Development and implementation of a control strategy for a hybrid power train system in a classroom setting

The project, a bench-scale hybrid electric powertrain system, is designed, analyzed and fabricated by students in six modules, starting in their sophomore year and culminating in their final semester as seniors. This complex project has been selected in order to integrate the core mechanical engineering courses: Mechanical Design, Thermodynamics, System Dynamics and Control, and Fluid Mechanics. A bench-scale hybrid-electric vehicle powertrain has sufficient complexity to involve all Mechanical Engineering disciplines and the simplicity to be built by students over the course of five semesters. The work is designed to test two hypotheses: 1. A long- Term design project that integrates knowledge from multiple courses strengthens student knowledge retention. 2. A large-scale design project requiring tools from many courses improves student problem-solving and design skills. By integrating five semesters of the mechanical engineering curriculum into a cohesive whole, this project has the potential to transform the way undergraduate education is delivered. Before and after testing is being conducted to assess: A) Change in retention between courses and b) Change in student problem-solving and design skills. Students at Rowan University have built almost all of the "hardware" for the HPT (air engine, planetary gearset, tachometer, etc.) in earlier semesters. The control system is the "capstone" for the five-semester design project, which has been described in an earlier publication [1]. This paper describes the development of the "faculty prototype" of the control system, and gives preliminary results of implementing the control system design project in the classroom.