A Multidisciplinary Control Systems Laboratory

Abstract

The hallmark of the newly configured Rowan College of Engineering undergraduate program is multidisciplinary education with a laboratory emphasis. The development of a new multidisciplinary control laboratory upholds our hallmark very well. We attempt to address the demand of industry for acquiring control engineers (1) with a broad set of skills and a comprehension of the diverse practical applications of control and (2) who can move across rather artificial program boundaries with great ease. Twelve multidisciplinary experiments that integrate hands-on experience and software simulation are investigated. This enables electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering students to learn the fundamental theory and physical implementation of various types of control systems. The first four experiments deal with different first order systems and emphasize their mathematical equivalence. The next two experiments expose the students to Proportional, Integral and Derivative (PID) control using both a DC motor and feedback process control. Performance analyses and the use of instrumentation in control are the fundamentals of the next two experiments. The last four experiments deal with real systems like an engine, helicopter, ball and beam and an anti-lock brake system. Details of an experiment on a first order system are given. Introduction The control systems laboratory is an integrated effort by the Faculty of Engineering at Rowan University to configure a novel hands-on method of teaching Control Systems from a multidisciplinary point of view. The Electrical, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering programs are joining together to achieve this. Although Control is an interdisciplinary technology, there has historically been a tendency for the different engineering departments to teach the subject from their very own somewhat narrow perspective without any semblance of collaboration. This project attempts to address the demand of industry for acquiring control engineers with a broad set of skills and a comprehension of the diverse practical applications of Control [1].