Teaching Undergraduate Numerical Methods Through a Practical Multibody Dynamics Project

Among the many different approaches to teach engineering subjects, the project-based methodology turns out to be one of the most effective ones. In the field of undergraduate numerical methods, it can overcome some of its inherent difficulties. This paper considers a particular context: a general 90-hour numerical methods subject in an Industrial-Mechanical Engineering degree. The methods are applied to mechanical engineering problems such as matrix structural analysis, finite element method, multibody systems (MBS), harmonic analysis, or optimization. The article suggests how an appropriate formulation and a practical MATLAB™-based project make up a good approach for a short-time practical training on multibody dynamics (MBD) within that subject. The keys to the theoretical lessons and an example of the project are explained thoroughly. The mechanical project has to be rich in numerical methods. MBD and the finite element method fulfill this requirement. The former is chosen in this article. The students know the basics, but they have to learn everything about MBD in very little time. This experience can be useful in other educational contexts. After explaining the approach, some sample assignment exercises are described, as well as a possible way to assess the work of the students. The result of this approach is a reasonable achievement-time tradeoff shown in the solid skills acquired by the students and proven by the experience of the last few years.