Xlinkage: A Web-Based Analysis and Simulation Tool for Planar Mechanical Systems

Abstract

Abstract Web-based network computing is fundamentally different from domain-based computing. Web-based network computing is accomplished through execution of a collection of small programs across different computer platforms on a network. Most tools currently used for analysis and simulation of mechanical systems, such as ADAMS and I-DEAS, are developed for domain specific applications. These programs are very large with significant initialization overhead and a complicated user interface. They are, therefore, not suitable for analysis of mechanical systems through the World Wide Web. In this paper, a new Web-based paradigm for analysis and simulation of mechanical systems will be presented. Web-based analysis of mechanical systems is not optimally achieved through large programs. Instead, it is accomplished through a collection of small utilities executed on different computers across a network. These small utilities are developed using the CH language environment, a superset of C for network computing. Using a Web browser, small programs can be generated by a Web server on the fly and downloaded through the network, and executed on a local client machine. The details about the implementation of the Xlinkage program for Web-based analysis and simulation of planar mechanical systems as well as its integration with analysis utilities and the WWW will be described in this paper. Because of its modular nature, our Web-based system is simple to use and maintain. It is especially suitable for distance learning. The system has been used as a teaching and learning tool at the University of California, Davis. Mechanism design utilities and the Xlinkage program are available for downloading on the WWW at the URL address http://iel.ucdavis.edu/design/.