Development of a tunable dynamic-braking control model

As technology progresses, ever more reliable and maintenance-free systems must be developed in order to keep up with the constantly growing demand in automation. A field where this necessity becomes all the more noticeable is the world of power electronics. Any newly designed machine has to be thoroughly tested through all of its possible states before it is deemed ready for deployment. This process is usually very expensive, both in terms of time and in terms of resources, considering the wear on components and the long and tedious procedures to be followed. This work has the aim of finding a possible solution to this situation through the development of a tunable dynamic braking strategy, which would then be implemented as part of a test bench, exploiting a resistive element for electrical power dissipation and therefore braking torque generation. In particular, the precise control of MOSFETs through a pulse-width modulated signal output by a microcontroller board will allow for fine adjustments of the braking torque, thus granting precise control of the power dissipated by the braking resistor through duty cycle manipulation. Furthermore, the implementation of a PID control strategy will then close the system's loop, allowing rapid and automatic adjustments of its characteristics in response to any variation of the working scenario. The final model confirms the hypothesized behavior, providing a prototype for a new dynamic braking model which greatly reduces component deterioration and offers a precise and automated control on the testing procedure.