Exam Question Paper

College College of Engineering, Design & Physical Sciences

(CEDPS)

Department Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Exam Author(s) Dr Xinli Du

Module Code ME3618

Module Title Mechatronics and Control Engineering

Sample No: 3

Paper Type Full

Duration 2 Hours

Question Instructions Please answer COMPULSORY question A1 and one more

question from SECTION A, each carry 25 marks, and a further
TWO questions from SECTION B, each carrying 25 marks.
If you submit answers to more questions than specified, final
marks for the examination will be determined using the best
marks which satisfy the rubric.

Are Calculators Permitted? Yes

Permitted Reference Tables of Laplace transform

Table of Derivatives
Materials
Differentiation rules

Required Stationery Use a separate answer book for each section

By continuing beyond this point, you confirm that you have read the information and instructions above,
and understand the conditions of this examination.
SECTION A

A1.
Consider the mechanical system shown in Figure A1 where m is the mass of the body, b is
damping coefficient, k1 and k2 are stiffnesses of the springs, and F is the applied force.
There is no friction in the system.

F k2

b m k1

Figure A1

(a) Draw the free body diagram for the system.

[20%]
(b) Write the differential equations for the system.
[20%]
(c) Consider the force F is the input and the displacement of body of mass m is the
output of the system. Write the transfer function for the system.
[20%]
(d) A proportional controller Kp is applied. Draw the closed loop block diagram for the
system.
[20%]
(e) Write the closed loop transfer function for the system with controller Kp.
[20%]
A2.
(a) What is the mathematical expression in the time domain of a parallel form of
Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller?
[20%]

(b) What is the transfer function of a parallel form of PID controller?

[20%]
(c) Consider U(s) is the input to the system and Y(s) is the output of the system.
Please write the transfer function Y(s)/U(s) of the block diagram shown in
Figure A2.

Figure A2

[30%]

(d) What are the steps for Z-N First Method for PID tuning?
[30%]
A3.

(a) Find the Laplace transform of the following time functions:

(i) F ( t )=2+3 t 2+ 3t 3

[20%]

(ii) F ( t )=(2+3 t )2 +3 t 3

[20%]

(iii) F ( t )=sin ( 2 t )+ 5t∗cos ⁡( 3t )

[20%]

(b) When x=x ( t ) is a function of time, use Laplace transforms to solve

2
d x dx
(i) =1, with initial conditions x ( 0 )=0 and (0)=1
dt
2
dt

[20%]

dx
(ii) +3 x=3 , with initial conditions x ( 0 )=0
dt

[20%]
SECTION B

B1.

(a) What is Frequency Response of a system?

[30%]

(b) Find the Frequency Response of the system with the transfer function
3s
G ( s )= 3 .
s +s +5
[30%]
(c) What is the Bode Plot of a system?
[20%]
(d) What is the characteristic equation for the following closed-loop system

[20%]
B2.

(a) Please describe the steps to calculate the Gain Margin of system
[30%]

(b) The open loop transfer of a unity negative feedback control system is shown
below

K
G ( s )=
(s+ 2)(2 s+3)(s+6)

(i) Find the value of K when the polar plot passes through the point (-1 j)
−1 −1 −1 A+ B
on the complex plane. Please note: tan A +tan B=tan
1−AB

[40%]
(ii) When K = 10, find the stability gain margin of the system
[30%]
B3.

(a) Please describe the steps to calculate the Phase Margin of system
[50%]

(b) The open loop transfer of a unity negative feedback control system is shown
below. Find the approximate phase margin of the system

25
G ( s )=
s (s+3)

[50%]
 Tables of Laplace transform

Properties of the Laplace transform Laplace transform pairs

Property f (t ) F(s) f (t ) F(s)
Linearity a 1 f 1 ( t ) +a2 f 2 (t ) a 1 F 1 ( s ) +a 2 F 2 (s ) δ (t ) 1
Scaling f ( at ) 1
a a
F ()
s u (t ) 1
s
Time shift f ( t−a ) u ( t−a ) −as
e F (s ) t 1
2
s
Frequency shift e−at f ( t ) F ( s+ a ) t
n
n!
n+1
s
Time df sF ( s ) −f (0) e
−at
1
differentiation dt s +a
2
d f
2 '
s F ( s )−sf ( 0 ) −f (0)
n −at
t e n!
n+1
dt
2
( s+ a)
n
d f
n n−1 n−2 '
s F ( s )−s f ( 0 )−s f ( 0 )−⋯−f sin(n−1)
ωt ( 0 ) ω
2 2
dt
n
s +ω
Time integration t
1 cos ωt s
∫ f (x )dx s
F( s) 2
s +ω
2
0
Frequency tf ( t ) −d sin(ωt+ θ) s sinθ+ω cos ⁡θ
F (s )
differentiation ds 2
s +ω
2

Frequency f (t) ∞
cos (ωt +θ) s cosθ−ω sinθ
integration t ∫ F (s)ds 2
s +ω
2
s
 Table of Derivatives Differentiation Rules
y=f ( x ) dy ' Constant d
=f (x ) [c ]=0
dx Rule dx
K , any constant 0 Power Rule d n n−1
x =n x
dx
x 1 Product Rule d
dx
[ f ( x ) g ( x ) ] =f ( x ) g ( x )+ f ( x ) g (x)
' '

2x
[ ]
2
x Quotient Rule '
d f (x ) g ( x ) f ( x )−f ( x )g ( x )
'
=
dx g( x) g 2 (x)
x
n
nx
n−1
Chain Rule d
¿
dx
x x
e e
kx kx
e ke
sin x cos x
sin kx k cos kx
cos x −sin x
cos kx −k sin kx