Governor Pendulum System Modelling, Simulation & Animation in MATLAB Simscape
📖 Project Description
This project demonstrates the modeling, simulation, and animation of a Governor Pendulum System (also known as a Watt Governor) using MATLAB Simulink & Simscape Multibody.
The governor pendulum is a classical mechanical device used for speed regulation in steam engines and rotating machines. Its dynamics are widely studied in mechanical vibration, dynamics, and control system engineering.
The project covers:
✔️ Building the governor pendulum structure in Simscape Multibody
✔️ Defining rotating shaft, pendulum arms, and sleeve mechanism
✔️ Running time-domain simulations for varying input speeds
✔️ Visualizing the governor operation with 3D animation
✔️ Extracting system data (displacement, angular velocity, torque)
✔️ Analyzing the regulation characteristics of the governor
🎯 Learning Outcomes
✔️After completing this project, you will:
✔️Understand the working principle of a Watt Governor.
✔️Learn to model coupled rotational–translational systems in Simscape.
✔️Gain hands-on skills in MATLAB Simulink animations.
✔️Be able to extend the system for feedback control design.
📂 Project Deliverables
You will receive:
✅ Complete MATLAB Simulink Model (.slx)
✅ Simscape Multibody setup with governor pendulum links & sleeve
✅ Animation model to visualize governor motion in real-time
✅ MATLAB scripts for data analysis & plotting
✅ Documentation / ReadMe file with step-by-step instructions
🛠️ Software & Tools Required
MATLAB 2020 or later (Simulink + Simscape Multibody)
Basic knowledge of dynamics & control systems
🌍 Applications
🎓 Academic Projects (Mechanical Vibration, Governor Systems, Control Theory)
⚙️ Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering (speed regulation studies)
📚 Teaching & Research (visualizing classical governor mechanisms)
🤖 Robotics & Automation (concept of feedback regulation)
🎥 Demo Preview
Includes realistic 3D animation of the governor pendulum arms, sleeve motion, and rotational dynamics.
💡 Customization Options
We also provide:
🔹 Adding PID / LQR controllers for speed regulation
🔹 Extending model to Porter, Proell, or Hartnell governors
🔹 Exporting data for research papers or thesis