Topic outline

  • General

    This course belongs to the six-pack of the compulsory courses forming the module Common Studies of the MSc program Building Technology. Therefore -- according to the name of the course, Engineering Computation and Simulation -- this course has a twofold goal: providing 

    1. some generic fundamentals concerning computational engineering (1) models, (2) methods and (3) software for civil (or mechanical) engineering students orienting to any direction of advanced studies
    2. a solid foundation for advanced studies for students focusing on (1) analysis and simulation in (civil) engineering, (2) structural design and engineering, (3) building physics or (4) fire safety engineering.


    START & END

    The course starts with a lecture on Tuesday the 24th of October at 12.15 in the lecture hall U1 (in the building Kandidaattikeskus).

    Week 1: no Monday exercises, the course starts with a Tuesday lecture
    Week 7: no other activities than the examination
    Weeks 8 and 9 (until the end of the year): compensating elective Project Works on Topics 8 and 9

    REGISTRATION

    Students are asked to register to the course in the Sisu-system:
    1. Registrate to Course first.
    2. Registrate to Theoretical Exercises by choosing between groups
    • A (max. 36): Thursdays 10--12 and Fridays 12--14
    • B (max. 36): Thursdays 12--14 and Fridays 14--16
    3. Registrate to Computer Exercises by choosing -- independently of the previous choice -- between groups
    • A (max. 61): Mondays 12--14
    • B (max. 30): Mondays 14--16
    Please note, however, that attending Lectures, Theoretical Exercises or Computer Exercises is not compulsory.

    PEOPLE

    Professor-in-Charge: associate professor Jarkko Niiranen

    Lecturer: associate professor Jarkko Niiranen
    Assistants: teaching assistants Markku Malmivuori and Mikhail Koshelev

    LECTURES

    Tuesdays 12--14 in the class U1 (in the building Kandidaattikeskus)
    Thursdays 14--16 in the class R1 (in the building Rakennus- ja ympäristötekniikka)

    EXERCISES

    Theoretical -- Group A: Thursdays 10--12 and Fridays 12--14 (class room sessions, in the hall 202 in the building Konetekniikka 1)
    Theoretical -- Group B: Thursdays 12--14 and Fridays 14--16 (class room sessions, in the hall 202 in the building Konetekniikka 1)
    Computer -- Group A: Mondays 12--14 (class room sessions, in the class Maari C-D in the building Maarintalo)
    Computer -- Group B: Mondays 14--16 (class room sessions, in the class U257 in the building Kandidaattikeskus)

    ACTIONS & WORKLOAD

    It should be noticed that more than 50% of the hours related to the "holy trinity" of teaching--studying--learning is related to independent studying (reading and preparation 26%, theoretical assignments 27%), whereas contact teaching covers the smaller complement (lectures 18%, exercise sessions 27%, examination 2%).

    The following nominal hours (total 133) should guarantee middle range learning outcomes (with the average grade 3, good) for a student with average prerequisites (grade 3, good).

    Contact Teaching -- Lectures 18%:
    - 2 double-hours per week (total 24)
    - attending the lectures: pre-browsing, listening, writing notes, asking etc.
    Contact Teaching -- Theoretical Exercise Sessions 18%:
    - 2 double-hours per week (total 24)
    - advice hours for theoretical hands-on exercises (instructed by the assistants)
    Contact Teaching -- Computer Exercises Sessions 9%: 
    - 1 double-hour per week (total 12)
    - advice sessions for software hands-on exercises (instructed by the assistants)

    Independent Studying -- Reading 18%: 
    - 2 double-hours per week (total 24)
    - self-studies: reading and writing the derivations in the lecture slides and/or textbook
    Independent Studying -- Theoretical Assignments 18%:
    - 4 hours per week (total 24)
    - self-studies for theoretical, hands-on exercises: problem solving, calculating, writing solution documents
    Independent Studying -- Computer Assignments 9%:
    - 2 hours per week (total 12)
    - self-studies for software, hands-on exercises: reading manuals, programming, modeling, preparing solution plots

    Final Exam and Preparation 10%:
    - 3 + 10 hours (total 13)

    LEARNING OUTCOMES

    1. Recognising possibilities, advantages and risks of applying computational methods and simulation tools in engineering problems
    2. Realizing of the role of verification, validation and uncertainty quantification in computational science and engineering
    3. Understanding of the theoretical foundations of the most relevant computer methods applied in civil engineering: finite element methods (FEM), finite difference methods (FDM) and collocations methods (CM)
    4. Ability to apply the most relevant numerical methods in civil engineering by implementing well-structured programs for solving basic engineering problems (FEM, FDM, CM)
    5. Ability to apply the basic civil engineering (FEM) software tools for solving engineering problems from different fields of civil engineering

    EXAMS

    Exam 1 of the course (Dec 5, Tue, 13--16, hall E1) will be a standard class room exam:
    -- nothing else than a pencil (or pen) and an eraser will be allowed
    -- some items of the problems will be mini-essays without any calculations,
    -- some items of the problems will require similar calculations as the weekly theoretical exercises.
    Accordingly, the exam targets at assessing both theoretical understanding and calculation skills and routine but not computer skills.

    Exam 2 (Feb 20) will be similar. No more exams will follow before the next year course.