Simulation Technology in Engineering
Curricula: Opportunities
Rajesh Bhaskaran
Swanson Director of Engineering
Simulation
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Cornell University
Introduction
• Simulation is getting information about how something
will behave without actually testing it in real life
– Involves solving complex mathematical models on the
computer
– Simulation technology also provides visualization
capabilities for developing physical insight
FSAE Race Car Team
AguaClara Team
Introduction
• Technology has advanced rapidly
– Lowered barriers to simulation
– Simulation skills are in great demand in
industry
• However, schools are struggling to embed
simulation into core engineering curricula
– How to make time for simulation in a crowded
curriculum?
– Faculty unfamiliar with industry-standard tools
– Lack of appropriate content to integrate tools
into courses
– Software is evolving
Introduction
• At Cornell, we have made
strides in embedding
simulation in the curriculum
– Teach students effective
use
– Enhance learning of
fundamentals
• Enabled by Swanson
Engineering Simulation
Program
– Supports one full-time nontenure track faculty
Simulation in Cornell Courses
• ANSYS simulation tools are being used in
– 10 Mechanical & Aero courses in solid
mechanics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer and
numerical methods
– Undergraduate and graduate courses
– Lecture and lab courses
• Broad use enabled by the SimCafe wiki
Simulation in Required Mechanical &
Aero Courses
Course
Type
Enrollment
Software
1.
Mechanical Structures
Junior
140
ANSYS Mech.
2.
Heat Transfer
Junior
140
ANSYS Mech.
3.
Mechanical Lab
Junior
140
ANSYS Mech.
4.
Thermo-fluids Lab
Senior
120
ANSYS
FLUENT
Simulation in Elective Mechanical &
Aero Courses
Course
Type
Enroll- Software
ment
1.
Intermediate Fluid Dynamics Undergrad/M.Eng
50
ANSYS FLUENT
2.
Finite-Element Analysis
Undergrad/M.Eng
40
ANSYS Mech.
3.
Musculoskeletal
Biomechanics
Undergrad/M.Eng
20
ANSYS Mech.
4.
Advanced Heat Transfer
Ph.D./M.Eng
30
ANSYS Mech.
5.
Biofluids
Ph.D.
15
ANSYS FLUENT
6.
Turbulent Flows
Ph.D.
30
ANSYS FLUENT
Cornell Project Teams using ANSYS
Simulation Tools
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Formula SAE racing
Baja SAE racing
Violet satellite
AIAA Design-Build-Fly
Cornell rocketry
Concrete canoe
Steel bridge
AguaClara
Cornell Research Groups using ANSYS
Simulation Tools
• Bhaskaran: CFD for preoperative planning in ENT
surgeries
• Desjardines, Koch: Multi-phase
flow
• Zehnder: Wind turbines
• Fisher: Cookstove
• Williamson: Vortex dynamics
• Zhang: Pollutant dispersion,
building energy
• Garcia: Wind energy
Cornell Research Groups using ANSYS
Simulation Tools
• Space Sciences: CCAT, 25meter telescope in Chile
• Butcher (BME):
Developmental bioengineering
• Lal (ECE): MEMS
• Tester (ChE): Geothermal
energy
• Baeumner (BEE): Biosensors
• Shen (Physics): Condensed
matter physics
SimCafe Wiki
• Collection of simulation learning modules
available for free at simcafe.org
• Contains over 40 modules from courses,
project teams and research
• Used in courses at Cornell and other
universities
• Used by students for supplementary learning
• Vision: Grow this into a central e-learning
portal
– Avoid duplication and reinvention
SimCafe Module: Example
Temperature
• Forced convection
in a pipe
– Heat Transfer lab
– Required course
– ~ 120 students
• Students compare
experiment &
simulation
Experiment
Simulation
Reynolds no. 100,820
100,820
Nusselt no.
185
192
Friction
factor
.0180±.003
.0168
SimCafe Module: Example
• Students learn simulation
through tutorial
• Background presented in
lab by TA
• Students successfully
performed simulation
SimCafe Learning Framework
• Challenge: Students are not just
following a recipe
• Strategy: Provide consistent learning
structure that foregrounds critical
thinking
- Being used in ten diverse courses
• Required steps in each tutorial:
– Verification & Validation
– Pre-Analysis
• Major aspects of “expert thinking”
are embedded in these steps
SimCafe Usage Statistics
July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013
FEA using
ANSYS
Mechanical
59,000
CFD using
ANSYS
FLUENT
73,000
No. of countries
Average no. of pages per
visit
Average visit duration
140
5
139
5
7 minutes
8 minutes
% of visitors who returned
56%
55%
No. of unique visitors
Over 100,000 unique visitors from 140 countries
Increase of 18% from prior academic year
SimCafe Usage
Top 5 Countries
Country
FEA Modules
% of Visits
Country
CFD Modules
% of Visits
United States
India
23
17
India
United States
17
16
United Kingdom
Germany
5
4
United Kingdom
Turkey
8
7
Italy
3
Malaysia
4
SimCafe is being used in courses at U Texas at Austin, UC
Irvine, Milwaukee School of Engineering etc.
Opportunity
• Students benefit greatly from integration of simulation into
engineering education
• Engineering education is changing rapidly
– E-learning
– Simulation
– SimCafe merges both aspects
• Exciting opportunity: Democratization of simulation
• Special instructional support personnel are key enablers
– “Director of Simulation”
• Other necessary resources: Software, hardware, IT support
• Alumni support is critical to enable engineering colleges to
respond to these trends