Analysis of d.c. chopper circuits by computer-based piecewise-linear technique

A computer-based method for analysing the performance of d.c. chopper circuits is proposed. In the paper, a piecewise-linear description is established by considering sequential circuit modes, defined by the switching action of thyristors and diodes. The method is quite general, and could be applied to any particular chopper circuit to provide both transient and steady-state performance data. As an illustration, the method is used to describe the performance of a d.c. series motor controlled by a chopper circuit that provides both armature and field control. Control characteristics of this circuit are established, and these are compared with practical results obtained by measurement on a 220 V, 8 A series motor.