Note:

Purpose of the course: Physical systems are becoming increasingly multidisciplinary. Design and development is now viewed as a problem in systems, requiring a systems perspective. This is because subsystem components designed by specialists often do not work as efficiently or as robustly as a comparable system designed in a unified way. So, today's engineer must be technically competent beyond his or her own discipline.

Counts as:

Experimental Course Offered:

Spring 2007

Catalog Description:

In this course, we examine the latest methods in modeling and simulation of complex engineering systems. We use a unified energy-based approach to systematically model systems that are comprised of constrained electrical, mechanical, thermal, and fluid components. Simulation is based on numerical solution of nonlinear differential algebraic equations (DAEs). Systematic modeling is based on DAE forms of Hamilton's and Lagrange's equation. Such DAE forms readily accommodate dissipation, nonholonomic equality constraints, time-varying parameters, nonlinearities, and excess coordinates. We also incorporate such topics as reduced order modeling of finite element models, hybrid systems, genetic programming, and system of systems.

Learning Outcomes:

1. an ability to create systematic, multidisciplinary models using energy functions, virtual work, and constraints of components and systems. [None]
2. an ability to design complex engineered systems in the form of DAEs. [None]
3. an ability to numerically solve and assess the reliability of the resulting DAEs. [None]

Lecture Outline:

Assessment Method:

There will be two midterm exams (2 x 12.5%), a final exam (25%), a term project (25%), and homework & quizzes (25%).