Anderson's bridge

Last updated
Anderson's bridge Andersons-bridge-circuit.jpg
Anderson's bridge

In electronics, Anderson's bridge is a bridge circuit used to measure the self-inductance of the coil. It enables measurement of inductance by utilizing other circuit components like resistors and capacitors. [1]

Contents

Anderson's bridge was invented by Alexander Anderson in 1891. [2] He modified Maxwell's inductance capacitance bridge so that it gives very accurate measurement of self-inductance. [3]

Balance conditions

The balance conditions for Anderson's bridge or, equivalently the values of the self-inductance and resistance of the given coil can be found using basic circuit analysis techniques such as KCL, KVL and using phasors. Consider the circuit diagram of Anderson's bridge in the given figure. Let L1 be the self-inductance and R1 be the electrical resistance of the coil under consideration. Since the voltmeter is ideally assumed to have nearly infinite impedance, the currents in branches ab and bc and those in the branches de and ec are taken to be equal. Applying Kirchhoff's current law at node d, it can be shown that-

Since the analysis is being made under the balanced condition of the bridge, it can be said that the voltage drop across the voltmeter is essentially zero. On applying Kirchhoff's voltage law to the appropriate loops(in the anti-clockwise direction), the following relations hold-

On solving these sets of equations, one can finally obtain the self-inductance and resistance of the coil as-

Advantages

The Anderson's bridge can also be used the other way round- that is, it can be used to measure the capacitance of an unknown capacitor using an inductor coil whose self-inductance and electrical resistance have been pre-determined to a high degree of precision. An interesting point to note is the fact that the measured self-inductance of the coil does not change even on taking dielectric loss within the capacitor into account. Another advantage of using this modified bridge is that unlike the variable capacitor used in Maxwell bridge, it makes use of a fixed capacitor which is relatively quite cheaper. [4]

Disadvantages

One of the obvious difficulties associated with Anderson's bridge are the relatively complex balance equation calculations compared to the Maxwell bridge. The circuit connections and computations are similarly more cumbersome in comparison to the Maxwell bridge. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inductor</span> Passive two-terminal electrical component that stores energy in its magnetic field

An inductor, also called a coil, choke, or reactor, is a passive two-terminal electrical component that stores energy in a magnetic field when electric current flows through it. An inductor typically consists of an insulated wire wound into a coil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheatstone bridge</span> Resistometer

A Wheatstone bridge is an electrical circuit used to measure an unknown electrical resistance by balancing two legs of a bridge circuit, one leg of which includes the unknown component. The primary benefit of the circuit is its ability to provide extremely accurate measurements. Its operation is similar to the original potentiometer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resonance</span> Tendency to oscillate at certain frequencies

Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied periodic force is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system on which it acts. When an oscillating force is applied at a resonant frequency of a dynamic system, the system will oscillate at a higher amplitude than when the same force is applied at other, non-resonant frequencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrical impedance</span> Opposition of a circuit to a current when a voltage is applied

In electrical engineering, impedance is the opposition to alternating current presented by the combined effect of resistance and reactance in a circuit.

In electrical circuits, reactance is the opposition presented to alternating current by inductance and capacitance. Along with resistance, it is one of two elements of impedance; however, while both elements involve transfer of electrical energy, no dissipation of electrical energy as heat occurs in reactance; instead, the reactance stores energy until a quarter-cycle later when the energy is returned to the circuit. Greater reactance gives smaller current for the same applied voltage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inductance</span> Property of electrical conductors

Inductance is the tendency of an electrical conductor to oppose a change in the electric current flowing through it. The flow of electric current creates a magnetic field around the conductor. The field strength depends on the magnitude of the current, and follows any changes in current. From Faraday's law of induction, any change in magnetic field through a circuit induces an electromotive force (EMF) (voltage) in the conductors, a process known as electromagnetic induction. This induced voltage created by the changing current has the effect of opposing the change in current. This is stated by Lenz's law, and the voltage is called back EMF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Series and parallel circuits</span> Types of electrical circuits

Two-terminal components and electrical networks can be connected in series or parallel. The resulting electrical network will have two terminals, and itself can participate in a series or parallel topology. Whether a two-terminal "object" is an electrical component or an electrical network is a matter of perspective. This article will use "component" to refer to a two-terminal "object" that participate in the series/parallel networks.

A resistor–capacitor circuit, or RC filter or RC network, is an electric circuit composed of resistors and capacitors. It may be driven by a voltage or current source and these will produce different responses. A first order RC circuit is composed of one resistor and one capacitor and is the simplest type of RC circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voltage divider</span> Linear circuit that produces an output voltage that is a fraction of its input voltage

In electronics, a voltage divider (also known as a potential divider) is a passive linear circuit that produces an output voltage (Vout) that is a fraction of its input voltage (Vin). Voltage division is the result of distributing the input voltage among the components of the divider. A simple example of a voltage divider is two resistors connected in series, with the input voltage applied across the resistor pair and the output voltage emerging from the connection between them.

Kirchhoff's circuit laws are two equalities that deal with the current and potential difference in the lumped element model of electrical circuits. They were first described in 1845 by German physicist Gustav Kirchhoff. This generalized the work of Georg Ohm and preceded the work of James Clerk Maxwell. Widely used in electrical engineering, they are also called Kirchhoff's rules or simply Kirchhoff's laws. These laws can be applied in time and frequency domains and form the basis for network analysis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LC circuit</span> Electrical "resonator" circuit, consisting of inductive and capacitive elements with no resistance

An LC circuit, also called a resonant circuit, tank circuit, or tuned circuit, is an electric circuit consisting of an inductor, represented by the letter L, and a capacitor, represented by the letter C, connected together. The circuit can act as an electrical resonator, an electrical analogue of a tuning fork, storing energy oscillating at the circuit's resonant frequency.

A resistor–inductor circuit, or RL filter or RL network, is an electric circuit composed of resistors and inductors driven by a voltage or current source. A first-order RL circuit is composed of one resistor and one inductor, either in series driven by a voltage source or in parallel driven by a current source. It is one of the simplest analogue infinite impulse response electronic filters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AC power</span> Power in alternating current systems

In an electric circuit, instantaneous power is the time rate of flow of energy past a given point of the circuit. In alternating current circuits, energy storage elements such as inductors and capacitors may result in periodic reversals of the direction of energy flow. Its SI unit is the watt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrical resonance</span>

Electrical resonance occurs in an electric circuit at a particular resonant frequency when the impedances or admittances of circuit elements cancel each other. In some circuits, this happens when the impedance between the input and output of the circuit is almost zero and the transfer function is close to one.

Ripple in electronics is the residual periodic variation of the DC voltage within a power supply which has been derived from an alternating current (AC) source. This ripple is due to incomplete suppression of the alternating waveform after rectification. Ripple voltage originates as the output of a rectifier or from generation and commutation of DC power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capacitor</span> Passive two-terminal electronic component that stores electrical energy in an electric field

A capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy in an electric field by accumulating electric charges on two closely spaced surfaces that are insulated from each other. It is a passive electronic component with two terminals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxwell bridge</span>

A Maxwell bridge is a modification to a Wheatstone bridge used to measure an unknown inductance in terms of calibrated resistance and inductance or resistance and capacitance. When the calibrated components are a parallel resistor and capacitor, the bridge is known as a Maxwell bridge. It is named for James C. Maxwell, who first described it in 1873.

In electrical engineering, dielectric loss quantifies a dielectric material's inherent dissipation of electromagnetic energy. It can be parameterized in terms of either the loss angleδ or the corresponding loss tangenttan(δ). Both refer to the phasor in the complex plane whose real and imaginary parts are the resistive (lossy) component of an electromagnetic field and its reactive (lossless) counterpart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zobel network</span>

Zobel networks are a type of filter section based on the image-impedance design principle. They are named after Otto Zobel of Bell Labs, who published a much-referenced paper on image filters in 1923. The distinguishing feature of Zobel networks is that the input impedance is fixed in the design independently of the transfer function. This characteristic is achieved at the expense of a much higher component count compared to other types of filter sections. The impedance would normally be specified to be constant and purely resistive. For this reason, Zobel networks are also known as constant resistance networks. However, any impedance achievable with discrete components is possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RLC circuit</span> Resistor Inductor Capacitor Circuit

An RLC circuit is an electrical circuit consisting of a resistor (R), an inductor (L), and a capacitor (C), connected in series or in parallel. The name of the circuit is derived from the letters that are used to denote the constituent components of this circuit, where the sequence of the components may vary from RLC.

References

  1. Measurement of inductance by Anderson's Method By Edward B. Rosa and Fredeeick W. Grover, Bulletin of the Bureau of Standards, Vol 1, No 3
  2. Anderson’s Bridge Circuit Globe
  3. S. Butterworth (December 1921) On The Use of Anderson's Bridge for the Measurement of the Variations of the Capacity and Effective Resistance of a Condenser with Frequency , Proceedings of the Physical Society of London , Dec 1921, vol. 34, pages 1–7
  4. "Anderson's Bridge - Circuit Construction, Equation, Phasor Diagram & Advantages".
  5. "Anderson's Bridge - Circuit Construction, Equation, Phasor Diagram & Advantages".