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A software application for visualizing and understanding hydraulic and pneumatic networks
Author(s) -
Wong Tony,
Bigras Pascal,
Cervera Daniel
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
computer applications in engineering education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.478
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1099-0542
pISSN - 1061-3773
DOI - 10.1002/cae.20037
Subject(s) - computer science , integrator , animation , software , nonlinear system , rendering (computer graphics) , control engineering , simulation , computer graphics (images) , programming language , engineering , computer network , physics , bandwidth (computing) , quantum mechanics
Hydraulic and pneumatic networks are highly nonlinear and difficult to analyze. This study presents a software application designed to help students, visualize and understand fluid systems' dynamic behaviors. The application uses a combined bond graph and singular perturbation approach for system equation formulation. A standard iterative and adaptive integrator provides online numerical solutions to the system equations. Coupled to the integrator's output are a graphical animation subsystem and an instrumentation subsystem. The animation subsystem is responsible for rendering movable components on screen, at every simulation time‐step, creating the illusion of continuous movement. The instrumentation subsystem collects and displays numerical data in numerical and graphical forms. An interesting contribution of this fluid system analyzer is its “user‐in‐the‐loop” feature. This feature allows students to become active participants by enabling them to interact with network components while a simulation run is in progress. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 13: 169–180, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20037