Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering EEE241L/ETE241L Electrical Circuits II Lab

Lab 6: RLC resonance, Bandwidth and Quality Factor

A. Objectives

• Investigate the resonance phenomena in an RLC circuit. Analyze the Resonant Frequency and Bandwidth of the
given circuit and determine the effect of the load resistance on the Quality Factor.

B. Background

B.1. Resonance in a series RLC circuit:

Resonance is a condition in an RLC circuit in which the capacitive and inductive reactances are equal in magnitude,
thereby resulting in a purely resistive impedance. Consider the series RLC circuit in Figure B.1.1:

Fig.B.1.1: Series RLC circuit

Here, both XC and XL are frequency dependent. However, XC is inversely proportional to frequency and XL is directly
proportional. That is, as the frequency is increased, XC decreases and XL increases. This means there must be a
source frequency for which XC = XL. A circuit operating in that frequency is said to be in resonance condition. At the
1
resonance condition, XC = XL, which means = 𝑗𝜔𝐿. This expression can be simplified to obtain the following
𝑗𝜔𝐶
expression for the resonance frequency, f0.
1
𝑓0 =
2𝜋√𝐿𝐶

Now, the impedance in the above circuit can be expressed as: 𝑍 = 𝑅 + 𝑗𝑋𝐿 − 𝑗𝑋𝐶 . Therefore, at resonance condition,
the impedance of the circuit is purely resistive, which means that the entire source voltage is across R. At any other
operating frequency, the voltage across R will be lower due to the non-zero reactance contributing to the total
impedance.

B.2. Bandwidth and Quality Factor

If the series RLC circuit is driven by a variable frequency at a constant voltage, then the magnitude of the voltage, V
is proportional to the impedance, Z. Therefore, at resonance the power absorbed by the circuit must be at its maximum
value.

If we now reduce or increase the frequency until the average power absorbed by the resistor in the series resonance
circuit is half that of its maximum value at resonance, we produce two frequency points called the half-power points
or half-power frequencies. These points give us a voltage value that is 70.7% of its maximum resonant value. That
is, at the upper and lower cut-off frequencies, say f1 and f2, V = 0.707Vmax. The difference between these two points
(f1 – f2) is called the Bandwidth (BW) of the circuit. This bandwidth is also known as the half-power bandwidth.

The “sharpness” of the resonance in a resonant circuit is measured quantitatively by the Quality Factor (Q).The quality
factor relates the maximum or peak energy stored in the circuit (the reactance) to the energy dissipated (the
𝑓0
resistance) during each cycle of oscillation meaning that it is a ratio of resonant frequency to bandwidth (𝑄 = 𝐵𝑊
) and
the higher the circuit Q, the smaller the bandwidth.
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering EEE241L/ETE241L Electrical Circuits II Lab

Experiment 1: Resonance in a series RLC circuit

A. Apparatus
Components Instruments
 Resistors: 1×100Ω (R1), 1×200Ω (R2)  1× Bread Board
 Capacitors: 1×0.1µF  1× Function Generator
 Inductor: 1x560µH  1× Digital Storage Oscilloscope(DSO)
 Connecting wires and probes

B. Procedure
1. Note down the nominal value of the resistors (R1 and R2), the capacitor (C1) and the inductor (L1) in Table
1.1. Measure the practical value of the resistors using the DMM. Note down the values in Table 1.1.
2. Measure the practical value of the capacitor (C) using an LCR meter and note down the value in Tables 1.1.
Do the same for the inductor (L).
3. Construct the circuits shown in Fig.B.1.1 on the bread board. Connect Channel 1 of the oscilloscope across
the source VS (positive red port to node ‘a’ and negative black port to node ‘0’ i.e. ground).
4. To set 3V peak (6V peak to peak) and 1 KHz in the function generator, observe the generated signal on the
oscilloscope screen (channel 1) and fine tune the amplitude & frequency of the input signal generated from
the function generator to match the nominal values. Always set the amplitude after setting the frequency
because changing the frequency of a non-ideal source might alter the amplitude.

Fig.B.1.1: Series RLC circuit

5. Measure the peak voltage across R1, L1 and C1 and note those down in Table 1.2.
6. Set the frequency in the function generator to the next frequency value in Table 1.2 and adjust the
time/division of the oscilloscope so that the wave shape is clearly visible. Readjust the amplitude to 3V peak
if necessary.
7. Now, use the same method you used in the previous step 5 to measure the voltages across R1, L1 and C1
for the new input frequency. Note down the values in Table 1.2.
8. Repeat step 6 & 7 for all the frequencies in Table 1.2.
9. From the data you recorded in Table 1.2, determine the frequency range for which the voltage across the
resistor R1 appears to be largest. And connect channel 2 at node ‘c’
10. Carefully change the input frequency of the function generator within the range you just found until the
maximum voltage value of VR is obtained. Use the oscilloscope to determine the frequency at which this
occurs and note it down in Table 1.3. This is the resonant frequency f0.
11. Now, decrease the source frequency below f0 until VR is 70.7% of the maximum value (0.707VRmax). Note
down the frequency at which this occurs as the lower cut-off point, f1.
12. Finally, increase the source frequency above f0 until VR is once again 70.7% of the maximum value
(0.707VRmax). Note down the frequency at which this occurs as the upper cut-off point, f2.
13. Change the 100Ω resistor in the circuit with the 200Ω one.
14. Now repeat steps 4 to 12 for the new resistance value. Record your results in Table 1.4 and 1.5.
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering EEE241L/ETE241L Electrical Circuits II Lab
C. Simulation

1. In MULTISIM, construct the circuits in figure B.1.1, and do AC analysis (for both 100 and 200 resistors)
for showing the voltages across the components at different frequencies.
2. Attach the output graphs in your report.

D. Questions
1. Explain why the load voltage in an RLC circuit is maximum at resonance condition.
2. If a 5mH inductor was used instead of the 560µH one, what capacitance value would be required to keep the
resonant frequency (f0) the same as the value you obtained from your experiment?
3. How would the resonant frequency of the circuit given in Figure B.1.1 change if the 100Ω resistor was replaced
with a 50Ω one? Explain your answer.
4. Use your experimental results and the graphs you obtained from the simulations to explain the concept of
high and low Quality Factor in series RLC circuits.
5. Is it possible to have a resonance condition in a parallel RLC circuit? If so, briefly discuss a possible
experimental setup which could be used to investigate resonance in a parallel RLC circuit.
6. Do the practical values of resonant frequency, bandwidth and quality factor you obtained confirm the
theoretical values? If any of the percentage differences are above 10%, suggest 3 possible reasons for the
discrepancy.
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering EEE241L/ETE241L Electrical Circuits II Lab
E.1 Data Sheet: Lab 6, Experiment 1
Date: Points:
Remarks: Signature of the Instructor
Student Information
Section: Group: Status:
E.1.1 Table 1.1: Component Values
R1(Ω) R2 (Ω) C1(F) L1(H)
Nominal
Measured

E.1.2 Table 1.2: The magnitudes of VC, VL and VR at

different frequencies for a high Q circuit
E.1.3 Table 1.3: Resonant frequency, Quality
Peak Peak Peak Factor and Bandwidth for a high Q
Frequency circuit
Voltage, Voltage, Voltage,
(f) kHz Deviation
VR(V) VC(V) VL(V)
(%),
Theoretical Experimental
1 𝒂−𝒃
(a) (b)
𝒂
10 × 𝟏𝟎𝟎
20 f0
30
f1
40
f2
50
Bandwidth
60
(f2 – f1)
70 Q-factor
80 f0
( )
90 Bandwidth

100

E.1.4 Table 1.4: The magnitudes of VC, VL and VR at

different frequencies for a low Q circuit
E.1.5 Table 1.5: Resonant frequency, Quality
Factor and Bandwidth for a low Q
Peak Peak Peak
Frequency circuit
Voltage, Voltage, Voltage, Deviation
(f) kHz
VR(V) VC(V) VL(V) (%),
Theoretical Experimental
1 𝒂−𝒃
(a) (b)
𝒂
10 × 𝟏𝟎𝟎
20 f0
30 f1
40
f2
50
Bandwidth
60
(f2 – f1)
70 Q-factor
80 f0
( )
90 Bandwidth
100