Chapter 4 TRANSIENT RESPONSE OF CIRCUITS:

DC EXCITATION

The manner in which a circuit moves from one steady-state condition to another steady-state
condition is known as the transient response.

As implied by the name, the transient response of the circuit does not continue forever - it
dies away after a certain amount of time. We will quantify this time for simple circuits with
an exponential transient response as the time constant of the circuit.

4.1 Solution of LRC circuits for steady-state conditions

If a circuit contains DC voltage and current sources then during steady state conditions all
currents and voltages in the circuit will also be constant.

dv di
i. e. 0 and 0
dt dt

This implies that capacitor currents as well as inductor voltages will be zero.

e. g.
i 10mH 1

10V 2

10 F

This circuit reduces, during steady-state condition, to

i 1

10V 2

10V
i  3,33 A
1  2
4.2 Solution of DC circuits containing RL and RC elements during transient conditions

Once again the circuit contains DC voltage sources and DC current sources.

During transient conditions, the currents and voltages are changing and hence voltages are
induced across inductors and currents flow through capacitors.

To solve for the currents and the voltages the following steps are followed:

(a) Determine the initial values of the inductor currents and the capacitor voltages -
immediately before the switch is moved

(b) Use Kirchhoff's voltage law to derive equations for the inductor currents and the
capacitor voltages after the switch is moved to the new position

(c ) Solve the above differential equations to determine the values of the inductor currents
and the capacitor voltages as a function of time during the transient

(d ) Determine the other voltages and currents from

v
v i R i  R
R R R R

di dv
v L L i C C
L dt C dt
4.2.1 Series RL circuit

1 i

2
R v
R
V

L v
L

(A) Decreasing inductor current

The switch is initially at position 1 with i  V (assuming steady-state conditions). The

R
switch is moved to position 2 at t  0

After t  0 0v v
R L

di
 iR  L
dt

di
Therefore iR   L
dt

R 1
Therefore dt   di
L i

R 1
Therefore  dt    di
L i

R
i. e. t   ln i  constant
L

Substituting the initial value ( i  V at t  0 ):

R

V
constant  ln
R

R V
Therefore t  ln
L iR

exp   t 
V R
Giving i
R  L 
 i

V
R

v  iR  V exp   t 
R
Also
R  L 

 V exp   t 
di R
v L
L dt  L 

(B) Increasing inductor current

The switch is initially at position 2 with i  0 (assuming steady-state conditions). The

switch is moved to position 1 at t  0

di
After t  0 V  iR  L
dt

V L di
Therefore i 
R R dt

R 1
Therefore  dt   di
L V i
R

t   ln   i   constant
R V
Therefore
L R 

Substituting the initial value ( i  0 at t  0 )

V
constant  ln
R

V
R
Therefore t  ln R
L V i
R

V
1  exp   t  
R
Giving i 
R  L 
 i

V
R

v  iR  V  1  exp   t  
R
Also
R   L 

 V exp   t 
di R
v L
L dt  L 

4.2.2 Series RC circuit

1 i

2
R v
R
V

C v
C

(C) Decreasing capacitor voltage (capacitor discharging)

The switch is initially at position 1 with v  V (assuming steady-state conditions). The

C
switch is moved to position 2 at t  0 .

After t  0 0v v
R C

 iR  v
C

dv
 RC C v
dt C

1 1
Therefore  dt    dv
RC v C
C
 1
Therefore t   ln v  constant
RC C

Substituting the initial conditions ( v  V at t  0 )

C

constant  ln V

1 V
Therefore t  ln
RC v
C

v  V exp  
1 
Giving t
C  RC 

v
C

dv
iC C   V exp   1 t 
Also  
dt R  RC 

v  iR  V exp  
1 
t
R  RC 

(D) Increasing capacitor voltage (capacitor charging)

The switch is initially at position 2 with v  0 (assuming steady-state conditions). The

C
switch is moved to position 1 at t  0 .

After t  0 V v v
R C

 iR  v
C

dv
 RC C v
dt C
 1 1
Therefore  dt   dv
RC V v C
C

1
Therefore t   ln(V  v )  constant
RC C

Substituting the initial conditions (vC  0 at t  0)

constant  ln V

1 V
Therefore t  ln
RC V v
C

v  V  1  exp  
1 
Giving t 
C   RC  

v
C

dv
iC C  V exp   1 t 
Also  
dt R  RC 

v  V exp  
1 
t
R  RC 

 A square-wave generator can be considered in the same way (reference: RC

laboratory):
 SIGNAL GENERATOR

R v
R

v
out
C v
C

v
out

EQUIVALENT EQUIVALENT
TO SWITCH IN TO SWITCH IN
POSITION 1 POSITION 2
t
v
C

4.2.3 The concept of the time constant

If the initial rate of rise or decay of a voltage or current in an RL or RC circuit were to be

maintained then the steady state value would be reached after an interval of time referred to
as the time constant of the circuit, τ (in seconds).

STEADY STATE

V
1  exp   t  
R
For an RL circuit i 
R  L 
 exp   t 
di V R R
Therefore 
dt R L  L 

di V
Therefore 
dt t  0 L

V
Therefore the steady-state value of i  V would be reached after R  L seconds.
R V R
L

L
Therefore   seconds
R

 The actual current at t   is V 1  e

R 
1

 0, 632 V  63, 2% of the final (steady-
R
state) value.

v  V  1  exp  
1 
For RC circuit: t 
C   RC  

dv
C  V exp   1 t 
Therefore  
dt RC  RC 

dv V
Therefore C 
dt t 0 RC


Therefore the steady-state value of v  V would be reached after V  RC seconds.

C V
RC

Therefore   RC seconds

1
 The actual voltage at t   is V (1  e )  0, 632 V  63, 2% of the final (steady
state) value.

4.3 Solution of LRC circuits during transient conditions

This involves the solution of equations such as

di 1
V  iR  L   i dt
dt C

- together with the initial values of the inductor current and the capacitor voltage. This is
beyond the scope of this course.
While the previous RL and RC circuits produced exponential responses, LRC circuits give
oscillatory responses such as

STEADY STATE

T
N
NSIE
TRA