Course syllabus

Course-PM

PPU191 Engineering design and optimization lp1 HT25 (7.5 hp). 

The course is offered by the Department of Industrial and Materials Science

Course purpose

The course aims at integrating traditional design methodologies with concepts and techniques of modern optimization theory and practice. With the approach and instilled knowledge, the students are expected to create design solutions that are creative and have better performance than traditional conservative methods. Furthermore, the course aims to:

• Demonstrate a selection of different tools and methods for optimization of mechanical products and structures
• Design for improvement of components in products and mechanical systems by bridging detailed design and creative side of the design process in a systematic way
• Demonstrate the iterative nature of the development chain including modeling-analysis-test
• Use and familiarize students with modern CAE tools
• Incorporate material selection as a part of the product development process

Learning objectives 

• Master the complete development chain including modelling-analyses-test-evaluation
• Identify areas for improvement in a product design
• Identify and choose appropriate material alternatives for a product
• Apply previously-learned design methods and tools to practical problems
• Create appropriate simulation models of the design problem
• Use Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools to design and simulate product performance
• Apply previous knowledge in mathematics and mechanics to formulate and solve optimization problems.
• Formulate design optimization problems based on project or product requirements
• Apply numerical optimization techniques and computer tools to solve optimization problems
• Select an appropriate algorithm based on problem specification
• Calculate one iteration from different gradient based algorithms
• Handle multiple objectives and system in a single optimization
• Integrate robustness and reliability in the optimization formulation
• Interpret optimization results for design decision making (e.g., material selection, geometry, manufacturing, production)
• Create CAE drawings for use with three-dimensional printing tools
• Iterate on design solutions to continually improve a product's design and performance
• Communicate design solutions, including rationales for a given choice, advantages, and disadvantages over alternatives

Prerequisites

• CAD
• Machine Elements, Applied Mechanics, or similar
• FEM
• Programming in Python
• Material science
• Manufacturing technology
• Mechanics
• Solid mechanics 

Course literature

The main literature in the course is:

•  Engineering Design Optimization by Joaquim R. R. A. Martins and Andrew Ning (ISBN: 9781108833417). Available free online

Additional sources include:

• Papalambros & Wilde: Principles of Optimal Design, 2nd Edition. 2000 ISBN 0-521-62727-3. Available as an e-book through Chalmers library
• Christensen & Klarbring: An Introduction to Structural Optimization, 2009. Available as an e-book through Chalmers library
• Bendsoe & Sigmund: Topology Optimization: Theory, Methods, and Applications, 2004. Available as an e-book through Chalmers library
• Selected research articles - provided on Canvas 

Schedule

The schedule is available in the file Schedule_2025_v03.

Course design 

The course is divided into 16 lectures over the course of 8 weeks. Project assignments will reinforce the lecture material through design tasks that reflect the content of the lectures leading up to them. The lecture topics are as follows:

Lecture	Title	Lecturer
1	Course intro & general engineering approach	GA
2	Applied mechanics Part 1 (of 3)	HJ
3	Introduction to optimization	GA
4	Modelling for Optimization	GA
5	Applied Mechanics Part 2 (of 3)	HJ
6	Material Selection in Design	GA
7	Optimization Algorithms and tools Part 1 (of 3)	GA
8	Optimization Algorithms and tools Part 2 (of 3)	GA
9	Optimization Algorithms and tools Part 3 (of 3)	GA
10	Applied Mechanics Part 3 (of 3)	HJ
11	Multi-objective optimization & Trade-off Analysis	GA
12	Multi-System Optimization	KB
13	Quality and Uncertainty	GA
14	Reverse Engineering	GA, KB
15	Concept and Embodiment design	GA
16	Course recap	GA

Guest Lectures:

Three guest lectures from the industry are scheduled and will be held online.  Mandatory to attend and reflect on two out of three guest lectures.

X1 – Intro to ANSYS Topological Optimization, Magnus Gustafsson, EDR Medeso

X2 - Topology optimization in automotive, Harald Hasselblad, VCC

X2 – Engineering Optimization in Practice, Petter Andersson, GKN

Workshops - Flipped classroom

There will be scheduled workshops to reinforce concepts from the lectures and to support your work in the assignments. 

1. Applied Optimization - Ansys
2. Optimization using Python
3. Response Surface Modelling
4. MOO using Python
5. Robustness and Reliability 
6. Optimization Examples 
7. Examples and Exam question

Project Assignments

There will be three project assignments throughout the course focusing on the later stages of design. In the assignments, students will work in groups of two (pairs). To achieve positive cross-over effects, students in a group should be enrolled in different MSc programs.

PA 1 - The Cantilever Challenge
Design, build, and test a cantilever beam over two iterations ending with a live competition. Who will achieve the highest performance and win the challenge?

PA 2 – Materials selection and design optimization
Optimization of a structural lug considering material selection, failure modes, and sizing.

PA 3 – MOO - Multi-Objective Optimization
Continuation of the structural lug optimization using Multi-Objective Optimization

Changes made since the last occasion

The course has been updated the structure by including additional time allocated to calculations and optimization examples.

Location

Lectures and workshops will be held at different locations on the Johanneberg campus. Check the schedule before each lecture. 

Examination form

The examination is based on four parts 

Written final exam (Grade 5, 4, 3, Fail): One written examination, covering all the theory and material from the lectures, guest lectures, recommended readings, and workshops.

Midterm exam (Max 4 bonus points for the exam) - Online in Canvas

Three approved assignments (Pass/Fail)

Attended compulsory guest lectures and write a short reflection (1 bonus point for the exam for all 2).

Each assignment is graded on a scale of (not passed/passed). The projects will be worth 3 credits (1,1,1) of the student’s individual course grade, and the exams will be worth 4.5 credits. Bonus points from the midterm exam and guest lectures (if such is given) are valid for the first regular examination and are included in the final score after passing the exam. If students are not able to attend and review two out of three compulsory guest lectures, a complimentary review will be assigned. 

Contact details

The organization of the course is as follows:

Dr. Gauti Asbjörnsson Examiner, lecturer gauti@chalmers.se	Varun Gowda Course administration & supervisor varung@chalmers.se
Alex Pradas Course supervisor alejandro.pradas@chalmers.se	Dr. Kanishk Bhadani Lecturer kanishk@chalmers.se
Dr. Håkan Johansson Lecturer hakan.johansson@chalmers.se	Dr. Harald Hasselblad, VCC Guest lecturer harald.hasselblad@volvocars.com
Petter Andersson, GKN Guest lecturer petter.andersson@gknaerospace.com	Magnus Gustafsson, EDR Medeso Guest lecturer magnus.gustafsson@edrmedeso.com

Course evaluation committee

MPPDE  adityabj3@gmail.com   Aditya Bandari Jagannath

MPDES  hannabi@student.chalmers.se  Hanna Birgersson

MPPDE  feldtaxel@gmail.com    Axel Feldt

MPPDE  viktor.larssonrosen@gmail.com  Viktor Larsson Rosén

MPPDE  talhafcrit@gmail.com    Mohammed Talha