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RLC Natural-Response
RLC Natural-Response
Second-Order Circuits
Review: Four Kinds of First-Order
Circuits
The circuits we studied last week are called
first-order circuits because they are
described mathematically by first-order
differential equations.
We studied four kinds of first-order circuits:
Source-free RC circuits
Source-free RL circuits
graphs as either:
A decaying exponential curve
if the initial value x(0) is greater
than the final value x().
Or a saturating exponential
curve if the initial value x(0)
is less than the final value x().
Review: A General Approach for
First-Order Circuits (3 of 3)
Recall also that we can think of the
complete response as being the sum of a
transient response that dies away with
time and a steady-state response that is
constant and remains after the transient
has died away:
𝑡
−𝜏
𝑥 𝑡 = 𝑥(∞) + (𝑥(0) − 𝑥(∞))𝑒
Steady-state Transient
response response
Transient Analysis with Multisim
The textbook’s Sections 7.8 and 8.9 discuss
using PSpice simulation software to perform
transient analysis of first-order and second-
order circuits.
We can also do
this with Multisim,
as shown here.
The steps are
summarized in Lab 10.
Our Goal: A General Approach for
Second-Order Circuits
Next we will develop a general
approach for analyzing more
complicated circuits called second-
order circuits.
Unfortunately the general approach for
second-order circuits is quite a bit more
complicated than the one for first-order
circuits.
Second-Order Circuits
The circuits we’ll study are called
second-order circuits because they
are described mathematically by
second-order differential equations.
Whereas first-order circuits contain a
single energy-storing element (capacitor
or inductor), second-order circuits
contain two energy-storing elements.
These two elements could both be
capacitors or both be inductors, but we’ll
focus on circuits containing one capacitor
and one inductor.
Four Kinds of Second-Order
Circuits
The book treats four kinds of second-order circuits:
Source-free series RLC circuits
𝑅 1
𝑠2 + 𝑠+ =0
𝐿 𝐿𝐶
This is called the characteristic equation of
our original differential equation. Note that it
is purely algebraic with one variable (s). It
has no derivatives, no integrals, no
exponentials.
Now we can use the quadratic formula to
solve for s. But first….
Solving Our Differential
Equation (3 of 4)
For convenience we introduce two new
symbols:
𝑅 1
𝛼= and 𝜔0 =
2𝐿 𝐿𝐶
We call the neper frequency, and we call
0 the undamped natural frequency.
2 𝑅 1
Then we can rewrite 𝑠 + 𝑠 + = 0 as:
𝐿 𝐿𝐶
𝑠 2 + 2𝛼𝑠 + 𝜔02 = 0
𝑠1 = −𝛼 + 𝛼 2 − 𝜔02 , 𝑠2 = −𝛼 − 𝛼 2 − 𝜔02
Because of the square root, we must
distinguish three cases:
> 0, called the overdamped case.
= 0, called the critically damped case.
< 0, called the underdamped case.
The Overdamped Case ( > 0)
If > 0, our two solutions for s are distinct
negative real numbers:
Real number
𝑠1 = −𝛼 + 𝛼 2 − 𝜔02 , 𝑠2 = −𝛼 − 𝛼 2 − 𝜔02
𝑠1 = −𝛼 + 𝛼 2 − 𝜔02 , 𝑠2 = −𝛼 − 𝛼 2 − 𝜔02
𝑠2 = −𝛼 − 𝛼 2 − 𝜔02 = −𝛼 − 𝑗𝜔𝑑
𝑠1 = −𝛼 + 𝛼 2 − 𝜔02 , 𝑠2 = −𝛼 − 𝛼 2 − 𝜔02
𝑑𝑥(0+ )
Solve for A1 and A2: 𝐴1 + 𝐴2 = 𝑥(0+ ), 𝑠1 𝐴1 + 𝑠2 𝐴2 =
𝑑𝑡
𝑥 𝑡 = 𝐴1 𝑒 𝑠1 𝑡 + 𝐴2 𝑒 𝑠2 𝑡
𝑑𝑥(0+ )
+ 𝛼𝐵1
𝐵1 = 𝑥(0+ ), 𝐵2 = 𝑑𝑡
𝜔𝑑