Control Systems Design: 4600-441 November 22, 2005

Root Locus Techniques

Root-Locus Construction and Analysis

Problem 1:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
+
s K G(s)
K G(s) = K .
(s + 1) ((s + 2)2 + 1) −

a) Construct the root-locus diagram for

this system.

b) For what value of the gain is the maxi-

mum overshoot Mp = 0.043?

Problem 2:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
+
3 K G(s)
K G(s) = K 2 . −
s +6 s+8
a) Construct the root locus plot as the
gain K varies.

b) Find the value of K so that the Mp =

25%.

c) For this value of K, solve for the unit-

step response of the system with zero
initial conditions.
Problem 3:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the uncontrolled open-loop transfer
R(s) C(s)
function is: +
D(s) G(s)
1 −
G(s) = .
(s + 5)(s + 2)(2 s + 1)

a) Construct the root-locus for G(s) as the

gain D(s) = K varies;

b) For what value of the gain K does

the system go unstable (use Routh’s
method);

c) Design a controller D(s) so that:

tp = 1.571 s, ts = 2 s,
Kp = 40.0,

for the controlled system.

Problem 4:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right:
R(s) C(s)
2 + D(s) G(s)
G(s) = 2 , D(s) = (2 + TD s).
s +6 s+8
−

a) Construct the root locus plot as the pa-

rameter TD varies.

b) Find the value of TD so that the system

is critically damped (ζ = 1).

Problem 5:
For the system shown in the figure with:

5 (s2 + 6 s + 10) R(s) C(s)

K · D(s) G(s) = , K · D(s) G(s)
s2 + 5 s + 4 +
−

a) sketch the root-locus diagram as the

gain K varies;

b) determine the value of the gain K so

that the settling time ts is less than 2 s
using the 2% criteria.
Problem 6:
For the system shown in the figure with:

6 (s + 3) R(s) C(s)
G(s) = , K · D(s) G(s)
s2+5 s+4 +
−
K · D(s) = K (s + 2),

a) sketch the root-locus diagram as the

gain K varies;

b) determine the value of the gain K so

that the settling time ts is less than 3 s
using the 2% criteria.

Problem 7:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right:
R(s) C(s)
2 + D(s) G(s)
G(s) = 2 , D(s) = K (s + 2).
s +4 s+8
−

a) Construct the root locus plot as the pa-

rameter K varies.
b) Find the value of K so that the system
is critically damped (ζ = 1).

Problem 8: (35 pts.)

For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
1 + D(s) G(s)
G(s) = ,
(s + 1)(s + 2) ((s + 3)2 + 1)
−

D(s) = K(s + 3).

a) Construct the root-locus plot for this

system as the gain K varies;

b) Find the gain (K > 0) for which the

settling time ts = 4 s;

c) At what gain K will the system become

unstable?

Problem 9:
Plot the root loci for the closed-loop control system with:
1
G(s) = K .
s (s + 1) (s2 + 4 s + 5)
Solution:
This system possesses no open-loop zeros and four open-loop poles, located at:

−p1 = 0, −p2 = 1, −p3,4 = 2 ± i.

The interval on the real axis between Im 2

s = 0 and s = −1 lies to the left of an

odd number of singularities and there-
fore is on the root locus. In addition,
with four poles (n = 4) and zero zeros 1

(m = 0), the number of asymptotes is

n − m = 4. The phase of the asymp-
totes is:
0
180◦ + 360◦ k Re
ψ= = 45◦ + 90◦ k,
n−m
and they are centered at:
-1
Pn Pm
pi − zi 5
α= =− .
n−m 4
Notice that the imaginary components -2
of p3 and p4 cancel one another.
Finally, around p3 = −2 + i, the departure angle can be calculated from the phase
condition:
Xn X
m
θi − φi = 180◦ ,

with:
θ1 = 153◦ , θ2 = 135◦ , θ4 = 90◦ .

θ3 represents the departure angle from p3 . Therefore, solving for θ3 we find that the
root locus departs from p3 at an angle of:

θ3 = −198◦ ,

which is equivalent to θ3 = 162◦ . The departure angle from p4 is in the complex

conjugate direction.
 The resulting root locus can be ap- Im 2

proximated as shown to the right.

0
Re

-1

-2

Problem 10:
Plot the root loci for the system shown in
the figure. Determine the range of gain K
R(s) C(s)
for stability. 2
+ K s+1
s+5 s2 (s+2)
−

Solution:
The open-loop transfer function for this system can be written as:

(s + 1)
G(s) = (2 K) ,
s2 (s + 5)(s + 2)

so that this system possesses one open-loop zero and four open-loop poles, located at:

−p1,2 = 0, −p3 = 2, −p4 = 5,

−z1 = 1.

Notice that the open-loop pole at the origin has multiplicity two.
The interval on the real axis between
s = −1 and s = −2 lies to the left of an Im 4

odd number of singularities and there-

fore is on the root locus, as done the 3

interval to the left of s = −5. In addi-

tion, with four poles (n = 4) and one 2

zero (m = 1), the number of asymp-

totes is n − m = 3. The phase of the 1

asymptotes is:
0
180◦ + 360◦ k Re
ψ= = 60◦ + 120◦ k,
n−m -1

and they are centered at: -2

Pn Pm
pi − zi
α= = −2. -3
n−m
Notice that the imaginary components -4

of p3 and p4 cancel one another.

Note that by calculating departure angles from the origin (±90◦ ), we are unable to
determine if the branches bend to the left or right (into the left-half or right-half plane).
However, using the Routh stability criterion, we can determine the range of K for which
the system is stable. The closed-loop characteristic equation can be written as:

σ(s) = s4 + 7 s3 + 10 s2 + 2 K s + 2 K = 0.

With this, the Routh array becomes:

s4 : 1 10 2K
s3 : 7 2K 0
70−2 K
s2 : 7 2K
K(21−2 K)
s1 : 35−K 0
s0 : 2K

Therefore, the first column is positive for:

K < 35, and K > 10.5, and K > 0,

so that the system is stable for the range of gain:

0 < K < 10.5.

 For small values of the gain the system
is stable and therefore the root locus Im 4

must lie entirely within the left-half

plane (Re(s) < 0). The curve depart- 3

ing from the origin must bend to the

left, and then cross back into the right- 2

half plane for K > 10.5. The final root

locus plot is shown to the right. 1

0
Re
-1

-2

-3

-4

Problem 11:
For the control systems shown, the open-loop
transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
+
(s + 4) G(s)
G(s) = K .
s(s2 + 4s + 8)
−

Sketch the root locus digram as the gain K

is varied.

Solution:
For this system, the closed-loop transfer function is:

σ(s) = s(s2 + 4s + 8) + K(s + 4) = 0.

So that the controlled system has three poles at:

√ √
p1 = 0, p2 = −2 + 2, p3 = −2 − 2,

and one zero at:

z1 = −4.

As a result, the root locus plot has two asymptotes, at φ = ±90◦ , centered at:
X X
α = zi − pi ,
= (−4) − ((−2) + (−2)) = 0.

Finally, we must find the departure angles from the complex poles. Denoting the
departure angle from p2 as φ, we find the phase condition for the root locus can be
 written as:
(ψ1 ) − (φ1 + φ + φ3 ) = 180◦

where (·)i represents the angle from the corresponding pole or zero to p2 , and are:

ψ1 = 45◦ , φ1 = 135◦ , φ3 = 90◦ .

Solving for φ, we find that φ = 0◦ . Because the root locus diagram must be symmetric
about the real axis, the departure angle from p3 must also be 0◦ . Thus, we can construct
the root locus diagram.

Problem 12:
For the control system with the open-loop
transfer function:
R(s) C(s)
+
s(s − 2) G(s)
G(s) = K .
(s + 2)(s2 + 4s + 8)
−

a) Find the root locus curve as K is varied.

b) At what value of K does the system go
unstable?

Problem 13:
For a unity feedback control system with
open-loop transfer function:
R(s) C(s)
+
(s + 1) D(s) G(s)
G(s) = K , D(s) = 1, −
(s − 1)(s2 + 2s + 5)

a) Plot the root locus as K is varied.

b) With the addition of lead compensation

of the form:
s+1
D(s) =
s+2

Plot the root locus as K is varied and

find values for K such that the system
is stabilized.

Problem 14:
Sketch the root locus with respect to K for the following system:

Ks(s + 2)
KG(s) =
(s + 4)(s + 1) ((s + 3)2 + 1)
Problem 15:
A unity feedback system has an open-loop transfer function of the
form:
2s − 4
G(s) = 2 ,
s + Ks + 9
where K is a positive constant. Use root-locus techniques to deter-
mine a value for K for which the closed-loop system has a damping
ratio ζ = 0.707.

Problem 16:
The unity-feedback control system shown has
transfer function:
R(s) C(s)
+
s+2 D(s) G(s)
G(s) = K ,
s ((s + 2)2 + 32 ) (s − 1) −

with lead control:

s+1
D(s) = ,
s+3
a) draw the root-locus diagram;

b) find the range of K so that the system

is stable;

c) find the steady state error to an input

r(t) = t.

Problem 17:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
+
s+1 K · G(s)
K G(s) = K .
s (s + 2) ((s + 2)2 + 1)
−

a) Construct the root locus plot.

b) For what interval of gain K is the sys-

tem stable?
Problem 18:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
+
s G(s)
G(s) = .
(s + 1)2 (s + α) −

a) Construct the root locus plot as the pa-

rameter α varies.

b) Find the value of α so that the damping

ratio of the system is:
√
3
ζ= .
2

c) For what range of α is the system sta-

ble?

Problem 19:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
+
9 G(s)
G(s) = K 2
. −
2 s +α s+1
a) If K = 2 and α = 8, find the damp-
ing ratio and natural frequency of the
closed-loop system.

b) With α = 8, plot the root-locus dia-

gram as the gain K varies.

c) Determine the values of K and α so

that the settling time is ts = 4 s and
the maximum overshoot is Mp = 20%.

Problem 20:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
+
10 s G(s)
G(s) = . −
(s + 1) (s + 3) (s + α)

a) Construct the root locus plot as the pa-

rameter α varies.

b) Find the value of α so that the damping

ratio of the system is:
1
ζ=√ .
2
Problem 21:
For the system shown in the figure with:
2 R(s) C(s)
G(s) = , K · D(s) G(s)
s2 + 4 s + 5 +

s+1 −

D(s) = ,
s+3
a) sketch the root-locus diagram as the
gain K varies;

b) determine the value of the gain K when

the√damping ratio of the system is ζ =
1/ 2?

Controller Design

Problem 22:
The unity-feedback system with proportional
control has an open-loop transfer function of
R(s) C(s)
the form:
+ D(s) G(s)
(s + 5) −
G(s) = , D(s) = K(s + 2).
s((s + 1)2 + 9)

a) Construct the root locus diagram;

b) If the damping ratio of the dominant

poles is ξ = 0.707, what is the approxi-
mate settling time ts = ξω4 d ?

c) Redesign the controller (using dynamic

compensation), so that the damping ra-
tio remain unchanged, but the damped
natural frequency of the closed-loop
poles is ωd = 2.

Problem 23:
Consider the unity-feedback system with:

(2s + 1) R(s) C(s)

G(s) = , D(s) G(s)
s(s + 1)(s + 2) +
−

Design a compensator such that the unit-step

response will exhibit a maximum overshoot of
30% or less and a settling time of 3 s or less.
Problem 24:
Consider the unity feedback system shown to
the right. If the open-loop transfer function
R(s) C(s)
takes the form:
+ D(s) G(s)
(s + 2)(s + 4) −
G(s) = , D(s) = K,
(s + 1)(s2 + 3s + 9)

a) find the steady-state error to a unit step

input as a function of K.

b) Redesign the controller D(s) so that the

steady-state error to a unit step input is
zero, while the steady-state error with
r(t) = t satisfies ess ≤ 0.25.

Problem 25:
Consider the unity-feedback system with:

(2s + 1) R(s) C(s)

G(s) = , D(s) = K. D(s) G(s)
s(s + 3)((s + 4)2 + 4) +
−

a) Find the range of K for which this sys-

tem is stable.

b) Determine how the poles vary as the

gain is changed.

c) For what value of the gain will the

closed-loop poles have a damping ratio
of ζ = √12 ?

d) Redesign the compensator so that the

following conditions are met (using the
2% settling time criterion):

ts = 2 sec., tp = π sec..
Problem 26:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
(s + 2) + D(s) G(s)
G(s) = .
(s + 1) ((s + 2)2 + 1) (s + 3)
−

a) Construct the root-locus plot for this

system as the gain K varies (D(s) =
K).

b) At what gain K will the system become

unstable?

c) Design a controller D(s) so that the

maximum overshoot is 16.56 %, the set-
tling time ts < 4 s and the steady-state
error to a unit step input is less than
2 %.

Problem 27:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
(s + 2) + D(s) G(s)
G(s) = 2 . −
(s + 4 s + 8)

Design a controller D(s) so that

√ the damp-
ing ratio of the system is ζ = 3/2, the rise
time tr = (5π/3) s and steady-state error to
a unit-step input is zero.

Problem 28:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
1 + D(s) G(s)
G(s) = .
s (s + 1)
−

a) Design a controller D(s) so that the

damping ratio of the system is ζ = 0.5,
the settling time ts < 2 s and the
static velocity constant Kv is greater
than 20 s−1 .

b) What is the steady-state error of your

controlled system to a unit-step input?
Problem 29:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the open-loop transfer function is:
R(s) C(s)
+
1 D(s) G(s)
G(s) = 2 . −
s +2 s+2
Design a controller D(s) so that the damping
ratio of the system is ζ = 0.5, the settling
time ts < 2 s and the steady-state error to a
unit step input is ess < 0.10.

Problem 30:
Design a compensator D(s) so that the static
velocity error constant Kv > 10 s−1 without
R(s) C(s)
significantly altering the original location
√ of +
D(s) G(s)
the closed-loop poles at s = −2±i 2 2, which −
occurs for:
12
G(s) = .
s (s + 4)

That is, if D(s) = 1, the closed-loop√system

has closed-loop poles at s = −2 ± i 2 2.

Problem 31:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the uncontrolled open-loop transfer
R(s) C(s)
function is: +
D(s) G(s)
1 −
G(s) = .
(s + 5)(s + 2)(2 s + 1)

a) Construct the root-locus for G(s) as the

gain D(s) = K varies;

b) For what value of the gain K does

the system go unstable (use Routh’s
method);

c) Design a controller D(s) so that:

tp = 1.571 s, ts = 2 s,
Kp = 40.0,

for the controlled system.

Problem 32:
For the unity-feedback system shown to the
right, the uncontrolled open-loop transfer
R(s) C(s)
function is: +
D(s) G(s)
1 −
G(s) = .
s2 +5 s+6
Design a controller D(s) so that:

tp = 1.571, tr = 0.232,
Kp = 20.0,

for the controlled system.

Problem 33:
For the system shown in the figure:

(2 s + 1) R(s) C(s)
G(s) = K · D(s) G(s)
(s2 + 2 s + 2)(s2 + 4 s + 5) +
−

a) with D(s) = 1, sketch the root-locus

diagram as the gain K varies;

b) redesign the controller K · D(s) so that

the system has a pair of closed-loop
poles at s = −2 ± 3i.