MESH ANALYSIS

Mesh Analysis

Mesh analysis is the method that is used to solve planar circuits for the currents at any place in the circuit. We first note that the mesh current method is only applicable for “planar” circuits.


Planar circuits have no crossing wires when drawn on a plane. Often, by redrawing a circuit which appears to be non-planar, you can determine that it is in fact, planar.


Mesh analysis works by arbitrarily assigning mesh currents in the essential meshes (also referred to as independent meshes). An essential mesh is a loop in the circuit that does not contain any other loop.


A mesh current is a current that loops around the essential mesh and the equations are set solved in terms of them. A mesh current may not correspond to any physically flowing

current, but the physical currents are easily found from them.

Mesh Analysis with Current Sources

In mesh analysis there are two cases we need to consider:


Case 1- A current sources exist only in one mesh

- Set the mesh currentt = current source


Case 2- A current source between two meshes are called

supermesh









A supermesh occurs when a current source is contained between two essential meshes. The circuit is first treated as if the current source is not there. This leads to one equation that incorporates two mesh currents. Once this equation is formed, an equation is needed that relates the two mesh currents with the current source. This will be an equation where the current source is equal to one of the mesh currents minus the other.

Mesh Analysis without Current Sources

1. Assign mesh currents to the meshes. Assume mesh current flows clockwise.






2.Apply KVL