Combinative Algorithms for the Multidisciplinary Collaborative Simulation of Complex Mechatronic Products Based on Major Step and Convergent Integration Step

Multidisciplinary collaborative simulation （MCS） is an important area of research in the domain of multidisciplinary design optimization （MDO）.Although previous research for MCS has to some extent addressed some issues like using of multiple tools,integration stability,control of step size,data synchronization,etc,further work is still necessary to study how to achieve improved precision.A theoretical model is formulated to describe and analyze the integration process of MCS.A basic algorithm with equal major steps is proposed based on the model,along with two methods of implementation for the model,namely the serial method and the parallel method.A further algorithm based on convergent integration step is proposed,which has a more flexible strategy for run-time integration.The influence of interpolation techniques on simulation performance is studied as well.Simulations of the performance of various algorithms with different interpolation techniques are performed for both a simple numerical example and a complex mechatronic product.The novel algorithm based on convergent integration step,when used with a high-order interpolation technique,has better performance in terms of precision and efficiency.The innovation of this paper is mainly on the validation of high precision of the proposed convergent integration step algorithm.

Novel Models and Algorithms of Load Balancing for Variable-structured Collaborative Simulation under HLA/RTI

High level architecture(HLA) is the open standard in the collaborative simulation field. Scholars have been paying close attention to theoretical research on and engineering applications of collaborative simulation based on HLA/RTI, which extends HLA in various aspects like functionality and efficiency. However, related study on the load balancing problem of HLA collaborative simulation is insufficient. Without load balancing, collaborative simulation under HLA/RTI may encounter performance reduction or even fatal errors. In this paper, load balancing is further divided into static problems and dynamic problems. A multi-objective model is established and the randomness of model parameters is taken into consideration for static load balancing, which makes the model more credible. The Monte Carlo based optimization algorithm(MCOA) is excogitated to gain static load balance. For dynamic load balancing, a new type of dynamic load balancing problem is put forward with regards to the variable-structured collaborative simulation under HLA/RTI. In order to minimize the influence against the running collaborative simulation, the ordinal optimization based algorithm(OOA) is devised to shorten the optimization time. Furthermore, the two algorithms are adopted in simulation experiments of different scenarios, which demonstrate their effectiveness and efficiency. An engineering experiment about collaborative simulation under HLA/RTI of high speed electricity multiple units(EMU) is also conducted to indentify credibility of the proposed models and supportive utility of MCOA and OOA to practical engineering systems. The proposed research ensures compatibility of traditional HLA, enhances the ability for assigning simulation loads onto computing units both statically and dynamically, improves the performance of collaborative simulation system and makes full use of the hardware resources.

Collaborative Simulation Method with Spatiotemporal Synchronization Process Control

When designing a complex mechatronics system, such as high speed trains, it is relatively difficult to effectively simulate the entire system＇s dynamic behaviors because it involves multi-disciplinary subsystems. Currently, a most practical approach for multi-disciplinary simulation is interface based coupling simulation method, but it faces a twofold challenge： spatial and time unsynchronizations among multi-directional coupling simulation of subsystems. A new collaborative simulation method with spatiotemporal synchronization process control is proposed for coupling simulating a given complex mechatronics system across multiple subsystems on different platforms. The method consists of 1） a coupler-based coupling mechanisms to define the interfacing and interaction mechanisms among subsystems, and 2） a simulation process control algorithm to realize the coupling simulation in a spatiotemporal synchronized manner. The test results from a case study show that the proposed method 1） can certainly be used to simulate the sub-systems interactions under different simulation conditions in an engineering system, and 2） effectively supports multi-directional coupling simulation among multi-disciplinary subsystems. This method has been successfully applied in China high speed train design and development processes, demonstrating that it can be applied in a wide range of engineering systems design and simulation with improved efficiency and effectiveness.

Collaborative Simulation and Testing of the Superconducting Dipole Prototype Magnet for the FAIR Project

The superconducting dipole prototype magnet of the collector ring for the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research （FAIR） is an international cooperation project. The collaborative simulation and testing of the developed prototype magnet is presented in this paper. To evaluate the mechanical strength of the coil case during quench, a 3-dimensional （3D） electromagnetic （EM） model was developed based on the solid97 magnetic vector element in the ANSYS commercial software, which includes the air region, coil and yoke. EM analysis was carried out with a peak operating current at 278 A. Then, the solid97 element was transferred into the solid185 element, the coupled analysis was switched from electromagnetic to structural, and the finite element model for the coil case and glass-fiber reinforced composite （G10） spacers was established by the ANSYS Parametric Design Language based on the 3D model from the CATIA V5 software. However, to simulate the friction characteristics inside the coil case, the conta173 surface-to-surface contact element was established. The results for the coil case and G10 spacers show that they are safe and have sufficient strength, on the basis of testing in discharge and quench scenarios.

An extended HLA multilayer federation integration architecture for multidisciplinary collaborative simulation

The development of complex products is essentially concerned with multidisciplinary knowledge. Running on Internet, integration based on muhilayer federation architecture and dynamic reuse of simulation resources are the major difficulties for complex product collaborative design and simulation. Since the traditional Run-Time Infrastructure （RTI） is not good at supporting these new requirements, an extended high level architecture （HLA） multilayer federation integration architecture （MLFIA）, based on the resource management federation （RMF） and its supporting environment based Service-oriented architecture （SOA） and HLA （SOHLA） are proposed, The idea and realization of two key technologies, the dynamic creation of simulation federation based on RMF, TH RTI, an extensible HLA runtime infrastructure （RTI）, used at Internet are emphasized. Finally, an industry case about multiple unit （MU） is given.

PI control based on fuzzy set-point weighting tracking for hydraulic crane boom system

A PI control strategy based on fuzzy set-point weighting following was proposed for the active damping control of a hydraulic crane boom system （HCBS）. Two valve-controlled PI controllers, which include a proportional feedforward controller based on fuzzy set-point weighting following and a limited semi-integrator（LSI）, are designed respectively. LSI is used to limit output signal and to prevent wind up at the low frequency of the spectrum. By using a range camera and an electronic feedback control, the tip damping on the HCBS can be adjusted artificially. A collaborative control simulation technique of HOPSAN and MATLAB/SIMULINK is applied to the controller design. Simulation results show that the proposed PI control system has less overshoot as well as faster response. The tip damping on the HCBS during operation is improved.

Modified Sequential Kriging Optimization for Multidisciplinary Complex Product Simulation

Directing to the high cost of computer simulation optimization problem, Kriging surrogate model is widely used to decrease the computation time. Since the sequential Kriging optimization is time consuming, this article extends the expected improvement and put forwards a modified sequential Kriging optimization （MSKO）. This method changes the twice optimization problem into once by adding more than one point at the same time. Before re-fitting the Kriging model, the new sample points are verified to ensure that they do not overlap the previous one and the distance between two sample points is not too small. This article presents the double stopping criterion to keep the root mean square error （RMSE） of the final surrogate model at an acceptable level. The example shows that MSKO can approach the global optimization quickly and accurately. MSKO can ensure global optimization no matter where the initial point is. Application of active suspension indicates that the proposed method is effective.

A solution of multidisciplinary collaborative simulation for complex engineering systems in a distributed heterogeneous environment

This paper presents an integrated approach to multidisciplinary collaborative simulation for complex engineering systems. The formulized paradigm of multidisciplinary collaborative simulation for com- plex engineering systems is principally analyzed. An IEEE HLA and web services based framework is proposed to provide a heterogeneous, distributed and collaborative running environment where multidisciplinary modeling, running management and post-processing of collaborative simulation are undertaken. The mechanism of multidisciplinary collaborative modeling, disciplinary model transformation, and time-synchronized simulation advancement are studied in detail. A prototype with the functions of multidisciplinary modeling, running management and post-processing for collaborative simulations is developed, and a typical complex engineering system is chosen as a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of this new approach towards collaborative simulation.