zero
If the first element of a row is zero, division by zero would be
required to form the next row.

To avoid this, an epsilon, 𝜖, is assigned to replace the zero in

the first column.

The value 𝜖 is then allowed to approach zero from either the

positive or the negative side, after which the signs of the entries in
the first column can be determined. Let us look at an example.
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Example #4 – Stability via Epsilon Method

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Example #4 – Stability via Epsilon Method

𝝐 tends to zero
It can be either 𝟎+ or 𝟎−

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Example #4 – Stability via Epsilon Method

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Example #4 – Stability via Epsilon Method

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Example #4 – Stability via Epsilon Method

As a result, in both cases, there are 2 sign changes in the first

column of the Routh table.

The system is unstable and has 2 poles in the right-half plane.

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Example #5 - Stability Design via Routh-Hurwitz

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Example #5 - Stability Design via Routh-Hurwitz

l-h-p pole means left

half-plane pole

r-h-p pole means right

half-plane pole

• For 0 < 𝐾 < 1386, the system is stable since, in that case, all
entries in the 1st column are positive. (3 l-h-p poles)

• For 𝐾 > 1386, there are two sign changes in the 1st column and
thus, in this case, the system is unstable (2 r-h-p- poles and 1 l-h-p
pole)

• For 𝐾 = 1386, the Routh table has a row of zeros with poles on the
𝑗𝜔-axis.

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Example #6 - Stability Design via Routh-Hurwitz

a) For which value(s) of K is the system stable?

b) Find the value(s) of K for which the system is marginally

stable.

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 Solution

Routh-Hurwitz table

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 Solution

Routh-Hurwitz table

For this value of K the system is marginally stable

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