Ansys grant allows Trine engineering faculty to expand simulation-based learning

Trine University has received grant funding from Ansys, an engineering simulation and 3D design software company, to expand simulation-based learning across key mechanical and aerospace engineering courses.

Led by principal investigators Gurudutt Chandrashekar, Ph.D., and Rizacan Sarikaya, Ph.D., both associate professors in the university’s Wade Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the initiative integrates Ansys Fluent, Workbench and Discovery into the curriculum to give students hands-on experience with the tools used by engineers in industry.

Ansys Fluent is a computational fluid dynamics application used to simulate physics phenomena such as fluid flow and heat transfer. Ansys Discovery is 3D-simulation software that combines physics simulation, high-fidelity simulation and interactive geometry modeling.

Ansys Workbench integrates multiple Ansys tools into a single environment.

The applications will be used in the following classes:

• Fluid Dynamics. Students will simulate combined Couette–Poiseuille flow to study velocity gradients and wall shear stress.
• Heat Transfer. Students will model the transient cooling of a quenched sphere.
• Mechanical Measurements: Students will compare experimental pipe-flow pressure-drop data with Ansys Fluent results, directly linking laboratory testing to computational modeling.
• Aero Materials: Fatigue testing will be performed using a rotating fatigue machine to generate S–N curves for steel, aluminum and brass. The data will then be imported into Ansys to conduct a fatigue analysis of an aircraft wing spar, allowing students to visualize fatigue-prone areas and understand how cyclic loading affects structural life.
• Mechanical Engineering Design I and II: Senior design students use Ansys Discovery and Workbench to optimize the AIAA Design-Build-Fly aircraft and Shell Eco-marathon vehicle, improving structural strength, aerodynamics and weight efficiency.

“These activities all help students bridge theory, experimentation, and simulation-based design,” said Dr. Chandrashekar.

Trine University received a $4,250 grant for 2025-26 and a $4,500 grant for 2024-25.

Ansys allows educators to submit proposals to create innovative curricula or improve existing courses in undergraduate engineering departments by implementing Ansys simulation tools.