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Understanding Nonlinear Systems in Control

This document discusses key behaviors and characteristics of nonlinear systems. It notes that nonlinear systems do not obey the principle of superposition and their response is highly sensitive to input amplitude. Nonlinear systems can exhibit limit cycles, which are self-sustained oscillations, and generate harmonics when excited by a sinusoidal input. They also display phenomena like jump resonance, where the response curve jumps discontinuously as input frequency changes, and frequency entrainment, where the output frequency synchronizes with the input frequency above a certain amplitude threshold.

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180 views2 pages

Understanding Nonlinear Systems in Control

This document discusses key behaviors and characteristics of nonlinear systems. It notes that nonlinear systems do not obey the principle of superposition and their response is highly sensitive to input amplitude. Nonlinear systems can exhibit limit cycles, which are self-sustained oscillations, and generate harmonics when excited by a sinusoidal input. They also display phenomena like jump resonance, where the response curve jumps discontinuously as input frequency changes, and frequency entrainment, where the output frequency synchronizes with the input frequency above a certain amplitude threshold.

Uploaded by

aayush bhatia
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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  • Introduction: Provides an overview of nonlinear systems and their significance in representing system behavior through ordinary differential equations.
  • Behaviour of Nonlinear Systems: Discusses the behavior of nonlinear systems, their response to inputs, and phenomena such as jump resonance and frequency entrainment.

Unit 6 Lecture 1

NON LINEAR SYSTEMS

6.1 Introduction
Many practical systems are sufficiently nonlinear so that the important features of their performance
may be completely overlooked if they are analyzed and designed through linear techniques. The
mathematical models of the nonlinear systems are represented by nonlinear differential equations.
Hence, there are no general methods for the analysis and synthesis of nonlinear control systems. The
fact that superposition principle does not apply to nonlinear systems makes generalisation difficult
and study of many nonlinear systems has to be specific for typical situations.
6.2 Behaviour of Nonlinear Systems
The most important feature of nonlinear systems is that nonlinear systems do not obey the principle
of superposition. Due to this reason, in contrast to the linear case, the response of nonlinear systems
to a particular test signal is no guide to their behaviour to other inputs. The nonlinear system
response may be highly sensitive to input amplitude. For example, a nonlinear system giving best
response for a certain step input may exhibit highly unsatisfactory behaviour when the input
amplitude is changed. Hence, in a nonlinear system, the stability is very much dependent on the
input and also the initial state.
Further, the nonlinear systems may exhibit limit cycles which are self-sustained oscillations of fixed
frequency and amplitude. Once the system trajectories converge to a limit cycle, it will continue to
remain in the closed trajectory in the state space identified as limit cycles. In many systems the limit
cycles are undesirable particularly when the amplitude is not small and result in some unwanted
phenomena.

Dept. of EEE, NIT-Raichur Page 1


Unit 6 Lecture 1

A nonlinear system, when excited by a sinusoidal input, may generate several harmonics in addition
to the fundamental corresponding to the input frequency. The amplitude of the fundamental is
usually the largest, but the harmonics may be of significant amplitude in many situations.
Another peculiar characteristic exhibited by nonlinear systems is called jump phenomenon. For
example, let us consider the frequency response curve of spring-massdamper system. The frequency
responses of the system with a linear spring, hard spring and soft spring are as shown in Fig. 6.2(a),
Fig. 6.2(b) and Fig. 6.2(c) respectively. For a hard spring, as the input frequency is gradually
increased from zero, the measured response follows the curve through the A, B and C, but at C an
increment in frequency results in discontinuous jump down to the point D, after which with further
increase in frequency, the response curve follows through DE. If the frequency is now decreased,
the response follows the curve EDF with a jump up to B from the point F and then the response
curve moves towards A. This phenomenon which is peculiar to nonlinear systems is known as jump
resonance. For a soft spring, jump phenomenon will happen as shown in fig. 6.2(c).

When excited by a sinusoidal input of constant frequency and the amplitude is increased from low
values, the output frequency at some point exactly matches with the input frequency and continue to
remain as such thereafter. This phenomenon which results in a synchronisation or matching of the
output frequency with the input frequency is called frequency entrainment or synchronisation.

Dept. of EEE, NIT-Raichur Page 2

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