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Web-Based Self-Paced Virtual Prototyping

Tutorials

Rajankumar BhattGraduate Student

rmbhatt@eng.buffalo.edu

Chin Pei TangGraduate Student

chintang@eng.buffalo.edu

Leng-Feng LeeUndergraduate Studentllee3@eng.buffalo.edu

Venkat KroviAssistant Professor

vkrovi@eng.buffalo.edu

Mechanical & Aerospace EngineeringState University of New York at Buffalo

318 Jarvis Hall, Buffalo NY 14260

Automation, Robotics & Mechatronics Laboratory (ARM Lab)http://mechatronics.eng.buffalo.edu

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VP in Engineering Virtual Prototyping (VP) – Simulation-Based

Design (SBD) – has gained popularity in most engineering design processes.

Significant demand from industry for students trained in this methodology.

However, not much room in engineering curriculum permits widespread adoption in the lecture-based classroom currently.

http://www.dynamicdesignermotion.com/

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Tutorials Goal

http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/Courses/mae412/tutorials/index.html

Introduce VP to students in Machines and Mechanism Design

Develop a series of Web-Based Self-Paced Tutorials, permit the students to:

Create engineering analysis models

Develop skills for interactive SBD

Develop engineering judgment

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Conventional Approach

1. Conceptual Design

2. Build Physical Prototype

3. Measure Performance and Test

4. Modify Physical Prototype

5. Manufacture Product

Criteria met?No

Yes

$$$

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Virtual Prototyping

1. Conceptual Design

2. Build Virtual Prototype

3. Measure Performance and Test by Simulation

4. Refine VirtualPrototype

5. Build Physical Prototype

Criteria met?No

Yes

6. Test Physically

7. Manufacture Product

No

Yes

Criteria met?

Less $ !!!

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Why VP now? The availability of low-cost PC based

parametric simulation and analysis tools.

The capability of integrating multiple functionalities into a unified environment.

http://www.dynamicdesignermotion.com/

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Need for Our Tutorials Our students do not have experience with

Operating the CAD application software Analyzing the resulting output

Factors impeding wide-spread adoption of existing tutorials to directly augment the engineering class: The vendors’ tutorials may be targeted at

more experienced user. The overall complexity and time required to

learn these tools. Lack of linkage (to the course material)

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Traditional Approach Concepts and

ideas of mechanism theory are delivered in class-room based lecture.

Mathematical formulation are emphasized.

Approach limits the complexity of the model handled.

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VP Approach

VP allows us to: Quantitatively

analyze complex mechanisms and their motions.

Interactively examine many different alternatives

However, is a “black box” approach

Grashof Non-Grashof

Interactively animate motions of the mechanism

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Our Philosophy

Link Traditional Approach and VP Approach

VP ApproachTraditional Approach

Link

Grashof Non-Grashof

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Implementation

Get familiarized to the tools

Develop engineering judgment skills

Understand various mechanisms

Introduce VP into engineering design process

Build physical systems based on SBD

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3