G ANDHINAGAR I NSTITUTE O F

T ECHNOLOGY
CONTROL ENGINEERING

ACTIVE LEARNING ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC :- STABILITY , ROUTH'S CRITERIA

Prepared By:-
Guided by:-Sameer raval Patel Meet (150123119032)
Prof. Vivek Khuman(150123119015)
 Concept Of Stability
A stable system is a dynamic system with a
Bounded Response to a Bounded Input.

Absolute stability is a stable/not stable

characterization for a closed-loop feedback system.
Given that a system is stable we can further
characterize the degree of stability, or the relative
stability.
 The concept of stability
can be illustrated by a
cone placed on a plane
horizontal surface.
A necessary and sufficient
condition for a feedback
system to be stable is
that all the poles of the
system transfer function
have negative real parts.

A system is considered marginally stable if only

certain bounded inputs will result in a bounded
output.
Types of Stability

1) Stable system
2) Unstable system
3) Marginally stable
 Stable System

A system is said to be stable if for a bounded input, the

response of system is bounded.
In absence of an input, a stable system approaches zero as
time approaches infinity irrespective of the initial condition.
It important that every working system is stable.
 Unstable System
A system is said to be unstable if for a bounded input, the
system produces an output which goes on increasing
without any bounds and the designer has no control over it.
An unstable system whose response grows without bounds
can cause damage to the system, adjacent property and
also to human life.
One will not find an unstable system in working condition !!
 Marginally Stable System

A system is said to be marginally stable if the output of the

system does not go down to zero (like a stable system) or
does it go on increasing (like an unstable system).
The output of marginally stable system oscillates in a finite
range.
 Routh-Hurwitz Stability
Criterion
This method yields stability information without the need to
solve for the closed-loop system poles.
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 jw-axis. (Notice that we say how many, not where.)

The method requires two steps:

1) Generate a data table called a Routh table.
2) interpret the Routh table to tell how many closed-loop system
poles are in the LHP, the RHP, and on the jw-axis.
 Routh-Hurwitz Stability Criterion
The characteristic equation of the nth order continuous system can be
write as:

The stability criterion is applied using a Routh table which is defined as;

Where are coefficients of the characteristic equation.

 Generating a Basic Routh Table

First label the rows with powers of s from highest power of s down to lowest power
of s in a vertical column.
Next form the first row of the Routh table, using the coefficients of the denominator
of the closed-loop transfer function (characteristic equation).
Start with the coefficient of the highest power and skip every other power of s.
Now form the second row with the coefficients of the denominator skipped in the
previous step.
The table is continued horizontally and vertically until zeros are obtained.
For convenience, any row can be multiplied or divide by a positive constant before
the next row is computed without changing the values of the rows below and
disturbing the properties of the Routh table.
 Rouths Stability Condition
If the closed-loop transfer function has all poles in the left half
of the s-plane, the system is stable. Thus, a system is stable if
there are no sign changes in the first column of the Routh
table.

The Routh-Hurwitz criterion declares that the number of roots

of the polynomial that are lies in the right half-plane is equal
to the number of sign changes in the first column. Hence the
system is unstable if the poles lies on the right hand side of
the s-plane.
 Example: Generating a basic Routh
Table.

Only the first 2 rows of the array are obtained from the
characteristic eq. the remaining are calculated as follows;
 Q. Check weather the following system is stable or
unstable.

Solution :-
 Here ,
a0 = 1, a1 = 3, a2 = 2, a3 = 7

We now construct the Routh array

s3 1 2 0
s2 3 7 0
S1 -1/7 0
s0 7

Observe the first column of the Routh array. There are two sing changes
(from +3 to -1/3 and from -1/3 to +7 ). Hence the given system is
unstable with two of the three closed loop poles lying on the RHP.
Though we cannot get the position of the two poles on the RHP poles,
we get to know that there are 2 of them on the RHP.
 Q. Check weather the given system is stable or
unstable.

Solution :-
 We construct the Routh array

s3 1 2 0
s2 3 3 0
s1 1 0
s0 3

Since the element of the first column of the Routh array are
all positive, all three closed loop poles lie on the LHP. We can
hence conclude that the Routh array informs us weather a
system is stable or not without actually computing the roots.
Q. Determine the stability s5 + s4 + 2s3 +2s2 +
3s + 5 = 0.

Solution:-

The Rouths array shows that s3 row breaks down. Replace 0 in column 1
of s3 row by and proceed with the array.
The limiting value gives -2.
There is sign change in s1 row. Also from s1 to s0 row, one more sign
change. Total 2 sign changes, indicating two poles in RHP and hence
instability.
For this case, there will always be roots in RHP. Hence completion of
the array will only tell how many roots are there.