The natural response of an RL (Resistor-Inductor) circuit describes how the circuit's voltage or current behaves when it's disconnected from any external power source and allowed to decay due to its own energy storage components.
For an RL circuit, the natural response focuses on the behavior of the inductor current (iL) or the voltage across the inductor (vL) as it decreases over time.
### RL Circuit Differential Equation
When the RL circuit is disconnected from a power source, the natural response can be described by the following differential equation:
\[ L \frac{dI(t)}{dt} + R I(t) = 0 \]
where:
- \( L \) is the inductance in henries (H),
- \( R \) is the resistance in ohms (Ω),
- \( I(t) \) is the current through the inductor at time \( t \).
### Solution for Current
The solution to this differential equation provides the natural response of the circuit. The current \( I(t) \) decays exponentially over time and is given by:
\[ I(t) = I_0 e^{-\frac{R}{L}t} \]
where:
- \( I_0 \) is the initial current through the inductor at \( t = 0 \),
- \( t \) is the time in seconds (s),
- \( \frac{R}{L} \) is the time constant of the circuit.
### Time Constant
The time constant \( \tau \) of the RL circuit is:
\[ \tau = \frac{L}{R} \]
The time constant \( \tau \) represents the time it takes for the current to decrease to approximately 37% of its initial value.
### Voltage Across the Inductor
If you are interested in the voltage \( v_L(t) \) across the inductor, it can be found using:
\[ v_L(t) = L \frac{dI(t)}{dt} \]
Substituting \( I(t) \) into this formula:
\[ v_L(t) = -R I_0 e^{-\frac{R}{L}t} \]
The negative sign indicates that the voltage is opposite in polarity to the initial current direction.
So, the natural response of an RL circuit shows an exponential decay of current and voltage due to the resistance and inductance, with the rate of decay determined by the time constant \( \tau \).