DC & AC BRIDGES

(DC bridge)
by
Shahid Manzoor
 Objectives
• Ability to explain operation of Wheatstone
Bridge and Kelvin Bridge.
• Ability to solve the Thevenin’s equivalent
circuit for an unbalance Wheatstone
Bridge.
• Define terms null or balance.
• Define sensitivity of Wheatstone bridge.
 Introduction
DC & AC Bridge are used to measure
resistance, inductance, capacitance and
impedance.
Operate on a null indication principle. This
means the indication is independent of the
calibration of the indicating device or any
characteristics of it.
Very high degrees of accuracy can be
achieved using the bridges
 Types of bridges
Two types of bridge are used in measurement:

1) DC bridge:
a) Wheatstone Bridge
b) Kelvin Bridge

2) AC bridge:
a) Similar Angle Bridge
b) Opposite Angle Bridge/Hay Bridge
c) Maxwell Bridge
d) Wein Bridge
e) Radio Frequency Bridge
f) Schering Bridge
 DC BRIDGES

The Wheatstone Bridge

The Kelvin Bridge
 Wheatstone Bridge
A Wheatstone bridge is a measuring
instrument invented by Samuel Hunter
Christie (British scientist & mathematician)
in 1833 and improved and popularized by
Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1843. It is
used to measure an unknown electrical
resistance by balancing two legs of a
bridge circuit, one leg of which includes the
unknown component. Its operation is
similar to the original potentiometer except
that in potentiometer circuits the meter
used is a sensitive galvanometer.

Sir Charles Wheatstone (1802 – 1875)

 Wheatstone Bridge
Definition: Basic circuit configuration consists of two parallel
resistance branches with each branch containing two series elements
(resistors). To measure instruments or control instruments

Basic dc bridge used for accurate measurement of resistance:

R1R4  R2 R3

R 2R 3
R4 
R1

Fig. : Wheatstone bridge circuit

 How a Wheatstone Bridge works?
• The dc source, E is connected across the resistance
network to provide a source of current through the
resistance network.
• The sensitive current indicating meter or null detector
usually a galvanometer is connected between the
parallel branches to detect a condition of balance.
• When there is no current through the meter, the
galvanometer pointer rests at 0 (midscale).
• Current in one direction causes the pointer to deflect
on one side and current in the opposite direction to
otherwise.
• The bridge is balanced when there is no current through
the galvanometer or the potential across the
galvanometer is zero.
Cont.
At balance condition;
voltage across R1 and R2 also equal, therefore
(1)
I1R1  I 2 R2
Voltage drop across R3 and R4 is equal

I3R3= I4R4 (2)

No current flows through galvanometer G when the

bridge is balance, therefore:

I1 = I3 and I2=I4 (3)

Cont.
Substitute (3) in Eq (2),
I1R3 = I2R4 (4)
Eq (4) devide Eq (1)
R1/R3 = R2/R4
Then rewritten as
R1R4 = R2R3 (5)
Example
Figure consists of the following, R1 = 12k, R2 = 15 k,
R3 = 32 k. Find the unknown resistance Rx.
Assume a null exists(current through the galvanometer
is zero).

Fig. : Circuit For example

Solution

RxR1 = R2R3
Rx = R2R3/R1 = (15 x 32)/12 k,
Rx = 40 k
 Wheatstone Bridge Example No1

• The following unbalanced Wheatstone Bridge is constructed.

• Calculate the output voltage across points C and D and the value of
resistor R4 required to balance the bridge circuit.
Solution
 Solution
• We have seen above that the Wheatstone
Bridge has two input terminals (A-B) and two
output terminals (C-D).
• When the bridge is balanced, the voltage
across the output terminals is 0 volts.
• When the bridge is unbalanced, however, the
output voltage may be either positive or negative
depending upon the direction of unbalance
 Sensitivity of the
Wheatstone Bridge
When the bridge is in unbalanced
condition, current flows through the
galvanometer, causing a deflection of
its pointer. The amount of deflection is
a function of the sensitivity of the
galvanometer.
Cont.
Deflection may be expressed in linear or angular
units of measure, and sensitivity can be expressed:

milimeters degrees radians

S  
A A A

Total deflection,
D  SI
 Unbalanced Wheatstone Bridge

Fig. Unbalanced Wheatstone Bridge Fig. : Thevenin’s resistance

Vth = Eab Rth = R1//R3 + R2//R4

 R3 R4  R1R3/(R1 + R3)

E ab  E   =
 R1  R 3 R 2  R 4  + R2R4(R2+R4)
 Thévenin’s Theorem
An analytical tool used to extensively analyze an unbalance bridge.

Hermann von Helmholtz (1821 – 1894)

German Physicist Léon Charles Thévenin (1857-1926)
French Engineer

Thévenin's theorem for electrical networks states that any combination of

voltage sources and resistors with two terminals is electrically equivalent to a
single voltage source V and a single series resistor R. For single frequency AC
systems the theorem can also be applied to general impedances, not just
resistors. The theorem was first discovered by German physicist Hermann
von Helmholtz in 1853, but was then rediscovered in 1883 by French
telegraph engineer Léon Charles Thévenin (1857-1926).
 Thevenin’s Equivalent
Circuit

If a galvanometer is connected to terminal a and b,

the deflection current in the galvanometer is

Vth
Ig 
R th  R g

where Rg = the internal resistance in the galvanometer

Thevenin Equivalent Circuits
• Apply Thevenin equivalent method to a
voltage divider, a Wheatstone Bridge or
other simple configuration
• Find Thevenin resistance
• Find Thevenin voltage
• Draw Thevenin circuit with or without a
load
• Use a voltage divider to determine
voltage across a load placed on the
Thevenin equivalent circuit
 Thevenin Method
Rth
A

Vth
VOFF = RL
VAMPL =
FREQ =

B
0
• Find Vth (open circuit voltage)
– Remove load if there is one so that load is open
– Find voltage across the open load
• Find Rth (Thevenin resistance)
– Set voltage sources to zero (current sources to
open) – in effect, shut off the sources
– Find equivalent resistance from A to B
 Thevenin Method Tricks
R

• Note
– When a short goes across a resistor, that
resistor is replaced by a short.
– When a resistor connects to nothing, there
will be no current through it and, thus, no
voltage across it.
Thevenin Equivalent Sources

Given R1=30Ω, Find the Thevenin voltage, Vth,

R2=2K Ω, of this circuit between point A and B.
R3=3K Ω,
R4=2K Ω, Find the Thevenin Equivalent Resistance, Rth,
R5=1K Ω of the circuit between point A and B.
V1=6V
Thevenin Equivalent Sources
Find the Thevenin voltage, Vth,
of this circuit between point A and B.

To find Vth always use the same steps:

V1  6V R3  3k
Take out the load, if there is one
Find Va, find Vb
R1  30 R  2k
Vth=Va-Vb R2  2k 4
R4 R5  1k
Va  V
R1  R2  R3  R4 1

Va  1.707 V

Vb  0V

Vth  Va  Vb
Vth  1.707 V
Thevenin Equivalent Sources
Find the Thevenin Equivalent Resistance, Rth,
of the circuit between point A and B.

To find Rth short out the source voltage and combine

R123  R1  R2  R3

R123  5.03 k

R123  R4
R1234 
R123  R4

R1234  1.431 k

Rth  R1234  R5

Rth  2.431 k
Thevenin Equivalent Sources
Redraw the Thevenin equivalent model of the
circuit

If you place a 2K ohm load on the circuit, what

will the output voltage be between A and B?
Current through 2K resistor?

Redraw and place the load resistor in

Given R1=30Ω, 2k

R2=2K Ω, VRL  V
Rth  2k th
R3=3K Ω,
R4=2K Ω,
R5=1K Ω
VRL  0.77 V
V1=6V
 Example

R1 = 1.5 kΩ R2 = 1.5 kΩ

Rg = 150 Ω
E= 6 V G

R3 = 3 kΩ
R4 = 7.8 kΩ

Figure 5.5: Unbalance Wheatstone Bridge

Calculate the current through the galvanometer ?

 Kelvin Bridge
The Kelvin Bridge is a modified version
of the Wheatstone bridge. The purpose of
the modification is to eliminate the
effects of contact and lead resistance
when measuring unknown low resistances.
Used to measure values of resistance
below 1 Ω .
Fig. : Basic Kelvin Bridge showing a
second set of ratio arms
 Cont.
It can be shown that, when a null exists, the value
for Rx is the same as that for the Wheatstone bridge,
which is

R2 R3
Rx 
R1

Therefore when a Kelvin Bridge is balanced

Rx R3 Rb
 
R2 R1 Ra
Cont.
Fig. : Basic Kelvin Bridge showing a
second set of ratio arms

The resistor Rlc shown in

figure represents the lead and
contact resistance present in
the Wheatstone bridge. The
second set of ratio arms (Ra
and Rb in figure) compensates
for this relatively low lead
contact resistance. At balance
the ratio of Ra to Rb must be
equal to the ratio of R1 to R3
Example
If in Figure , the ratio of Ra and Rb is 1000, R1 is
5 and R1 =0.5R2. What is the value of Rx.
Solution
The resistance of Rx can be calculated by
using the equation,
Rx/R2=R3/5=1/1000

Since R1=0.5R2, the value of R2 is calculated as

R2=R1/0.5=5/0.5=10

So, Rx=R2(1/1000)=10 x (1/1000)=0.01

• CONTINUE…AC BRIDGE