Arrangement of Shipboard Piping by Digital Computer

Abstract

A method of computerized arrangement of piping is described. It will choose a path for a pipe, including branches, if geometrical data specifying terminals, obstructing objects, and compartment boundaries are given to the computer. The main path chosen typically follows a vertical route to a horizontal layer in which a minimum-length path can be run, followed by a vertical leg to the destination. The routing within the horizontal layer is accomplished by a dynamic programming adaptation. The routing of branches follows the same procedure as the main pipe, after a trial-and-error selection of branch origins that are expected to give a near-minimum branch length. The paper outlines the method, describes some of the key techniques, and gives brief descriptions of the computer routines required, but complete description of the programming is not provided. Although the method is working on a developmental basis, it is judged to be unready for use in practical design.