The second-order systems can capture the dynamics of a vast majority of industrial processes. However, the existence of
uncertainty in second-order approximation of such processes is inevitable because the approximation may not be accurate
or the operating condition changes, resulting in performance degradation or even instability. This article aims at designing
a novel robust proportional–integral–derivative controller for the uncertain second-order delay-free and time-delay
systems in an optimal manner. The method is simple, effective, and can efficiently improve the performance of the uncertain
systems. The approach is based on the linear quadratic theory, in which by adding a new matrix in the quadratic cost
function regarding the uncertainties, the stability of the perturbed system is guaranteed and proven for both time-delay and
delay-free second-order cases. The comparison with the recent works in the literature supports the effectiveness of the
proposed methodology.