University of Maine's Brunswick Engineering Program Implements PTC software in Curriculum

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Alex Friess Ph.D. Brunswick Engineering Program, University of Maine, May 2013

PTC Creo, together with computational software (PTC Mathcad, among others), contributes the “simulate” in the “theory – simulation – experimentation” philosophy of the BEP to provide multiple learning modes to the students. Simulation in the first year is restricted to static solid modeling (in addition to computational modeling of mathematical and physical components, carried out with the computational software used in the program), however in future developments the use will be expanded to include strength and motion simulations (primarily for second year students). PTC University Precision LMS has proven to be effective to teach the software in a standard classroom and studio environment, and future CAD (computer-aided design) course development will further extend application of PTC University Precision LMS to a “flipped classroom” mode.

The BEP places strong emphasis on CAD instruction to not be simply a “learn how to use the software” process, but rather only teach the necessary software skills to facilitate a rapid transition towards self-learning and using the software to help in synthesizing other learning.

PTC® Creo® and PTC® University Precision LMS in the Brunswick Engineering Program Integrated Curriculum

PTC Creo in combination with PTC University Precision LMS has been proven to be a winning combination to achieve this goal.

Introduction

The Brunswick Engineering Program was started by the University of Maine in 2012 to provide an additional and unique entry point into the higher education system for aspiring engineers at the Mid-Coast Maine region. The program delivers the first two years of the Mechanical, Electrical, Computer and Civil Engineering degrees in Brunswick, after which the students transition to the main campus in Orono to finish their degrees in their respective home departments. An advantage of the BEP is that it delivers the foundational mathematics and science courses in an integrated fashion, that presents the mathematics and science in the context of engineering applications. A principal goal of this curriculum is to present the material using multiple learning modes (theory – simulation – experimentation form).

PTC Creo and PTC University Precision LMS have been successfully applied in the University of Maine’s Brunswick Engineering Program (BEP) integrated curriculum. PTC Creo constitutes the primary design tool of a design centered first and second year curriculum, and provides the necessary environment for the successful deployment of project and problem based pedagogy.


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The BEP is a program that caters to 4 different degree programs, and thus the nature of the first semester engineering courses cannot be discipline specific (such as “Introduction to Mechanical Engineering”, or

“Civil Engineering Computing”). The BEP curriculum relies on engineering design as the common denominator between disciplines, which in turn provides an ideal environment to implement student centered pedagogy. This approach manifests in exploratory exercises (a series of first and second year

“cornerstone” experiences) while at the same time cultivating important skills such as communication and teamwork.

In order to fully explore the design dimension of the curriculum, computer aided design software is introduced during the first semester, and PTC Creo was selected as the principal CAE vehicle.

Design Focus

The PTC Creo components are delivered during semester 1 in the course IEN120 “Engineering Studio 1” (3ch). The course during the first two weeks introduces the engineering profession, and then transitions into engineering design, first via orthographic and isometric hand sketching exercises, and subsequently to 3D parametric Solid Modeling using PTC Creo. The hand sketching exercises are introduced prior to using software to help students develop the relationship between 3D objects and 2D representations, and to support the teamwork and design techniques modules delivered in parallel. Students learn how to discuss engineering designs by sketching and communicating their ideas.

The formal PTC Creo instruction is carried out with the help of PTC University Precision LMS, and is intended to be a starting point for the students ongoing and increasingly independent honing of their CAD skills. PTC University Precision LMS has proven highly suitable to implement this ongoing self- study, and allows for lecture time to focus on the basic principles rather than providing an exhaustive software-specific training.

The specific modules in the PTC Creo training include:

• Sketching and design intent

• PTC Creo part mode

- Extrusions

- Revolves

- Sweeps and blends

- Holes, patterns and feature manipulations

• PTC Creo assembly mode

• PTC Creo Drawing mode

• PTC Creo Mechanism introduction

These components are taught with the help of the respective PTC University Precision LMS sections contained primarily in the “Introduction to PTC Creo Parametric 2.0: Fundamentals”, “Productivity” and

“Advanced Modeling” modules.

The class format for the direct instruction (each class) consists of a mini-lecture outlining and/or demonstrating the concept that is covered in the class, followed by one or more in-class assignments (individual) for the students to apply the concept. It is expected that the students have at least reviewed the class material assigned on PTC University Precision LMS before each class. This rather traditional approach to learning CAD was applied during the first iteration of the course, and represents the starting point for a “flipped classroom” approach, to be developed incrementally over the next iterations of the course1.

The exercises carried out by the students in class follow the exercises presented in PTC University Precision LMS, and are expanded with additional parts presented in class. The project however departs from the PTC University Precision LMS projects due to the integrated nature of the course, which steers the project towards a joint project with the other integrated class (Integrated engineering 1).

1 Flipping the classroom: PTC University Precision LMS’s comprehensive library and video library very easily adapt to providing a flipped classroom and peer instruction environment. This implies that students or teams of students are assigned certain learning modules that they then have to teach the rest of the class during regular class time. This approach will be incrementally introduced starting in the second iteration of the course.


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First Semester Project

The project chosen here builds on previous design work carried out on a Rube Goldberg sequence. During the initial weeks of the semester, students were challenged to implement the engineering design sequence (up to conceptual level) in a teamwork environment, in the form of a conceptual Rube Goldberg (RG) design (in this exercise graphical communication was based on hand sketches). While many more RG steps were discussed during this exercise, the capability to freely arrange stages that represent different physical processes without destroying the “meaning” and realism of the project, implies that a custom tailored project can be composed that is maintained at the adequate level of complexity and incorporates all physical components of interest. In particular, the physical components of interest reflected applications of large portions of the material presented theoretically during the semester, including2:

• Differential calculus

• Newtonian Mechanics

• Programming and numerical simulation

Choosing a particular sequence of Rube Goldberg steps allows exposure to all of these components, while at the same time providing a free-form design environment with a range of design variables that can be custom tailored by the faculty to force an exploration of the design space. The backbone for the development of the design was the PTC Creo platform. The project chosen here consisted of the following steps:

• A ball is launched from a projectile launcher into a cylindrical tube.

• The ball rolls down the tube and impacts a mini-car, causing the car to start down a ramp.

• The mini-car impacts the handle of a hammer, causing the hammer to pivot and fall, driving in a nail.

This project introduces the simulation and experimentation learning modes for the theoretical material listed above, and stimulates development of teamwork and time management skills (there were teamwork components as well as specific organizational tasks such as Gantt charts, and design reviews).

The experimental component was introduced by building the device designed by the students and testing the performance predictions made at the end of the project.

The CAD task:

Due to the prescribed materials to be used (PASCO structures set) for the final construction of the ramp, the CAD task was composed of two steps:

• Detailed modeling of all necessary components of the structures hardware kit

• Apply the design process (supported by the numerical performance simulations) to design the optimum solution. This implies assembling the final design (and any previous design variations) using the pre-made PTC Creo parts3.

2 These are the high level components; based on them, a series of learning outcomes and performance indicators were defined to compose and assess the project.

3 at this point, and due to the early stage of the students, no direct simulations were carried out (these will be applied in subsequent applications).


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The final CAD deliverable was a full 3D model of the ramp as designed by the students. This ramp was then built and tested by each student to assess the quality of the performance prediction.

Figure 4: Solid model of Pratt Truss.

This joint first semester project represents an excellent example of the Theory - Simulation - Experimentation approach by providing multiple learning modes of mathematical and physical theory. PTC Creo is learned and accepted as a valuable design tool - this transition from “I need to learn a complex tool” to “I am applying a familiar tool to help me in my design task” was carried out smoothly with this project-centered learning approach, and provides the starting point for similar projects throughout the student’s time at the BEP.

Figure 2: Solid model of assembled ramp and detail of run out.

Figure 3: Assembled ramp about to undergo testing.

Different length connector beams (family table used to create family of beams)

Half round connector

Full round connector

Figure 1: Example: solid models of different PASCO structures kit components to be used in ramp construction.


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Subsequent Semester Applications

PTC Creo continues to be applied as a design tool in year one. In particular Engineering Studio 2 builds on the already modeled structural components for the Rube Goldberg ramp to design a truss bridge. This (once again common) project has a lesser design component and more of a computational one, as the focus is to correctly predict the forces in each truss (Pratt, Warren and Howe trusses are treated); however the modeling of these bridges represents the precursor step to applying PTC Creo Simulate, which is an envisioned activity for semester 4.

Figure 5: Pratt truss undergoing load testing.

Summary and Conclusion

The use of PTC Creo as the solid modeling backbone of the BEP’s integrated first and second year engineering curriculum has been shown to be successful in year one. The transition from learning a CAD tool to being able to productively use a CAD tool was smooth and quick, thanks to the extensive PTC University Precision LMS possibilities for students, and due to the rapid shift in focus (again, only possible due to the PTC University Precision LMS tools) from “learning mode” to “application mode”. Student satisfaction with this hands-on approach is very high.

Having established a successful baseline for CAD instruction in an integrated environment, the second year will offer opportunities to revisit the pedagogy of learning CAD by extending the flipped classroom model, and also open simulation opportunities for second year students.

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University of Maine's Brunswick Engineering Program Implements PTC software in Curriculum