The Response of Electrical Networks to Non-Sinusoidal Periodic Waves

This paper presents a method of obtaining the steady-state solution for the current when a nonsinusoidal periodic voltage wave is applied to the circuit. The idea of obtaining an exponential equation for a nonsinusoidal steady-state current wave is not new, but the methods of obtaining it have been long and cumbersome. This paper shows a method of direct attack which yields the final result quickly and easily. One cycle of the steady-state voltage is all that is used and the solution follows the ordinary differential-equation method of obtaining the transient. However, the integration constants for the steady-state solution are obtained by equating the current at the end of one cycle, or part of a cycle, to the current at the beginning of the next part, and the final result is thus obtained.