MEASUREMENT OF

INDUCTANCE AND
CAPACITANCE
Prepared by:
Ms. Manjula S. Biradar
Assistant Professor,
EEE Dept., SGBIT
 AC BRIDGES
 An ac bridge, in its basic form, consists of four arms, a source of
excitation, and a balance detector.
 In an ac bridge, each of the four arms is an impedance, excited
by an ac source and a detector sensitive to small alternating
potential differences.
 Alternating current bridge circuits are commonly used for phase
shifting, providing feedback paths for oscillators and amplifiers,
filtering out undesirable signals and measuring frequency of audio
signals.
 For measurements at low frequencies, the power line may act as
the source of supply to the bridge circuits.
 For higher frequencies, electronic oscillators are universally used
as bridge source supplies (constant frequency, easily adjustable
and determinable with accuracy).
 A typical oscillator has a frequency range of 40 Hz to 125 kHz with
a power output of 7 W. 
 SOURCES AND DETECTORS
 The detectors commonly used for ac bridges are : 
 (i) Headphones, 
 (ii) Vibration galvanometers, and 
 (iii) Tuneable amplifier detectors. 
 Headphones- frequencies of 250 Hz and over upto 3 or 4 kHz.
 They are most sensitive detectors for this frequency range.
 Vibration galvanometers useful for power and low audio
frequency ranges.
 Frequencies ranging from 5 Hz to 1000 Hz but are most
commonly used below 200 Hz as below this frequency they
are more sensitive than the headphones. 
  Tuneable amplifier detectors -can be tuned electrically and
thus can be made to respond to a narrow bandwidth at the
bridge frequency.
 This detector can be used, over a frequency range of 10 Hz to 100 kHz. 
MAXWELL’S INDUCTANCE BRIDGE
 A Maxwell Inductance Capacitance Bridge (known as a
Maxwell Bridge) is a modified version of a Wheatstone bridge
which is used to measure the self-inductance of a circuit.
 A Maxwell bridge uses the null deflection method to calculate
an unknown inductance in a circuit.
 This type of bridge circuit is used to measure the unknown
inductance value of the circuit by comparing it with a
standard value of self-inductance.
 Let L1= Unknown inductance with a
resistor R1
 R3 and R4 are the non-inductive
resistances
 L2 is the variable inductance with a
fixed Resistance r2
 R2 is the variable resistor in series
with L2

 From equation 1, 2 and 3 we have

Z1.Z4 = Z2.Z3.Solving and Equating real
and imaginary parts
 R1 = (R3/R4)(R2+r2)
 L1 = L2R3 / R4
 ADVANTAGES
 At the balance condition,
the bridge circuit is
independent of frequency
 It helps to measure a wide
range of inductance values
at audio and power
frequency
 To measure the inductance
value directly, the scale of
calibrated resistance is used.
 It is used to measure the
high range of inductances
and compared with a
standard value.
DISADVANTAGES
 The fixed capacitor in
Maxwell’s bridge circuit may
create interaction between
resistance and reactance
balance.
 It is not suitable to measure
a high range of quality factor
( Q values >=10)
 The variable standard
capacitor used in the circuit
is very costly.
 It is not used to measure the
low-quality factor ( Q value)
due to the circuit balance
condition. Hence it is used
for medium quality coils.
APPLICATIONS
 Used in communication systems
 Used in electronic circuits
 Used in power and audio frequency circuits
 Used to measure unknown inductance values of the circuit
and compared with a standard value.
 Used to measure medium quality coils.
 Used in filter circuits, instrumentation, linear and non-
linear circuits
 Used in power conversion circuits.
MAXWELL’S INDUCTANCE-
CAPACITANCE BRIDGE
 Let,
 L1 = Unknown inductance with
resistance R1
 C4 =variable standard capacitor
 R2, R3 & R4 = Known fixed resistance

 Now,
 Impedance of arm ab, Z1 = (R1+jwL1)
 Impedance of arm cd, Z2 = R4 /
(1+jwC4R4)
 Impedance of arm ad, Z3 = R2
 Impedance of arm bc, Z4 = R3
 For bridge to be balance,
 Z1Z2 =Z3Z4
 (R1+jwL1)x [R4 / (1+jwC4R4)] = R2R3
 R1R4-R2R3 +jw(L1R4-R2R3C4R4) = 0
 Equating real and imaginary parts we get,
 R1 = R2R3 / R4
 and L1 = R2R3C4

 The quality factor of inductor may also be calculated as

 Q = wL1/R1
    = wR2R3C4 / R1
 Since R4 = R2R3C4 / R1 , hence
 Q = wC4R4

 Note: The quality factor is a parameter which determines the

relation between the stored energy and the energy dissipated
in the circuit.
 ADVANTAGES
 The expression of inductance
is independent of frequency.
 A wide range of inductance
can be measured at power
and audio frequencies.
 The expression for
inductance is simple and can
easily be calculated.
DISADVANTAGES
 Since Maxwell Inductance
Capacitance Bridge uses
variable standard capacitor,
it is very expensive to get
variable standard capacitor.
 APPLICATIONS
 Maxwell Bridge is suitable for the measurement of inductance
with medium vale of Q (1<Q<10). This method is not suitable for
measurement of inductance with high value of quality factor Q.
Since Q = wC4R4, we will need higher value of resistance R4 for
measurement of high Q coil which is very expensive.
HAY’S BRIDGE
 The bridge is the advanced form of Maxwell’s bridge. The
Maxwell’s bridge is only appropriate for measuring the
medium quality factor.
 For measuring the high-quality factor the Hays bridge is
used in the circuit.
 In Hay’s bridge, the capacitor is connected in series with
the resistance, the voltage drop across the capacitance and
resistance are varied.
 Let,
L1 – unknown inductance having a
resistance R1
R2, R3, R4 – known non-inductive
resistance.
C4 – standard capacitor

 At balance condition, 
 Separating the real and imaginary term,
we obtain 

 Solving the above equation, we have 

 The quality factor of the coil is 
 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
 The Hays bridges give a  The only disadvantage of this
simple expression for the type of bridge is that it is
unknown inductances and not suitable for the
are suitable for the coil measurement of the coil
having the quality factor having the quality factor less
greater than the 10 ohms. than 10 ohms.
 It gives a simple equation for
quality factor.
 The Hay’s bridge uses small
value resistance for
determining the Q factor.