Engineering Design and Simulation

Welcome to Introduction to Engineering Design, the first course in the Engineering Design and Simulation Program. This course will give you a comprehensive overview of the engineering design workflow through the power of modeling and simulation, using the example of a quadcopter.

In this first course, you will navigate and run existing models. Building on this foundation, you will inspect simulation results to observe the system's behavior changes. Whether you are an engineer modeling every day, or part of a larger design team who wants to experiment and understand more about the tools in use, you will find these skills valuable.

An essential aspect of the course is mastering the interpretation of simulation results. You will learn to effectively analyze and draw meaningful conclusions from the simulation outputs, enhancing your engineering design capabilities.

By the end of this course, you will know how to navigate Simulink, run simulations, and analyze results while gaining the ability to break down complex systems into subsystems and interpret simulation outputs for effective engineering design.

No prior modeling experience is required. Simulink and Simscape, industry-leading block diagram environments, are used throughout the courses to teach fundamental modeling workflows. You will be provided with a free license for the duration of the program.

Welcome to Modeling the Quadcopter Airframe, the second course in the Engineering Design and Simulation Program. In this course, you will gain the skills to model the mechanical subsystems, analyze flight dynamics, and refine your designs using simulations.

Building upon the foundation established in the first course of the program, this course focuses on breaking down the complex quadcopter system into smaller, more manageable subsystems. You will learn the mechanical part of the quadcopter, known as the airframe subsystem, and simulate its flight behavior. You will model free-body diagrams and mathematical equations into block diagrams through a step-by-step approach, enabling a detailed analysis of the quadcopter’s flight dynamics. To accurately represent the physical system and model the mathematical equations involved in the quadcopter’s motion, you will utilize Simulink and Simscape, powerful tools used in industry for modeling physical systems.

To reinforce your learning, you will have the chance to practice your skills with an additional project. You will model the car's suspension system and analyze the effects of changing passenger loads on the ride quality under various road conditions. This practical application will further enhance your modeling and analysis skills.

By the end of this course, you will balance the upward thrust of the propellers against the downward force of gravity to see your quadcopter take flight.

No prior modeling experience is required. Simulink and Simscape, industry-leading block diagram environments, are used throughout the courses to teach fundamental modeling workflows. You will be provided with a free license for the duration of the program.

Welcome to Modeling the Quadcopter Electromechanical System, the third course in the Engineering Design and Simulation Program. This course introduces the electrical part of the system to model the battery and the transfer of electrical energy to power the mechanical components powering the flight of the quadcopter.

Building upon the foundations established in the first two courses of the program, this course takes you further in refining the quadcopter system model. You will model the quadcopter’s electromechanical components, which include the battery, motor, and propeller. By simulating the behavior of these components, we will determine if they are sufficient to lift the quadcopter off the ground. You will construct multidomain models, which combine multiple engineering disciplines, such as mechanical and electrical. Prebuilt blocks containing essential physics will be introduced to simplify the modeling process. This approach provides engineers with the right level of detail to evaluate a design without spending time to derive every aspect from scratch.

To further explore the system’s behavior, you will run a parameter sweep, characterizing the performance of the electromechanical system under various conditions. This analysis will provide critical insights into optimizing the quadcopter’s design.

The course project focuses on modeling and simulating the dynamics of a hydraulic braking system. Using an incremental modeling approach, you will start with a starter model and gradually add more functionality while varying the applied brake pressure. This practical project will deepen your understanding of complex system behavior and enhance your modeling and simulation skills.

By the end of this course, you will have acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to model and simulate the electromechanical system of the quadcopter. You will understand how to visualize the behavior of complex models through measurements and simulations, enabling you to make informed design decisions.

No prior modeling experience is required. Simulink and Simscape, industry-leading block diagram environments, are used throughout the courses to teach fundamental modeling workflows. You will be provided with a free license for the duration of the program.