DE LA SALLE LIPA

1962 J.P LAUREL , MATAAS NA LUPA, LIPA CITY

EXPERIMENT NO.6
MAXWELLS MESH EQUATIONS

ESPINA CHRISTIAN B. DOP: 10/19/16

4TH YR- BSCPE DOS: 11/03/16

GRADE:

ENGR. RAMON P. FLORES IV

INSTRUCTOR
II OBJECTIVE:

1. TO STUDY AND APPLY THE MAXWELL'S MESH EQUATIONS IN

THE SOLUTION OF AN ELECTRIC NETWORK.

II. THEORY:

A MESH IS DEFINED AS A SET OF BRANCHES THAT FORMS A LOOP BUT

THAT ENCLOSES NOOTHER BRANCH OF THE CIRCUIT. IT IS A SIMPLIFIED
PROCEDURE TO ARRIVE AT SIMILAR RESULTSMORE EXPEDITIOUSLY. ON
EACH MESH WE IDENTIFY A CIRCULATING MESH CURRENT. THE
MESHCURRENTS ARE IDENTICAL WITH THE LINK CURRENT DEFINING
THE FUNDAMENTAL LOOPS. THENEVERY BRANCH CURRENT EQUALS
EITHER A MESH CURRENT OR THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TWOMESHES
CURRENT; JUST LIKE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BRANCH
VOLTAGES IN A NODEVOLTAGE ANALYSIS.

MESH ANALYSIS WORKS BY ARBITRARILY ASSIGNING MESH CURRENTS

IN THE ESSENTIAL MESHES (ALSO REFERRED TO AS INDEPENDENT
MESHES). AN ESSENTIAL MESH IS A LOOP IN THE CIRCUIT THAT DOES
NOT CONTAIN ANY OTHER LOOP. A MESH CURRENT IS A CURRENT THAT
LOOPS AROUND THE ESSENTIAL MESH AND THE EQUATIONS ARE SET
SOLVED IN TERMS OF THEM. A MESH CURRENT MAY NOT CORRESPOND
TO ANY PHYSICALLY FLOWING CURRENT, BUT THE PHYSICAL CURRENTS
ARE EASILY FOUND FROM THEM. IT IS USUAL PRACTICE TO HAVE ALL
THE MESH CURRENTS LOOP IN THE SAME DIRECTION. THIS HELPS
PREVENT ERRORS WHEN WRITING OUT THE EQUATIONS. THE
CONVENTION IS TO HAVE ALL THE MESH CURRENTS LOOPING IN A
CLOCKWISE DIRECTION. SOLVING FOR MESH CURRENTS INSTEAD OF
DIRECTLY APPLYING KIRCHHOFF'S CURRENT LAW AND KIRCHHOFF'S
VOLTAGE LAW CAN GREATLY REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CALCULATION
REQUIRED. THIS IS BECAUSE THERE ARE FEWER MESH CURRENTS
THAN THERE ARE PHYSICAL BRANCH CURRENTS.

IV. EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL USED

DC VOLTMETER
DC AMMETER
RESISTIVE LOAD UNIT (150 OHMS)
RESISTIVE LOAD UNIT (60 OHMS)
DC SUPPLY

V. SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

CIRCUITS DIAGRAMS:

VI. SAMPLE COMPUTATION

VII. GRAPH

VIII. FINAL DATA SHEET

IX. DISCUSSION

NETWORKS IN WHICH THE RESISTORS ARE ROT IN SIMPLE

SERIES OR PARALLEL GROUPINGS OR IN WHICH THERE ARE MORE
THAN ONE SOURCE CANNOT IN GENERAL BE SOLVED BY THE METHOD
OF EQUIVALENT RESISTANCE. SUCH PROBLEMS ARE HANDLED
SYSTEMATICALLY BY USING MAXWELL'S MESH EGUATIONS. THIS
METHOD REQUIRED THE FORMATION AND SOLUTION OF LESS
'EQUATIONS THAN THE DIRECT APPLICATION OF KIRCHHOFF'S
VOLTAGE LAW SINCE ONLY THE MESH CURRENTS ARE TO BE
DETERMINED. BRANCH CURRENTS CAN EASILY BE COMPUTED FROM
'THE VALUES OF THE MESH CURRENTS.

ANY NETWORK MAY BE DIVIDED INTO MESHES AND A SEPARATE

CURRENT IS ASSUMED TO CIRCULATE IN A MESH. BRANCHES
COMMON TO TWO MESHES WILL HAVE TWO MESH CURRENTS THROUGH
IT. CONSIDER THE ELECTRIC NETWORK OF FIG- 6.1. THE
CURRENT FROM C TO D IS (I1 L3 ) AND THE CURRENT FROM D TO
A 18 (1-I6). THE KIRCHHOFF VOLTAGE EQUATION FOR MESH

ABCDA IS R1I1+R2(I1-I3)+R4(11-16)=E1. THIS MAY BE

REWRITTEN AS:
(111+R2M4 ) I 14213-114 16.31
SIMILAR EQUATIONS MAY ALSO BE WRITTEN FOR THE OTHER TWO
MESHES. THEY ARE:
-R211+(R2+R34R5)L3-ERN-E2
-R4I1-R513+(R4+R5+R6 16-0
THE KIRCHHOFF'S VOLTAGE LAW IS STILL USED TO FORM THE

EQUATIONS. HOWEVER IT IS EASY TO FORM AND TO CHECK THE

EQUATIONS.

X. CONCLUSION

FROM ALL THE VALUES OBTAINED BY THE GROUP AND ALL THE
COMPARISON AND CONTRASTING THAT WERE MADE WITH THE
EXPERIMENTAL VALUES, WE CONCLUDE THAT THE MESH ANALYSIS
METHOD AND
KIRCHHOFFS
COMPUTATION ARRIVES A CLOSE AND NEARLY EQUAL COMPUTED
VALUES. MESH CREATES LESS CONFUSION WHEN GETTING THE RIGHT
VALUES THAN THE LATTER METHOD.