Introduction to Nyquist Plots

Week 6 Lecture 1
Resource Persons: Dr Tariq Hamayun and Dr Jawad
 This Lecture
By the end of this lecture, you should:
• Know about Nyquist plots
• Understand gain and phase margins and how
to find them.
• Some rules to draw Nyquist plot
 Nyquist Plots
• Nyquist plots are closely related to Bode Plots
• They represent both amplitude and phase shift on a single polar
plot.
• Frequency is no longer presented on any axis.
• Amplitude is linear, not in dB.
• The shape of a Nyquist plot can be estimated from features of
the transfer function.
• For example, a Type 0 system has no phase shift at DC and a
finite DC gain, so its Nyquist plot will start on the real axis.
• A Type 1 system has an infinite DC gain, and 90° of phase shift at
DC.
• Any further poles will add more phase shift and reduce the gain.
• A second order system has 180° of phase shift at high frequencies
Nyquist plot for Type 0 and Type 1 Systems
 Gain and Phase Margins
• It is possible to determine stability and to find gain
and phase margins from inspecting a Nyquist plot.
• Remember that a closed-loop system is stable if its
open-loop gain is less than 1 for a phase shift of
180°.
• Stability is shown by the Nyquist Point (-1) – if the
plot encircles that point, then the system is
unstable.
• Gain and phase margins are easy to read: Gain
margin is the reciprocal of gain at 180° phase shift,
phase margin is the distance to 180° at unity gain
Gain and Phase Margins
 Gain and Phase Margins
• So the gain margin is found by taking the
reciprocal of the distance between the real
axis crossing and the origin.
• The phase margin is found by taking the angle
to the intersection of the curve and the unit
circle
 Start and End Points
•• Drawing
  a Nyquist plot relies on finding features of the plot
mathematically, namely:
 Start and end points
 Axis crossing points
 Asymptotes
• To develop these, we’ll use a couple of examples.
• The start and end points of a Nyquist plot are easy to find,
For example,

• The DC gain (as ) is 2, hence the Nyquist plot will start at 2

on the real axis.
 Angles of Departure
• The
  high frequency gain (as ) gives the end
point.
• In this case the high frequency gain is 0 so the
plot will end up at the origin.
• The Nyquist plot always leaves the axis at 90°
from a finite starting point.
• Poles go clockwise, zeros anticlockwise.
• The angle of arrival at the end point is given by
the high frequency phase shift, in this case -270°
(because there are three poles and no zeros)
 Axis Crossing Points
• The
  curve must cross the imaginary and real axes
in moving clockwise from 0° to -270°
• The axis crossing points can be found by setting
and finding the points where either the real or
imaginary parts are zero.
Axis Crossing Points