Textbooks in the field of control engineering have, in the main, been written for electrical engineers and the standard of the mathematics used has been relatively high. The purpose of this work is to provide a course of study in elementary control theory which is self-contained and suitable for students of all branches of engineering and of applied physics. The book assumes that the student has a knowledge of mathematics of A-level or 0-2 level standard only. All other necessary pure and applied mathematics is covered for reference purposes in chapters 2-6. As a students' textbook it contains many fully worked numerical examples and sets of examples are provided at the end of all chapters except the first. The answers to these examples are given at the end of the book. The book covers the majority of the control theory likely to be encountered on H. N. C. , H. N. D. and degree courses in electrical, mechanical, chemical and production engineering and in applied physics. It will also provide a primer in specialist courses in instru- mentation and control engineering at undergraduate and post- graduate level. Furthermore, it covers much of the control theory encountered in the graduateship examinations of the professional institutions, for example I. E. E. Part III (Advanced Electrical Engineer- ing and Instrumentation and Control), I. E. R. E. Part 5 (Control Engineering) and the new c. E. I. Part 2 (Mechanics of Machines and Systems and Control Engineering).

Table of Contents:
1 Introduction to Control Engineering.- 1.1 Introduction. 1.2 Definitions. 1.3 The Position-Control System. 1.4 Process-Control Systems. 1.5 Autonomic Control Systems. 1.6 Reasons why Control Systems are Preferred to Human Operators. 1.7 Concluding Remarks.- 2 Graphical Representation of Signals.- 2.1 Introduction. 2.2 Steps, Ramps, Pulses and Impulses. 2.3 Exponential Functions. 2.4 Sinusoidal Quantities. 2.5 Exponentially Damped Sinusoids.- 3 The Use of Complex Numbers in the Solution of Vector Problems.- 3.1 Introduction. 3.2 Imaginary Numbers. 3.3 Complex Numbers. 3.4 Graphical Representation of Numbers. 3.5 Addition and Subtraction of Vectors Represented by Complex Numbers. 3.6 Polar Form of Complex Numbers. 3.7 Exponential Form of Complex Numbers. 3.8 Representation of Sinusoidal Quantities by Complex Numbers. 3.9 Multiplication and Division of Complex Numbers.- 4 The Principles of Mechanics and Simple Electrodynamics Using the M.K.S. System.- 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 Translational Mechanics. 4.3 Rotational Mechanics. 4.4 Simple Electrodynamics. 4.5 Abbreviations for Multiples and Sub-multiples.- 5 The Solution of Linear Differential Equations with Constant Coefficients.- 5.1 Introduction. 5.2 Determination of the Transient Response ?t. 5.3 Determination of the Steady-state Response ?ss. 5.4 Determination of the Complete Solution.- 6 Equations of Physical Systems.- 6.1 Introduction. 6.2 Mechanical Systems. 6.3 Electrical Systems.- 7 Control System Components.- 7.1 Introduction. 7.2 Error Detectors. 7.3 Controllers. 7.4 Output Elements. 7.5 Concluding Remarks.- 8 The Dynamics of a Simple Servomechanism for Angular Position Control.- 8.1 Introduction. 8.2 The Torque-Proportional-to-Error Servomechanism. 8.3 Response of Servomechanism to a Step Input. 8.4 Response of the Servomechanism to a Ramp Input. 8.5 The Response to a Suddenly-applied Load Torque. 8.6 Techniques for Improving the General Performance of the Servomechanism. 8.7 The Use of Non-dimensional Notation. 8.8 Choosing the Optimum Value of Damping Ratio. 8.9 The Frequency Response Test.- 9 Transfer Functions.- 9.1 Introduction. 9.2 Derivation of Typical Transfer Functions. 9.3 Determination of the Overall Open-loop Transfer Function. 9.4 Determination of the Open-loop Step Response from the Open-loop Transfer Function. 9.5 Determination of the Closed-loop Performance from the Open-loop Transfer Function. 9.6 Worked Example. 9.7 Analysis of Multiloop Systems. 9.8 Conclusion.- 10 Introduction to Frequency Response Methods.- 10.1 Introduction. 10.2 The Nyquist Diagram. 10.3 Obtaining the Nyquist Diagram. 10.4 The Nyquist Stability Criterion. 10.5 Assessment of Relative Stability using the Nyquist Diagram. 10.6 Analytical Determination of the Shapes of Frequency Loci. 10.7 Summary of Loci Shapes. 10.8 Obtaining the Closed-loop Frequency Response from the Open-loop. 10.9 M-Circles. 10.10 Use of the M-Circle in Design. 10.11 Conclusion.- 11 Series Compensation using the Nyquist Diagram.- 11.1 Introduction. 11.2 Analysis of Series-Compensating Devices. 11.3 The Effects of Cascaded Networks on the Performance of Control Systems. 11.4 The Design of Cascaded Compensating Networks. 11.5 Conclusion.- 12 Parallel Compensation using the Inverse Nyquist Diagram.- 12.1 Introduction. 12.2 Basic Analysis of a System with Parallel Compensation. 12.3 Inverse Nyquist Diagrams. 12.4 Inverse M-Circles. 12.5 The Effects of Typical Parallel Compensating Elements on Inverse Loci. 12.6 Design of Parallel Compensated Systems. 12.7 Conclusion.- 13 Logarithmic Representation of Frequency Response Functions.- 13.1 Introduction. 13.2 Graphs of Commonly Encountered Functions. 13.3 Interpretation of System Performance Using the Bode Diagram. 13.4 Design of Compensating Devices using Bode Diagrams. 13.5 Use of the Bode Diagram for the Analysis of Experimental Data. 13.6 Conclusion.- 14 Process Control Systems.- 14.1 Introduction. 14.2 The Automatic Closed-loop Process Control System. 14.3 Dynamic Characteristics of Processes. 14.4 Dynamic Characteristics of Controllers. 14.5 Practical Pneumatic Controllers. 14.6 Setting up a Controller to give Optimum System Performance. 14.7 Electronic Instrumentation for Measurement and Control. 14.8 Conclusion.- Appendix The Laplace Transforms.- A.1 Introduction. A.2 Laplace Transform Symbolism. A.3 Method of Solving Physical Problems. A.4 Illustrative Transforms. A.5 Commonly Used Transform Theorems. A.6 Table of Laplace Transforms. A.7 Illustrative Example. A.8 Application of the Laplace Transform to Control Engineering. A.9 Convolution. A.10 Conclusion.