EENG 5431 Control Systems

Lab 3 - Modeling and Simulation of a DC Motor

Name: _______________________
Introduction

A common actuator in control systems is the DC motor. It directly provides rotary motion and, coupled with
wheels or drums and cables, can provide translational motion.

In this lab students will derive a mathematical model for a DC motor (a set of differential equations derived
from the physical model of the actual system).

The goal is to develop the mathematical model to relate the voltage applied to the armature to the velocity of the
motor. Two balance equations can be developed by considering the electrical and mechanical characteristics of
the system.

PART I. Writing the equations that describe the behavior of a DC motor

The electric circuit of the armature and the free-body diagram of the rotor are shown in the following figure.

Fig. 1- Dynamic Model of a DC Motor

This model will be used to simulate the response of the motor. Simulink will be used to simulate the response
of the dynamic system.

Electrical Characteristics
The equivalent electrical circuit of a DC motor is illustrated in fig. 1. It can be represented by a voltage
source (v) across the coil of the armature. The electrical equivalent of the armature coil can be described by
an inductance (L) in series with a resistance (R) in series with an induced voltage (e) which opposes the
voltage source. The induced voltage is generated by the rotation of the electrical coil through the fixed flux
lines of the permanent magnets. This voltage is often referred to as the back emf (electromotive force).

A differential equation for the equivalent circuit can be derived by using Kirchoff's voltage law around the
electrical loop.

Step 1. Write the differential equation for the equivalent electrical circuit. Use Kirchoff's voltage law around
the electrical loop (Kirchoff's voltage law states that the sum of all voltages around a loop must equal zero):

Write here Kirchoff's voltage law:

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 Write here the differential equation for the electrical portion of the DC motor is:

Write here the back emf differential equation. Notice that the back emf is proportional to the angular velocity
of the shaft by a constant factor Ke (emf constant)

Mechanical Characteristics
Next, we will apply Newton's law to write the differential equations that model the mechanical portion of the
DC motor. Write here the diff eqs. of the mechanical portion:

Write here Newton's law (sum of the torques of the motor must equal zero):

Write here the diff eqs. of the mechanical portion:

Note that the electromagnetic torque is proportional to the current through the armature winding and
can be written as the product of the velocity constant ( Kt )times the current. The torque constant Kt
depends on the flux density of the fixed magnets.

PART II. Building the model of the DC motor using Simulink and Matlab

Building the model in Simulink.

To build the simulation model, open Simulink and open a new model window. Then follow the steps
listed below.

 Insert an Integrator block from the Simulink/Continuous library and draw lines to and from its
input and output terminals.
 Label the input line "d2(theta)/dt2" and the output line "d(theta)/dt" as shown below. To add such
a label, double-click in the empty space just below the line.
 Insert another Integrator block above the previous one and draw lines to and from its input and
output terminals.
 Label the input line "d(i)/dt" and the output line "i".

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Applying Newton's law and Kirchoff's law to the motor system we obtain the following equations:

Note that the angular acceleration is equal to 1/J multiplied by the sum of two terms (one positive, one
negative). Similarly, the derivative of current is equal to 1/L multiplied by the sum of three terms (one
positive, two negative).

The two coupled differential equations that describes the dynamics of a DC motor are as follows. These two
coupled differential equations will be implemented in Simulink.

Building the model in Simulink.

To build the differential equations, open Simulink and open a new model window. Then follow the
steps listed below.

 Insert an Integrator block from the Simulink/Continuous library and draw lines to and from its
input and output terminals.
 Label the input line "d2(theta)/dt2" and the output line "d(theta)/dt" as shown below. To add such
a label, double-click in the empty space just below the line.
 Insert another Integrator block above the previous one and draw lines to and from its input and
output terminals.
 Label the input line "d(i)/dt" and the output line "i".
 Insert two Gain blocks from the Simulink/Math Operations library, one attached to each of the integrators.
 Edit the Gain block corresponding to angular acceleration by double-clicking it and changing its value to
"1/J".

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 Change the label of this Gain block to "Inertia" by clicking on the word "Gain" underneath the block.
 Similarly, edit the other Gain's value to "1/L" and its label to "Inductance".
 Insert two Add blocks from the Simulink/Math Operations library, one attached by a line to each of the
Gain blocks.
 Edit the signs of the Add block corresponding to rotation to " + – " since one term is positive and one is
negative.
 Edit the signs of the other Add block to " + – " to represent the signs of the terms in the electrical
equation.

Now, we will add in the torques which are represented in the rotational equation. First, we will add in the
damping constant b,

 Insert a Gain block below the "Inertia" block. Next right-click on the block and select Format > Flip
Block from the resulting menu to flip the block from left to right. You can also flip a selected block by
holding down Ctrl-I.
 Set the Gain value to "b" and rename this block to "Damping".
 Tap a line (hold Ctrl while drawing or right-click on the line) off the rotational Integrator's output and
connect it to the input of the "Damping" block.
 Draw a line from the "Damping" block output to the negative input of the adder.

Next, we will add in the torque from the armature.

 Insert a Gain block attached to the positive input of the Adder block with a line.
 Edit its value to "Kt" to represent the motor constant and Label it "Kt".
 Continue drawing the line leading from the current Integrator and connect it to the "Kt" block.

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 Notice how the lower part of this block diagram represents the equation

Now, using the summing block with 3 inputs and the inductance block implement the electrical equation:

 Note that to implement this equation you need to add a gain block with value “R”
 Tap a line off the current integrator's output (i) and connect it to the input of the "Resistance" block.
 Then you need to add the motor back emf constant (gain block) and label it "Ke".
 Tap a line off the rotational integrator's output (dθ/dt) and connect it to the "Ke" block.
 Add a Step input and Scope (output) blocks from the Simulink/Sinks, Sources and respectively label
them "Voltage" and "Speed".

Insert here your completed DC model in Simulink

PART III. Simulating the DC motor

We will now employ the developed model within Simulink to simulate the system response and design
different approaches to control the speed and position of the DC motor. In this lab we will only analyze the
open-loop response of the motor. Later, in the next experiment we will design controllers to control the speed
and position of the motor.

Define in the Matlab workspace the physical parameters of the DC motor. Use the following parameter for the
motor.

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 Value of parameters for DC motor.

J = motor inertia = 8.5E-6 kg-m2

b = viscous damping coefficient = 3.7E-6 N-m-s/rad
R = internal resistance = 1.85Ω
L = internal inductance = 1.97E-3 H
Kt = torque constant = 4.24E-2 N-m/A
Ke = back-emf constant = 4.24E-2 V/rad/s

V = is applied voltage (volt)

θ = is the angular position of motor shaft (rad)
i (t) = is the current through the motor at time t

Identify the inputs and outputs on your model. Apply a step signal to the Input, and place a Scope at the
Output so you can see the step response of the system in time domain.

Insert here your completed DC model showing the step signal on the input, and the scope
connected to the output

Open-Loop Step Response

Use Matlab to find the Open-Loop Response to a step input of 1 volt applied to the motor.
From the open-loop response which is the maximum speed that the motor can achieve?

a) Max speed (open-loop) (Steady-state value) =________________

b) What are the units of the speed in this model?. Explain

c) From the step response plot, estimate the time takes the motor to reach this maximum speed? _______

d) Indicate the units for time.

e) Get a screenshot of the response

 Repeat the simulation but now using a 5 volt input and then a 10 volt input. For each case, give the
maximum speed and the time it takes to reach this max speed.

In your Lab report include: Screenshot of your Simulink diagram, and the screenshot of the response of the
system for 1, 5, and 10 volts, indicating maximum speed and time take to reach that speed. Indicate the units in
all your answers.