UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

ST. AUGUSTINE
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

CHNG 2003 – Computer Aided Engineering 2010-2011

SIMULINK Tutorial

Objective:

The aim of this lab is to translate each model equation into a sequence of blocks, and to
connect them in the appropriate way to form a “system.” The variables in the equations
become signals that vary with time. Most Simulink blocks perform mathematical
operations on input signals to generate one or more output signals.

Example 1

Modeling an algebraic equation

For example, consider the linear equation, y = mx + b, where m and b are constants. Suppose
m=2, and b=3. Let x be an independent function of time. Given x, you could easily calculate the
dependent variable, y, without resorting to a simulation, but it’s a good starting point to illustrate
Simulink concepts.
Figure 1 shows one way to set it up (signal labels in green added for clarity). In this case, x is
being modeled (arbitrarily) as a step function (the Step block). The x signal enters a Gain block,
which multiplies its input by a specified constant (m=2 in this case). Thus, the output of the Gain
block is 2x. To this we add the output of a Constant block, which is sending a value of b=3 here.
Thus, the signal going into the Scope is y = 2x + 3.
 Figure 1 Simulink representation of y = 2x + 3, where x is a step function.

The Scope provides a graphical trend plot as a function of time, and is just one of many things we
could do with our y signal. (Others include storing it on disk or in the MATLAB Workspace).
NOTE: the up/down/left/right arrow directions are arbitrary and have no
significance. The important concept is the flow of information from one
block to another.

Copying blocks into your model

As an exercise, duplicate Figure 1 by dragging the appropriate blocks from the Library Browser
to your new model window. To begin, you need to locate the Step block. The left Browser panel
lists block categories. Click on the Sources category to reveal the standard Simulink signal source
blocks, which appear in the right panel. You will probably have to scroll down to find the Step
block (blocks appear in alpha order). Once you’ve found it, if your model window is showing you
can drag a copy of the Step block to it. Alternatively, you can right-click on the Step block. The
resulting menu gives you the option to paste the block into the model window.
Next, add the remaining blocks to your model window. It can be frustrating to locate them. Here
are some hints: a Constant is another signal source, the Gain and Sum are math operations, and
the Scope is a signal sink.
If you’re have trouble, type helpdesk in the MATLAB Command
Window, which opens the Help Browser. Use the Contents panel to
navigate to Simulink/Using Simulink/Block Reference/Simulink Block
Libraries, which lists each block by name. Clicking on a name displays a
detailed description, including the block’s location in the library.
Similarly, if you’re browsing the Library and are uncertain of a block’s
 purpose, right-click on it and select help to see the detailed description.
Also, the Library Browser’s upper panel provides a brief description of
the selected block.

Entering block parameters

You should now have the five required blocks in your model window, arranged as shown
in Figure 2. The Gain and Constant values are incorrect, however (the defaults are 1). To
fix these, double-click on each, and enter the desired value in the parameter box.

Figure 2 Blocks copied from the standard Simulink library

Connecting blocks
The small > symbol on the right side of the Step block marks its “outport.” Note the “inport” on
the Gain block’s left side. Click and drag from the Step’s outport to the Gain’s inport to connect
them. The resulting signal line must have a solid, filled-in arrowhead, as in Figure 1. If not, the
blocks aren’t connected; try again. Similarly, connect the rest of the blocks until you obtain the
result shown earlier in Figure 1. Note the way Simulink automatically makes a neat right-angle
connection when you connect the Constant to the Sum.

Defining input signals

Now let’s set up a simulation. First, we define the input signal details. Double-click on the Step
block to open the menu shown in Figure 3. The default values shown will cause x to equal zero
from the initial time until the step occurs (at time = 1), when x will increase to 1 (instantly).
 Figure 3 The Step block's parameter menu

The zero sample time signifies that the block’s output will be a continuous function of time. If it
were a positive value, the block’s output would be defined at integer multiples of the sample time,
but undefined at other times.
Leave all parameters at their defaults for this example.

Simulation parameters
Next we check the Simulation Parameters. In your model window, click on the Simulation menu
and select Configuration Parameters to open the window shown in Figure 4.
 Figure 4 Simulation parameters menu, Solver panel

The left side allows you to navigate to various configuration panels. The Solver panel (selected in
Figure 4) allows you to specify the time at which the simulation starts and stops (which depends
on the time scale of your problem). Note also the Solver options. The default solver, ode45, is a
th
variable-step-size, 4 -order Runge Kutta algorithm, which is a good all-around choice, but is poor
for stiff problems, and there are situations where a fixed-step-size algorithm would be better. See
the Simulink Help for details. We’ll use ode45 in this simple example.
You can usually use the defaults for the remaining parameters on this panel, but if you suspect
that your results are inaccurate, try decreasing the relative tolerance by an order of magnitude or
two. If the results change significantly, decrease it even further. Direct control of the step size can
also be useful, as we’ll see later.
The Data Import/Export panel controls communication between MATLAB and Simulink. You
might find this valuable in some cases, but we’ll use the defaults for this and all other panels.
Close the configuration window. As the final preparation for the simulation, double-click on the
Scope to open the graphical display.
 Figure 5 Ready to start the simulation

Running the simulation

Now click the Start Button (see Figure 5). The simulation begins (the Start button changes to a
Pause icon, and the Stop button to its right becomes active). The elapsed time appears in the box
just to the left of the simulation option (bottom of model window) and the y signal trace appears
on the scope. (NOTE: this simulation is trivial and runs so rapidly that you probably won’t be
able to see things changing.) On a computer with sound you should hear a beep when the
simulation ends.

Figure 6 Scope display of the y signal

Figure 6 shows the final result (the yellow line). As one would expect from the problem
definition, y starts at 3, and increases to 5 at t = 1.
The default y scale (-5 to +5) isn’t a very good choice here. Try clicking on the binocular icon to
auto-range the plot. You can also click on the plot to zoom in on that portion. Other toolbar
buttons allow you to zoom in on selected parts of the plot, permanently set the axis scales (for use
in a later simulation), etc. See the Scope block’s detailed description for more information.

Example 2

Modeling a first-order differential equation

Consider a linear, first-order ODE with constant coefficients
(dy / dt) + 2y = 3x + 1 (4)
where y is a dependent function of time, and x is independent. To form a Simulink model we first
rearrange (4) to solve for the derivative,
(dy / dt) = 3x + 1- 2y (5)
Then we arrange Simulink blocks to compute the y derivative, and integrate it to calculate y. (We
need the y value to compute the derivative, so the model must include a “feedback”.) Figure 7
shows one way to set it up (the signal labels aren’t part of the normal display).

Figure 7 Simulink model of a linear, first-order ODE

Try duplicating this, keeping the following points in mind:

We’re assuming (arbitrarily) that x(t) is a sinusoid. The Sine Wave block is in the Sources
category. Use the default parameters. These provide a continuous sine wave with unity amplitude
and a frequency of 1 radian per time unit (the documentation claims that the time unit is seconds,
but that isn’t true in general as explained previously). Thus, the sine wave’s period will be 2π
time units.
Drag a Gain block in from the Library Browser, then use control-click and drag to make a copy.
Simulink requires all the block names in a system to be unique. and it automatically assigns a new
name to copied blocks (e.g., Gain 1). Then right-click on the copy and select Format/Flip Block
to reverse its direction (you can also rotate, etc.).
Duplicate the Sum block. By default, Simulink hides its name, but each is unique. (You can right-
click and use the format menu to show the name if you wish.) One of the Sum blocks must do a
subtraction. To accomplish this, double-click on the block and edit the sign symbols in the block
parameter box. Try different combinations of the signs (and the vertical bar), clicking apply each
time to see the effect (or read the block help). You can add a third input by including a third sign
symbol. (If you have more than three inputs, use the rectangular block shape instead.)
The Integrator block is from the Continuous category. The 1/s icon derives from Laplace
transforms. Its key parameter is the initial condition, which sets the value of its output when the
simulation begins (i.e., y(0) in our case). Use the default (zero).
The black vertical bar just to the left of the scope is a Mux block (from Signals & Systems). It
combines the scalar x(t) and y(t) signals into a vector signal so we can plot x(t) and y(t) on the
same graph window. Another way would be to define two scopes, one connected to each scalar
signal, which would be better if the x and y magnitudes were very different. You can also define
multiple axes for a single scope block, in which case the block will have multiple inports and its
display window will be split to show each axis.

Figure 8 Simulation results for ODE example

The small black dots on two of the signal lines are solder junctions (another EE influence). All
lines entering/leaving a solder junction carry the same signal. To make a solder junction, move
the cursor to the desired location, and then control-click-and-drag to start drawing the new signal
line. After you’ve made a solder joint you can move it around by clicking-and-dragging. You can
also move signal line sections and blocks. It’s possible for signal lines to cross without forming a
solder junction (try it). In that case, the signals are independent.
Set the stop time to 30. The most convenient way is to edit the value at the top of the model
window. To make the plots look better, set the maximum step size to 0.1. Next, run the simulation
Figure 8 shows the results (with superimposed x(t) and y(t) signal labels for clarity). Use the
binoculars icon to zoom in on the curves. The steady sinusoidal input, x(t), eventually causes a
sinusoidal output having the same frequency but a different phase. We will study such frequency
responses in more detail later.

Using subsystems
Modeling a single algebraic or differential equation is fairly easy, but what about multi-equation
models? It’s really no different. You define each equation and its variables (signals), then
combine equations by connecting their common signals.
One problem is that the diagram can become complicated, making it hard to understand the
model. You can reduce the apparent complexity by defining subsystems, each of which models
part of the complete system. This is conceptually similar to the use of functions and subprograms
in computer languages.

Example 3
For example, consider combining (5) with another differential equation:
( dz / dt ) = 2x – y – 3z
Adding this to our previous model would be easy, and the diagram would still be fairly clear, but
we will use subsystems to illustrate the concept.
Start with a new model window. Drag in a SubSystem block (from the Ports and Subsystems
category). Edit the block name, changing it to “Equation 5”. Next make a copy, naming it
“Equation 6.” Your model window should now resemble Figure 9 (name the model TwoODEs).
 Figure 9 Two (renamed) subsystem blocks

Double-click on Equation 5 to open its modeling window. By default, it contains a single inport
(named In1) connected to a single outport (Out1). In other words, the default subsystem simply
equates the output signal with the input. Equation 5 also involves one “input” variable (x) and one
“output” (y). Thus, rename In1 to “x” and Out1 to “y”. Delete the signal connecting x and y, and
then insert Equation 5 using the same approach as before. Figure 10 shows the completed
subsystem window.

Figure 10 Equation 5 subsystem

Close Equation 5 and return to the main model window. The Equation 5 icon now labels the input
and output ports with the appropriate names. Repeat the procedure to create Equation 6, which
requires two inputs (x and y) and generates one output (z). To get the extra inport, copy the
existing one or drag one from the Ports and Subsystems category.

Figure 11 Equation 6 subsystem

Figure 11 shows one possible arrangement for Equation 6. Note the use of a 3-input summation
block (you could also use two 2-input summation blocks). Close Equation 6 and return to the
main model window.
Connect the subsystems (output y of Equation 5 to input y of Equation 6). Then define the x(t)
signal. This time use the Pulse Generator. Set its period to 10 and leave its other block
parameters at their defaults. Add a Mux (with 3 inputs – change the block parameter from 2 to 3)
and Scope, and set up to plot x, y, and z on the same scope.
Figure 12 shows the final arrangement. (Note the way the x and y signals cross – they are
independent.) Define the Simulation Parameters for a 30 time-unit run, with a maximum step size
of 0.1. Then run the simulation
 Figure 12 Main model window with defined subsystems and input

Figure 13 shows the results. The yellow trace is the periodic pulse input, x(t). The magenta is y(t),
and the cyan is z(t). As with the sinusoidal input, the outputs eventually behave periodically.

Would you have anticipated this result?

Figure 13 Simulation results for TwoODE system