CHAPTER 4

Time domain response of First order RL

and RC circuits
TOPICS COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER
• Transient response
• First order circuit
• The Source-Free RC Circuit
• The Source-Free RL Circuit
• Unit-step Function
• Step Response of an RC Circuit
• Step Response of an RL Circuit
• DC response of first order circuits

2
 TYPES OF CIRCUIT EXCITATION
Linear Time- Linear Time-
Invariant Invariant
Circuit Circuit
Steady-State Excitation OR
(DC Steady-State)
Digital Linear Time-
Linear Time- Pulse Invariant
Source Circuit
Invariant
Circuit
Sinusoidal (Single- Transient Excitation
Frequency) Excitation

AC Steady-State 3
 FIRST-ORDER CIRCUITS
• A circuit that contains only sources, resistors and an inductor is called an
RL circuit.
• A circuit that contains only sources, resistors and a capacitor is called an
RC circuit.
• RL and RC circuits are called first-order circuits because their voltages
and currents are described by first-order differential equations.
R R

+ i + i
vs – L vs – C

4
FIRST-ORDER CIRCUITS
• Any first-order circuit can be reduced to a Thévenin (or Norton)
equivalent connected to either a single equivalent inductor or capacitor.
RTh

+
IN RN L VTh – C

– In steady state, an inductor behaves like a short circuit

– In steady state, a capacitor behaves like an open circuit

5
 7.3 UNIT-STEP FUNCTION (1)
• The unit step function u(t) is 0 for negative values of t and 1 for
positive values of t.

 0, t<0
u (t ) = 
1, t>0

 0, t < to
u (t − to ) = 
1, t > to

 0, t < − to
u (t + to ) = 
1, t > − to
6
 7.3 UNIT-STEP FUNCTION (2)
Represent an abrupt change for:

1. voltage source.

2. for current source:

7
 RESPONSE CLASSIFICATION
• The natural response of an RL or RC circuit is its behavior (i.e., current
and voltage) when stored energy in the inductor or capacitor is released to
the resistive part of the network (containing no independent sources).
• The step response of an RL or RC circuit is its behavior when a voltage or
current source step is applied to the circuit, or immediately after a switch
state is changed.

8
 NATURAL RESPONSE OF AN RL CIRCUIT
• Consider the following circuit, for which the switch is closed for t < 0, and
then opened at t = 0:
t=0 i +

Io Ro L R v
–

Notation:
0– is used to denote the time just prior to switching
0+ is used to denote the time immediately after switching
• The current flowing in the inductor at t = 0– is Io

9
SOLVING FOR THE CURRENT (T ≥ 0)
i +

Io Ro L R v
–

• For t > 0, the circuit reduces t

• Applying KVL to the LR circuit yields first-order D.E.:
• Solution:
i (t ) = i ( 0 ) e − ( R / L ) t
= I0e-(R/L)t
10
 SOLVING FOR THE VOLTAGE (T > 0)

i (+t ) = I o e − ( R / L ) t

Io Ro L R v
–

• Note that the voltage changes abruptly (step response):

−
v (0 ) = 0
−( R / L ) t
for t > 0, v(t ) = iR = I o Re
⇒ v(0 + ) = I0R
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TIME CONSTANT Τ
• In the example, we found that

i ( t ) = I o e − ( R / L ) t and v ( t ) = I o Re − ( R / L ) t

L (sec)
• Define the time constant τ =
R

– At t = τ, the current has reduced to 1/e (~0.37) of its initial value.

– At t = 5τ, the current has reduced to less than 1% of its initial value.

12
 CAPACITORS AND STORED CHARGE
• Current doesn’t really “flow through” a capacitor. No electrons can go
through the insulator.
• But, we say that current flows through a capacitor. What we mean is that
positive charge collects on one plate and leaves the other.
• A capacitor stores charge. Theoretically, if we did a KCL surface around one
plate, KCL could fail. But we don’t do that.
• When a capacitor stores charge, it has nonzero voltage. In this case, we say
the capacitor is “charged”. A capacitor with zero voltage has no charge
differential, and we say it is “discharged”.

13
CAPACITORS IN CIRCUITS
• If you have a circuit with capacitors, you can use KVL and KCL, nodal
analysis, etc.
• The voltage across the capacitor is related to the current through it by
a differential equation instead of Ohm’s law.

dV
i=C
dt

14
CAPACITORS
+V−
|(
C
i(t)

capacitance is defined by

dV dV i
i=C So =
dt dt C

15
CHARGING A CAPACITOR WITH A CONSTANT CURRENT
+ V(t) −
|(
C
i

dV(t) i
=
dt C
t t
dV(t) i
∫0 dt dt = ∫0 C dt
voltage

i× t
t
i
V(t) = ∫ dt =
0
C C time

16
DISCHARGING A CAPACITOR THROUGH A RESISTOR
− V(t) + i

i C R

dV(t) i(t) V(t)

=− =−
dt C RC
This is an elementary differential equation, whose solution is the
exponential:
d −t / τ 1 −t / τ
V (t ) = V0 e −t /τ
Since: e =− e
dt τ

17
 VOLTAGE VS TIME FOR AN RC DISCHARGE
1.2

Voltage 1

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 1 2 3 4
Time

18
NATURAL RESPONSE OF AN RC CIRCUIT
• Consider the following circuit, for which the switch is closed for t < 0,
and then opened at t = 0:

Ro t=0
+ +
Vo − R
C v
–
Notation:
0– is used to denote the time just prior to switching
0+ is used to denote the time immediately after switching
• The voltage on the capacitor at t = 0– is Vo
19
TIME CONSTANT Τ
• In the example, we found that

− t / RC V o − t / RC
v (t ) = Vo e and i ( t ) = e
R
(sec)
τ = RC
• Define the time constant
– At t = τ, the voltage has reduced to 1/e (~0.37) of its initial value.
– At t = 5τ, the voltage has reduced to less than 1% of its initial value.

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NATURAL RESPONSE SUMMARY
RL Circuit RC Circuit
i +
L R C v R
–

• Inductor current cannot change • Capacitor voltage cannot change

instantaneously instantaneously
− +
i ( 0 ) = i (0 ) −
v ( 0 ) = v (0 ) +

i (t ) = i (0)e −t /τ v(t ) = v(0)e −t /τ

L
τ= τ = RC
• time constant R
• time constant 21