An interacting objects physical process model

Abstract

An Interacting Objects Process Model (IOPM) for physical process modelling is presented. The objectives behind the development of the model are to enhance the capability for simulating complex processes by providing a naturally parallel structure for the model, to develop the concept of “appropriate physics” for practical problem solving, and to enable the use of interrogation techniques as in Artificial Intelligence. In this paper, whilst all objectives are discussed, attention is focused on the first objective, on the details of the model and its use in solid mechanics. The central idea of the IOPM is that a body can be considered as a set of objects, identified by qualitative reasoning to represent locally defined elements of a material, all behaving in parallel, and interacting with each other through an exchange of messages. The model is based on an “object-oriented” paradigm in which elements are represented by “objects” or computer data structures containing both variables and procedures. Some numerical experiments in solid mechanics are presented in which results obtained from the IOPM compare well with standard solutions. The initial results of a multi degree-of-freedom non-linear simulation involving deterministic chaos are presented to demonstrate the model.