Syllabus MECH 436Lab, American University of Beirut, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Syllabus MECH 436Lab: Control Systems Laboratory Part

(Instructors: Zainab Balhas (zb18@aub.edu.lb) | Lina Kassis (lk35@aub.edu.lb) | Elie Kfouri (ek15@aub.edu.lb) )

A laboratory course which teaches the fundamentals of using Matlab/Simulink to model and analyze linear
time invariant systems and the use of LabVIEW / Quanser in combination with a data acquisition system to
conduct control experiments.

Credit hours:
1 credit hour for lab (and 2 credit hours for lecture)

Textbook:
None

Prerequisites
EECE 210: Electric Circuits
MECH 430: Instrumentation and Measurements

References
Ehrich, N and W. Levine, Using Matlab to Analyze and Design Control Systems. Benjamin/
Cummings, 1995
Woods, R. and K. Lawrence, Modelling and simulation of Dynamic Systems. Prentice Hall, 1997
Cavallo, A., Setola, R., and Vasca, F., Using Matlab Simulink and Control System Toolbox, Prentice Hall,
1996
Ogata, K., Modern Control Engineering Fifth edition, Pearson, 2010
Dord, R., Bishop R., Modern Control Systems eleventh edition, Pearson, 2008

Software/Hardware
Students will use Matlab/Simulink to model and design control systems. LabVIEW is used in combination
with National Instruments Data Acquisition Cards for control experiments.

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 Syllabus MECH 436Lab, American University of Beirut, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Topics
Using Matlab for mathematical operations
Control using Matlab
Block diagrams, root locus, bode plots
Simulink to model and solve control problems
DC motor simulation and control, stability analysis with Routh's stability criterion
Implementing a lead-lag/PID compensator in Simulink
Modeling and System identification of DC Motor
Position and speed control of a DC motor using LabVIEW
Controller design and implementation (PID / Lead / Lag)

Class/laboratory schedule:
180 minutes lab per week:
Section Time Instructor
Section 1 Tuesday 9:30 – 12:15 Zainab Balhas
Section 2 Thursday 12:30 – 15:15 Lina Kassis
Section 3 Friday 12:30 – 15:15 Elie Kfouri

Tentative Schedule
Date Lab
Week 0 Sept 7 No Labs
Week 1 Sept 14 Lab 1: Matlab Control Toolbox (transfer function)
Week 2 Sept 21 Lab 2: Model Based Design in Simulink
Week 3 Sept 28 Lab 3: DC Motor Modeling/Simulation: Open Loop Approach
Week 4 Oct 5 Lab 4: Quanser Qube – Servo System ID
Week 5 Oct 12 Lab 5: DC Motor: Closed Loop Control – root locus method / P
controller
Week 6 Oct 19 Lab 6: PI, PD, and PID Compensation
Week 7 Oct 26 Lab 7: Design and Tuning of an Analog Controller
Week 8 Nov 2 Lab 8: Quanser Qube – Closed Loop Position Control
Week 9 Nov 9 Lab 9: Frequency Response Analysis and Design
Week 10 Nov 16 Project
Week 11 Nov 23 Project
Week 12 Nov 30
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 Syllabus MECH 436Lab, American University of Beirut, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Grading
Entry Weight Note
Lecture 55%
Project 15%
Lab 30% 6 Post-Labs (15%), 3
Quizzes (10%), &
MCQ Quiz (5%)

Course Policy

Assignments
Assignments or Post-Labs are mandatory and graded.

Quizzes & MCQ Final Quiz

The lab has an 3 short quizzes and 1 final multiple choice quiz. The dates will be announced during the
course of the semester. (Tentative dates: week of Sept 28, week of Oct 12, week of Oct 26, and week of
Nov 23).

Project
This course is synchronized with the lecture course which teaches the theoretical background for this course.
Part of the lecture course is a project at the end of the semester. The project will be supported by lab
sessions, but it will be graded for the lecture course only.

Make-up tests and late homework policy

No make-up test will be given for a quiz. Special cases (such as absence with doctor’s notice) will be studied
on an individual basis.

Office Hours
The live office hours will be via Webex. You need to reserve an appointment during the scheduled hours via
a link that will be posted on Moodle. If a need arises, you can agree with your instructor on having office
hours out of the scheduled time slots.

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 Syllabus MECH 436Lab, American University of Beirut, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Live sessions
The lab live sessions will be via Webex and it will cover the first hour of the lab session. The second two
hours will be reserved for you to watch the material for the coming lab offline. Each section will have a
separate invitation.

Resources for the course

Resources for the course include:
Moodle
The instructor; class notes and handouts; your teammates.
The library, the web.

Final Notice
The lab content will be posted on Moodle every week on Tuesday at 9:00 am. We urge you to work on it
during your section time. There will be a one-hour live session every week to discuss the material of the
previous week and make sure that you are all working at the same pace. Each student should attend the live
session at the time of his/her section.