Analysis of Rectifier Filter Circuits

The analysis of wave forms in circuits containing rectifier is in reality a study of transient conditions which repeat cyclically. This paper presents a method of solution for such circuits by means of Fourier series, assuming initially a perfect rectifier with sinusoidal applied voltage. It shows, for cases in which the rectifier conducts current continuously, that the curve of voltage output from rectifier to d-c load consists of sinusoidal segments, and that the series for this voltage can be used, term by term, to find the current series. In some circuits the rectifier conducts current for only a portion of the cycle; in such cases the voltage curve consists of sinusoidal parts joined by sections of other forms. Wave forms are found by computation for several typical circuits, and verified by oscillograms.