Unit name | Principles of Numerical Analysis and Research Software Development for Composite Materials |
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Unit code | AENGM0046 |
Credit points | 10 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. O'Donnell |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
Prior knowledge of linear algebra and partial differential equations. |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of Aerospace Engineering |
Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
The unit will introduce students to programming concepts and how best to apply them to the successful analysis of composites with a research focus. It assumes no prior experience of computer programming as this unit is aimed at students from a variety of backgrounds undertaking the Advanced Composites PhD or MSc. Programming skills will be developed through completing various exercises covering commonly encountered numerical analysis techniques. The project culminates with the application of several analysis techniques to understand the behaviour of composite structures. Here, they are required to report on the advantages/limitations of these approaches. Throughout the course the students will be exposed to “best practice” regarding software development and the use of high-performance computing and research data storage. Validation and critical evaluation of their own code, and evaluation of their peer’s coding, is built into the assessment format to highlight its importance.
The unit will comprise of self-paced learning working through a series of examples provided from CENG25200. These will be supported by seminar type sessions where key aspects of the numerical techniques can be discussed. Students will be directed towards online tutorials and documentation in order to support the development of self-study skills. As part of their preparations for conducting research the students will attend seminar sessions covering version control, the use of HPC facilities, and managing their data storage.
Upon completion the unit aims for students to have:
1) A comprehension of the fundamentals of programming demonstrated through their ability to work collaboratively as part of a small group, self-organise and review code contributions for both technical and experimental correctness. This will be achieved through understanding of and implementation of several coding task covering the following:
2) The ability to analyse a composite structure using several different numerical techniques. Students will analyse the structure and compare the results obtained critically. This will allow the students to highlight the limitations/advantages of each approach. In doing so students will need to appraise the underlying mathematics. They will gain knowledge of how to present critical analysis in a collaborative manner. To aid in completing these broader goals the students will consider the following topics:
Upon successful completion of this unit students will have
This unit will comprise of 8-10 seminar hours and 4-6 hours lectures.
Summative assessment is comprised of two coursework submissions: