Single Simulation Platform Research Articles

Shear strengthening of damaged reinforced concrete beams with iron-based shape memory alloy (Fe-SMA) strips: numerical and parametric analysis

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are metallic materials that are characterized by their ability to restore their original shape after large deformation when activated by heating. This unique property renders SMAs appealing for various civil engineering applications. Iron-based SMAs (Fe-SMAs), including alloys like Fe–Mn–Si, stand out due to their cost-effectiveness and high strength. The primary focus of this research lies in the computational modeling of Fe-SMA strips utilized to reinforce damaged concrete structures. To achieve this, details from an experimental test are leveraged for the computational simulation of real-scale reinforced concrete beams that were first loaded to some level of damage, then released and strengthened, and subsequently retested. The strengthening approach involves the application of external Fe-SMA strips wrapping around the beams. This paper presents an original computational modeling setup that incorporates a switch option for the Fe-SMA material. This feature enables one to use a single simulation platform for the whole process. The significance of this method originates from its capacity to ensure a robust analysis that includes all simulation steps-testing unstrengthened beams, installing and heating Fe-SMA strips, and testing both damaged and strengthened beams—in a single, multi-step analysis. The computational simulation results were compared with the outcomes of the experimental test, revealing an acceptable level of agreement. The findings indicate a substantial increase in both shear strength and ductility as a result of the application of Fe-SMA strips. Additionally, parametric and mesh sensitivity studies were conducted. These aimed to investigate the mesh dependency of the model and to identify the optimal mesh size. Furthermore, variations in the details of the Fe-SMA strips, including thickness, width, quantity, and effect of applied temperature were explored to compare the outcomes of different applications of these strips.

Designing UAV Swarm Experiments: A Simulator Selection and Experiment Design Process.

The rapid advancement and increasing number of applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) swarm systems have garnered significant attention in recent years. These systems offer a multitude of uses and demonstrate great potential in diverse fields, ranging from surveillance and reconnaissance to search and rescue operations. However, the deployment of UAV swarms in dynamic environments necessitates the development of robust experimental designs to ensure their reliability and effectiveness. This study describes the crucial requirement for comprehensive experimental design of UAV swarm systems before their deployment in real-world scenarios. To achieve this, we begin with a concise review of existing simulation platforms, assessing their suitability for various specific needs. Through this evaluation, we identify the most appropriate tools to facilitate one's research objectives. Subsequently, we present an experimental design process tailored for validating the resilience and performance of UAV swarm systems for accomplishing the desired objectives. Furthermore, we explore strategies to simulate various scenarios and challenges that the swarm may encounter in dynamic environments, ensuring comprehensive testing and analysis. Complex multimodal experiments may require system designs that may not be completely satisfied by a single simulation platform; thus, interoperability between simulation platforms is also examined. Overall, this paper serves as a comprehensive guide for designing swarm experiments, enabling the advancement and optimization of UAV swarm systems through validation in simulated controlled environments.

Ardosia: Simulating Circuits and Robotic Systems in a Single Learning Platform

Circuit simulation, together with practical sessions, is considered a fundamental tool to assist the teaching of electronics. Robotics offers rich real-world applications that foster student interest in developing engineering projects. Despite the potential benefits of uniting these two realities, software tools that combine circuits and robotic systems in a single simulation platform are scarce. This paper presents Ardosia, a simulation software that combines electronics and robotics in a single simulation arena. The electronics aspects of the simulation are handled by the Falstad Circuit Simulator, a software with proven success in promoting student interest and learning outcomes. Importantly, this software features significant interactive and visualization characteristics that are deemed valuable to enhance conceptual understanding. Non-electrical physics simulation is performed by a special purpose engine, designed to simulate sensor and actuator behavior in a 2D world. In combination, the two simulation engines yield a model where electronic circuits are embodied in the world through robot sensors and actuators interacting together and with the surroundings. Such a simulator is intended to promote the use of robotics projects in electronics education, since students will be equipped with a software to conveniently design and evaluate robotic systems, through simulation, before applying their ideas in an experimental setting. The paper presents an overview of Ardosia, complemented with examples of use in electronics education and a validation experiment comparing simulation with real-world data.

Development of An Integrated Surface and Sub-Surface Simulation Model in A Single Simulation Platform

An integrated model between surface and sub-surface is typically done by interconnecting many process modelling platforms. PROSPER and GAP are the common steady state modelling platforms for sub-surface while VMGSim and HYSYS are typical steady state surface modelling platforms. A major issue of using multiple simulation platforms is the compatibility of thermodynamic physical properties calculations among the platforms. This situation makes the simulations difficult to converge to a consistent thermo physical properties values. This is due to different interaction parameters applied in each platform that impact flashing and the physical property values even though the same property package such as Peng Robinson is used. To overcome this convergence problem, a single simulation platform within iCON (PETRONAS’s standard process simulation software, co-developed with VMG-Schlumberger) has been developed. This allows the use of one thermodynamic package across the integrated model. PROSPER sub-surface pressure-flow relationship results were automatically correlated and connected to surface models within the iCON environment. This integrated model was validated with data from operations and yielded about 1.23% average error tolerance. Based on this validated model, an optimization envelope can be developed with all possible well lineup configurations. This envelope covers set points for the operations where CAPEX free optimization can readily be applied.

Integrated Computational Materials Engineering in Solar Plants: The Virtual Materials Design Project

The high temperatures required for efficient operation of solar thermal power plants constitutes one of the major challenges of this technology. Gaining insight into materials behavior at very high temperatures is critical to improve their techno-economic feasibility. Standard material characterization approaches become inefficient, as extensive testing campaigns are required. We propose a multiscale–multiphysical approach that accounts for materials composition to (1) predict the behavior of both Inconel 625 and new solar salts, and (2) assess the thermomechanical performance of key components. We carried out a complete thermoelastic multiscale analysis that spans six time and length scales in a single simulation platform, combining discrete and continuum tools (from quantum to continuum mechanics). These applications show the substantial economic benefits that may be achieved by an ICME approach in the energy sector, reducing the cost of prototypes while decreasing development times and maintenance costs due to a better understanding of materials behavior.

Co-simulation of Power System and Synchrophasor Communication Network on a Single Simulation Platform

Analysis of the impact of communication network infrastructure performance on critical power system applications that rely on wide area synchrophasor measurements can be realistically achieved only through co-simulation of the power system and the synchrophasor communication network. In this paper, a single simulation platform, an electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation program - PSCAD/EMTDC, was used to implement the detailed models of the components in a wide area synchrophasor network. Using the developed components models, a simple wide area damping control application was co-simulated to demonstrate the impact of communication latency, packet losses, and bit flip errors on the controller performance. It was shown that with the aid of co-simulations, application specific issues can be diagnosed and appropriate solutions can be investigated.

Time of Arrival Based Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Linear Approach

In this paper, we aim to determine the location information of a node deployed in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). We estimate the position of an unknown source node using localization based on linear approach on a single simulation platform. The Cramer Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) for position estimate is derived first and the four linear approaches namely Linear Least Squares (LLS), Subspace Approach (SA), Weighted Linear Least Squares (WLLS) and Two-step WLS have been derived and presented. Based on the simulation study the results have been compared. The simulation results show that the Two- step WLS approach is having higher localization accuracy. Keywords: Source Localization, Time of Arrival,Linear Least Squares, Subspace Approach, Weighted Linear Least Squares, Two-step WLS and CRLB.

A Design Method of Multiple Protocols Communication Module in Semiconductor Equipment Simulation Platform

This paper presents a design method for communication module design in semiconductor equipment simulation platform. There are several kinds of standardized protocols in semiconductor equipments intra communication, the method with which these standardized protocols can be configured and integrated in single simulation platform. These protocols can be configured statically and dynamically respectively. In static state, protocol configuration provides various protocols for chosen and edit. In the dynamic state, the virtual devices can be communicated with control system with communication module. As a case study, a process chamber system simulator with designed the communication module has been illustrated. The designed communication module accomplishes the data transmission between control system and the chamber simulation system. The devices in chamber system receive the instruction form control system and execute the required actions. The experiment results show that the simulation platform is feasible and effective.

Distributed localization in wireless sensor networks: a quantitative comparison

This paper studies the problem of determining the node locations in ad-hoc sensor networks. We compare three distributed localization algorithms (Ad-hoc positioning, Robust positioning, and N-hop multilateration) on a single simulation platform. The algorithms share a common, three-phase structure: (1) determine node–anchor distances, (2) compute node positions, and (3) optionally refine the positions through an iterative procedure. We present a detailed analysis comparing the various alternatives for each phase, as well as a head-to-head comparison of the complete algorithms. The main conclusion is that no single algorithm performs best; which algorithm is to be preferred depends on the conditions (range errors, connectivity, anchor fraction, etc.). In each case, however, there is significant room for improving accuracy and/or increasing coverage.