Client-server architecture for pre and post-processing of real problems involving two-dimensional generalized coordinates

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to propose a Web environment for pre-processing and post-processing for 2D problems in generalized coordinate systems. Design/methodology/approach – The system consists of a Web service for client-server communication, a database for user information, simulation requests and results storage, a module of (for) calculation processing (front-end) and a graphical interface for visualization of discretized mesh (back-end). Findings – The Web system was able to model real problems and situations, where the user can describe the problem or upload a geometry file descriptor, generated from computer graphics software. The Web system, programmed for finite difference solutions, was able to generate a mesh from other complex methods, such as finite elements method, adapting it to the proposed Web system, respecting the finite difference mesh structure. Research limitations/implications – The proposed Web system is limited to solve partial differential equations by finite difference discretization. We need to study about refinement and parameters adaptations to solve partial differential equations simulated with other methods. Practical implications – The Web system includes implications for the development of a powerful real problems simulator, which is useful for computational physics researchers and engineers. The Web system uses several technologies, such as Primefaces, JavaScript, JQuery and HTML, to provide an interactive user interface. Originality/value – The main contribution of this work is the availability of a generic Web architecture for including other types of coordinate systems and to solve others partial differential equations. Moreover, this paper presents an extended version of the work presented in ICCSA 2014.