NPTEL >> Mechanical Engineering >> Modeling and Control of Dynamic electro-Mechanical System Module 2- Lecture 8

A Brief Review of Laplace Transforms

Dr Bishakh Bhattacharya
Dr.

Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

IIT Kanpur

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NPTEL >> Mechanical Engineering >> Modeling and Control of Dynamic electro-Mechanical System Module 2- Lecture 8

This Lecture Contains

ThisLectureContains

ForwardLaplaceTransform

LaplaceTransformofDifferentialEquation

InverseLaplaceTransform
Inverse Laplace Transform

PolesandZerosofaTransferFunction

AnAssignmentProblemtoSolve

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NPTEL >> Mechanical Engineering >> Modeling and Control of Dynamic electro-Mechanical System Module 2- Lecture 8

Introduction

Laplace Transformation is a very useful tool for analysis of a dynamic system

in Frequency-Domain. This transformation helps to transform differential
equations into the form of algebraic equations which is easier to manipulate.
manipulate

A time-domain signal f(t) which may represent a forcing function or the

response of a system may be transformed into frequency domain by using the
following transformation:

L f (t ) F ( s ) f (t ) e st dt
0
Where s = + j, is a complex variable.
Example:
f(t)
( ) = A e-pt u(t)
()

F ( s) A e pt
e u (t ) dt A e ( s p )t dt
st

0 0

A ( s p ) t A
e t 0
s p s p

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NPTEL >> Mechanical Engineering >> Modeling and Control of Dynamic electro-Mechanical System Module 2- Lecture 8

Some useful Laplace

p Transforms

No. f(t), t 0 F(s)

1 (t) 1

2 u(t) 1/s

3 t 1/s2

4 t2 2!/s3

5 e-at 1/(s+a)

6 Sin at a/(s2 + a2)

7 Cos at s/(s2 + a2)

8 (1-at) e-at s/(s+a)2

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NPTEL >> Mechanical Engineering >> Modeling and Control of Dynamic electro-Mechanical System Module 2- Lecture 8

Laplace
p Transform of a Differential Equation
q

Applying the same principle on a differential equation one can obtained an

algebraic equation. Consider a second order mechanical system represented by
the following differential equation:

d 2x dx
m c kx F sin(t )
dt 2 dt
Applying Laplace transform and assuming zero initial condition the above
equation could be transformed as
F
m s 2 X ( s ) cs X ( s ) k X ( s )
s2 2

Denoting the right hand side of the above equation as F(s) , one can express the
ratio of F(s) and frequency-domain response X(s) as

X (s) 1
T (s)
F ( s ) m s 2 cs k

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NPTEL >> Mechanical Engineering >> Modeling and Control of Dynamic electro-Mechanical System Module 2- Lecture 8

Transfer Function of a SDOF system

y

Here, we are considering a SDOF system with system parameters m (mass), c (damping)
and k (stiffness).
T(s)
( ) is also known as transfer function of the system.
y In a block diagram
g form this
can be represented as

F(s) X(s) 1
T(s) T ( s)
ms 2 cs k

The response of a system in time domain could be obtained by carrying out

inverse Laplace Transformation of the transfer function.
function The inverse Laplace
Transform is written as

j
1

1
L [T ( s )] T ( s ) e st
ds
2j j

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NPTEL >> Mechanical Engineering >> Modeling and Control of Dynamic electro-Mechanical System Module 2- Lecture 8

Inverse Laplace
p Transform

However, the relationship stated is seldom used. If T(s) is rational, one commonly
uses the method of partial fraction expansion. Consider a rational function T(s)
expressed as:

b1s m b2 s m 11 ... bm 1
T ( s)
s n a1s n 1 ... an

Factoring the numerator and denominator polynomials one can also write
m

(s z )i
T (s) K i 1
n

(s p )
i 1
i

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NPTEL >> Mechanical Engineering >> Modeling and Control of Dynamic electro-Mechanical System Module 2- Lecture 8

Poles and Zeros of the Transfer Function

Corresponding to the numerator polynomial, zis are referred as the zeros of

the transfer function while the roots of the numerator polynomial pis are
k
known as the
h poles
l off the
h transfer
f function.
f i
Now, the transfer function T(s) may be expressed as

C1 C Cn
T (s) 2 ...
s p1 s p 2 s pn
where,

Ci ( s pi ) T ( s ) s pi

Finally, the response of the system may be expressed as

n
x(t ) C i e pi t
i 1

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NPTEL >> Mechanical Engineering >> Modeling and Control of Dynamic electro-Mechanical System Module 2- Lecture 8

Examples:

A system is being excited by a step function at time t = 3 s and by a delta function

at time t = 5 s. Find out the Laplace Transform of these two functions by using the
Transformation table. Now, find out the response of a SDOF system (mass 1kg,
stiffness 10N/m and damping 1 N/m/s while subjected to the above excitations.

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NPTEL >> Mechanical Engineering >> Modeling and Control of Dynamic electro-Mechanical System Module 2- Lecture 8

Special
p References for this lecture

System Dynamics and Response: Graham Kelly, Cengage Learning

System Dynamics for Engineering Students: Nicolae Lobontiu, Academic Publisher

Control Systems Engineering: Norman S Nise, John Wiley & Sons

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