Simulation Technology in Engineering Curricula Opportunities Rajesh Bhaskaran

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 Agua. Clara 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 Sim. Cafe 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 Agua. Clara

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, 25 meter telescope in Chile • Butcher (BME): Developmental bioengineering • Lal (ECE): MEMS • Tester (Ch. E): Geothermal energy • Baeumner (BEE): Biosensors • Shen (Physics): Condensed matter physics

Sim. Cafe 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

Sim. Cafe 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 Nusselt no. 185 192 Friction factor . 0180±. 003 . 0168

Sim. Cafe Module: Example • Students learn simulation through tutorial • Background presented in lab by TA • Students successfully performed simulation

Sim. Cafe 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

Sim. Cafe 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

Sim. Cafe 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 Sim. Cafe 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 – Sim. Cafe 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