The book is written for an undergraduate course on the theory of Feedback Control Systems. It provides comprehensive explanation of theory and practice of control system engineering. It elaborates various aspects of time domain and frequency domain analysis and design of control systems.
Each chapter starts with the background of the topic. Then it gives the conceptual knowledge about the topic dividing it in various sections and subsections. Each chapter provides the detailed explanation of the topic, practical examples and variety of solved problems. The explanations are given using very simple and lucid language. All the chapters are arranged in a specific sequence which helps to build the understanding of the subject in a logical fashion.
The book starts with explaining the various types of control systems. Then it explains how to obtain the mathematical models of various types of systems such as electrical, mechanical, thermal and liquid level systems. Then the book includes good coverage of the block diagram and signal flow graph methods of representing the various systems and the reduction methods to obtain simple system from the analysis point of view. The book further illustrates the steady state and transient analysis of control systems. The book covers the fundamental knowledge of controllers used in practice to optimize the performance of the systems. The book emphasizes the detailed analysis of second order systems as these systems are common in practice and higher order systems can be approximated as second order systems.
The book teaches the concept of stability and time domain stability analysis using Routh-Hurwitz method and root locus method. It further explains the fundamentals of frequency domain analysis of the systems including co-relation between time domain and frequency domain. The book gives very simple techniques for stability analysis of the systems in the frequency domain, using Bode plot, Polar plot and Nyquist plot methods. It also explores the concepts of compensation and design of the control systems in time domain and frequency domain.
The classical approach looses the importance of initial conditions in the systems. Thus the book provides the detailed explanation of modern approach of analysis which is the state variable analysis of the systems including methods of finding the state transition matrix, solution of state equation and the concepts of controllability and observability.
The book also introduces the concept of discrete time systems including digital and sample data systems, z-transform, difference equations, state space representation, pulse transfer functions and stability of linear discrete time systems.
The variety of solved examples is the feature of this book which helps to inculcate the knowledge of the design and analysis of the control systems in the students. The book explains the philosophy of the subject which makes the understanding of the concepts very clear and makes the subject more interesting.