Models to Simulate Effective Coverage of Fire Station Based on Real-Time Travel Times

In recent years,frequent fire disasters have led to enormous damage in China.Effective firefighting rescues can minimize the losses caused by fires.During the rescue processes,the travel time of fire trucks can be severely affected by traffic conditions,changing the effective coverage of fire stations.However,it is still challenging to determine the effective coverage of fire stations considering dynamic traffic conditions.This paper addresses this issue by combining the traveling time calculationmodelwith the effective coverage simulationmodel.In addition,it proposes a new index of total effective coverage area(TECA)based on the time-weighted average of the effective coverage area(ECA)to evaluate the urban fire services.It also selects China as the case study to validate the feasibility of the models,a fire station(FS-JX)in Changsha.FS-JX station and its surrounding 9,117 fire risk points are selected as the fire service supply and demand points,respectively.A total of 196 simulation scenarios throughout a consecutiveweek are analyzed.Eventually,1,933,815 sets of valid sample data are obtained.The results showed that the TECA of FS-JX is 3.27 km^(2),which is far below the standard requirement of 7.00 km^(2) due to the traffic conditions.The visualization results showed that three rivers around FS-JX interrupt the continuity of its effective coverage.The proposed method can provide data support to optimize the locations of fire stations by accurately and dynamically determining the effective coverage of fire stations.

Data-based real-time petrochemical gas diffusion simulation approach on virtual reality

Background Petrochemical products possess a high risk of flammability,explosivity,and toxicity,making petrochemical accidents exceedingly destructive.Therefore,disaster analysis,prediction,and real-time simulations have become important means of controlling and reducing accident hazards.Methods This study proposes a complete real-time simulation solution of gas diffusion with coordinate and concentration data,which was mainly aimed at simulating the types of harmful gas leakage and diffusion accidents in the petrochemical industry.The rendering effect was more continuous and accurate through grid homogenization and trilinear interpolation.This study presents a data processing and rendering parallelization process to enhance simulation efficiency.Gas concentration and fragment transparency were combined to synthesize transparent pixels in a scene.To ensure the approximate accuracy of the rendering effect,improve the efficiency of real-time rendering,and meet the requirement of intuitive perception using concentration data,a weighted blended order-independent transparency(OIT)with enhanced alpha weight is presented,which can provide a more intuitive perception of the hierarchical information of concentration data while preserving depth information.This study compares and analyzes three OIT algorithms-depth peeling,weighted blended OIT,and weighted blended OIT with enhanced alpha weight-in terms of rendering image quality,rendering time,required memory,and hierarchical information.Results Using weighted blended OIT with an enhanced alpha weight technique,the rendering time was shortened by 53.2%compared with that of the depth peeling algorithm,and the texture memory required was significantly smaller than that of the depth peeling algorithm.The rendering results of weighted blended OIT with an enhanced alpha weight were approximately accurate compared with those of the depth peeling algorithm as the ground truth,and there was no popping when surfaces passed through one another.Simultaneously,compared with weighted blended OIT,weighted blended OIT with an enhanced alpha weight achieved an intuitive perception of the hierarchical information of concentration data.

A virtual reality based surgical skills training simulator for catheter ablation with real-time and robust interaction

Background Atrial fibrillation(AF)is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia that can cause severe heart problems.Catheter ablation is one of the most ideal procedures for the treatment of AF.Physicians qualified to perform this procedure need to be highly skilled in manipulating the relevant surgical devices.This study proposes an interactive surgical simulator with high fidelity to facilitate efficient training and low-cost medical education.Methods We used a shared centerline model to simulate the interaction between multiple surgical devices.An improved adaptive deviation-feedback approach is proposed to accelerate the convergence of each iteration.The periodical beating of the human heart was also simulated in real time using the position-based dynamics(PBD)framework to achieve higher fidelity.We then present a novel method for handling the interaction between the devices and the beating heart mesh model.Experiments were conducted in a homemade simulator prototype to evaluate the robustness,performance,and flexibility of the proposed method.Preliminary evaluation of the simulator was performed by medical students,residents,and surgeons.Results The interaction between surgical devices,static vascular meshes,and beating heart mesh was stably simulated in a frame rate suitable for interaction.Conclusion Our simulator is capable of simulating the procedure of catheter ablation with high fidelity and provides immersive visual experiences and haptic feedback.

On modeling approach for embedded real-time software simulation testing

Modeling technology has been introduced into software testing field. However, how to carry through the testing modeling effectively is still a difficulty. Based on combination of simulation modeling technology and embedded real-time software testing method, the process of simulation testing modeling is studied first. And then, the supporting environment of simulation testing modeling is put forward. Furthermore, an approach of embedded real-time software simulation testing modeling including modeling of cross-linked equipments of system under testing （SUT）, test case, testing scheduling, and testing system service is brought forward. Finally, the formalized description and execution system of testing models are given, with which we can realize real-time, closed loop, mad automated system testing for embedded real-time software.

Simulation of large-scale numerical substructure in real-time dynamic hybrid testing

A solution scheme is proposed in this paper for an existing RTDHT system to simulate large-scale finite element （FE） numerical substructures. The analysis of the FE numerical substructure is split into response analysis and signal generation tasks, and executed in two different target computers in real-time. One target computer implements the response analysis task, wherein a large time-step is used to solve the FE substructure, and another target computer implements the signal generation task, wherein an interpolation program is used to generate control signals in a small time-step to meet the input demand of the controller. By using this strategy, the scale of the FE numerical substructure simulation may be increased significantly. The proposed scheme is initially verified by two FE numerical substructure models with 98 and 1240 degrees of freedom （DOFs）. Thereafter, RTDHTs of a single frame-foundation structure are implemented where the foundation, considered as the numerical substructure, is simulated by the FE model with 1240 DOFs. Good agreements between the results of the RTDHT and those from the FE analysis in ABAQUS are obtained.

A Class of Fast Algorithms in Real-Time Simulation

A class of hybrid algorithms of real-time simulation based on evaluation of non-integerstep right-hand side function are presented in this paper. And some results of the convergence and stability of the algorithms are given. Using the class of algorithms, evaluation for the right-hand side function is needed once in every integration-step. Moreover, comparing with the other methods with the same amount of work, their numerical stability regions are larger and the method errors are smaller, and the numerical experiments show that the algorithms are very effective.

Model-based framework for multi-axial real-time hybrid simulation testing

Real-time hybrid simulation is an efficient and cost-effective dynamic testing technique for performance evaluation of structural systems subjected to earthquake loading with rate-dependent behavior. A loading assembly with multiple actuators is required to impose realistic boundary conditions on physical specimens. However, such a testing system is expected to exhibit significant dynamic coupling of the actuators and suffer from time lags that are associated with the dynamics of the servo-hydraulic system, as well as control-structure interaction （CSI）. One approach to reducing experimental errors considers a multi-input, multi-output （MIMO） controller design, yielding accurate reference tracking and noise rejection. In this paper, a framework for multi-axial real-time hybrid simulation （maRTHS） testing is presented. The methodology employs a real-time feedback-feedforward controller for multiple actuators commanded in Cartesian coordinates. Kinematic transformations between actuator space and Cartesian space are derived for all six-degrees-of- freedom of the moving platform. Then, a frequency domain identification technique is used to develop an accurate MIMO transfer function of the system. Further, a Cartesian-domain model-based feedforward-feedback controller is implemented for time lag compensation and to increase the robustness of the reference tracking for given model uncertainty. The framework is implemented using the 1/5th-scale Load and Boundary Condition Box （LBCB） located at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. To demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methodology, a single-story frame subjected to earthquake loading is tested. One of the columns in the fraane is represented physically in the laboratory as a cantilevered steel column. For real- time execution, the numerical substructure, kinematic transformations, and controllers are implemented on a digital signal processor. Results show excellent performance of the maRTHS framework when six-degrees-of-freedom are controUed at the interface between substructures.

Real-Time Hybrid Simulation of Seismically Isolated Structures with Full-Scale Bearings and Large Computational Models

Hybrid simulation can be a cost effective approach for dynamic testing of structural components at full scale while capturing the system level response through interactions with a numerical model.The dynamic response of a seismically isolated structure depends on the combined characteristics of the ground motion,bearings,and superstructure.Therefore,dynamic full-scale system level tests of isolated structures under realistic dynamic loading conditions are desirable towards a holistic validation of this earthquake protection strategy.Moreover,bearing properties and their ultimate behavior have been shown to be highly dependent on rate-of-loading and scale size effects,especially under extreme loading conditions.Few laboratory facilities can test full-scale seismic isolation bearings under prescribed displacement and/or loading protocols.The adaptation of a full-scale bearing test machine for the implementation of real-time hybrid simulation is presented here with a focus on the challenges encountered in attaining reliable simulation results for large scale dynamic tests.These advanced real-time hybrid simulations of large and complex hybrid models with several thousands of degrees of freedom are some of the first to use high performance parallel computing to rapidly execute the numerical analyses.Challenges in the experimental setup included measured forces contaminated by delay and other systematic control errors in applying desired displacements.Friction and inertial forces generated by the large-scale loading apparatus can affect the accuracy of measured force feedbacks.Reliable results from real-time hybrid simulation requires implementation of compensation algorithms and correction of these various sources of errors.Overall,this research program confirms that real-time hybrid simulation is a viable testing method to experimentally assess the behavior of full-scale isolators while capturing interactions with the numerical models of the superstructure to evaluate system level and in-structure response.

Control performance comparison between tuned liquid damper and tuned liquid column damper using real-time hybrid simulation

Tuned liquid damper (TLD) and tuned liquid column damper (TLCD) are two types of passive control devices that are widely used in structural control. In this study, a real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) technique is employed to investigate the diff erence in control performance between TLD and TLCD. A series of RTHSs is presented with the premise of the same liquid length, mass ratio, and structural parameters. Herein, TLD and TLCD are physically experimented, and controlled structures are numerically simulated. Then, parametric studies are performed to further evaluate the diff erent performance between TLD and TLCD. Experimental results demonstrate that TLD is more eff ective than TLCD under diff erent amplitude excitations.

A Class of Parallel Algorithms of Real-TimeNumerical Simulation for Stiff Dynamic System

In this paper a class of real-time parallel modified Rosenbrock methods of numerical simulation is constructed for stiff dynamic systems on a multiprocessor system, and convergence and numerical stability of these methods are discussed. A-stable real-time parallel formula of two-stage third-order and A(α)-stable real-time parallel formula with o ≈ 89.96° of three-stage fourth-order are particularly given. The numerical simulation experiments in parallel environment show that the class of algorithms is efficient and applicable, with greater speedup.

Restoring force correction based on online discrete tangent stiffness estimation method for real-time hybrid simulation

In real-time hybrid simulation（RTHS）, it is difficult if not impossible to completely erase the error in restoring force due to actuator response delay using existing displacement-based compensation methods. This paper proposes a new force correction method based on online discrete tangent stiffness estimation（online DTSE） to provide accurate online estimation of the instantaneous stiffness of the physical substructure. Following the discrete curve parameter recognition theory, the online DTSE method estimates the instantaneous stiffness mainly through adaptively building a fuzzy segment with the latest measurements, constructing several strict bounding lines of the segment and calculating the slope of the strict bounding lines, which significantly improves the calculation efficiency and accuracy for the instantaneous stiffness estimation. The results of both computational simulation and real-time hybrid simulation show that：（1） the online DTSE method has high calculation efficiency, of which the relatively short computation time will not interrupt RTHS; and（2） the online DTSE method provides better estimation for the instantaneous stiffness, compared with other existing estimation methods. Due to the quick and accurate estimation of instantaneous stiffness, the online DTSE method therefore provides a promising technique to correct restoring forces in RTHS.

SPACEBORNE SAR REAL-TIME ECHO SIMULATION PLATFORM BASED ON VPX

To perform the ground test of a spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) system, an echo simulator with the characteristics of multimode, multi-assemblage, and real time is proposed in this paper. A hardware platform of the real-time echo simulator based on the VPX bus is designed. With this platform, real-time multi-point echo generation and scenario targets echo generation can be achieved by the real-time signal processing in Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA), utilizing the parameters calculated by the industry computers. Furthermore, this platform can output different signals if it is expanded to multi-channels, making it possible for the assignment of echo generation and test in different spaceborne SAR modes. The test results with the actual SAR system show that this platform can satisfy the system requirements and is now used in practice.

Real-time hybrid simulation for structural control performance assessment

Real-time hybrid simulation is an attractive method to evaluate the response of structures under earthquake loads. The method is a variation of the pseudodynamic testing technique in which the experiment is executed in real time, thus allowing investigation of structural systems with rate-dependent components. Real-time hybrid simulation is challenging because it requires performance of all calculations, application of displacements, and acquisition of measured forces, within a very small increment of time. Furthermore, unless appropriate compensation for actuator dynamics is implemented, stability problems are likely to occur during the experiment. This paper presents an approach for real-time hybrid simulation in which compensation for actuator dynamics is implemented using a model-based feedforward compensator. The method is used to evaluate the response of a semi-active control of a structure employing an MR damper. Experimental results show good agreement with the predicted responses, demonstrating the effectiveness of the method for structural control performance assessment.

Analysis of actuator delay and its effect on uncertainty quantification for real-time hybrid simulation

Uncertainties in structure properties can result in different responses in hybrid simulations. Quantification of the effect of these tmcertainties would enable researchers to estimate the variances of structural responses observed from experiments. This poses challenges for real-time hybrid simulation （RTHS） due to the existence of actuator delay. Polynomial chaos expansion （PCE） projects the model outputs on a basis of orthogonal stochastic polynomials to account for influences of model uncertainties. In this paper, PCE is utilized to evaluate effect of actuator delay on the maximum displacement from real-time hybrid simulation of a single degree of freedom （SDOF） structure when accounting for uncertainties in structural properties. The PCE is first applied for RTHS without delay to determine the order of PCE, the number of sample points as well as the method for coefficients calculation. The PCE is then applied to RTHS with actuator delay. The mean, variance and Sobol indices are compared and discussed to evaluate the effects of actuator delay on uncertainty quantification for RTHS. Results show that the mean and the variance of the maximum displacement increase linearly and exponentially with respect to actuator delay, respectively. Sensitivity analysis through Sobol indices also indicates the influence of the single random variable decreases while the coupling effect increases with the increase of actuator delay.

Real-time hybrid simulation of structures equipped with viscoelastic-plastic dampers using a user-programmable computational platform

A user-programmable computational/control platform was developed at the University of Toronto that offers real-time hybrid simulation （RTHS） capabilities. The platform was verified previously using several linear physical substructures. The study presented in this paper is focused on further validating the RTHS platform using a nonlinear viscoelastic-plastic damper that has displacement, frequency and temperature-dependent properties. The validation study includes damper component characterization tests, as well as RTHS of a series of single-degree-of-freedom （SDOF） systems equipped with viscoelastic-plastic dampers that represent different structural designs. From the component characterization tests, it was found that for a wide range of excitation frequencies and friction slip loads, the tracking errors are comparable to the errors in RTHS of linear spring systems. The hybrid SDOF results are compared to an independently validated thermal- mechanical viscoelastic model to further validate the ability for the platform to test nonlinear systems. After the validation, as an application study, nonlinear SDOF hybrid tests were used to develop performance spectra to predict the response of structures equipped with damping systems that are more challenging to model analytically. The use of the experimental performance spectra is illustrated by comparing the predicted response to the hybrid test response of 2DOF systems equipped with viscoelastic-plastic dampers.

Comparison of delay compensation methods for real-time hybrid simulation using frequency-domain evaluation index

The delay compensation method plays an essential role in maintaining the stability and achieving accurate real-time hybrid simulation results. The effectiveness of various compensation methods in different test scenarios, however, needs to be quantitatively evaluated. In this study, four compensation methods （i.e., the polynomial extrapolation, the linear acceleration extrapolation, the inverse compensation and the adaptive inverse compensation） are selected and compared experimentally using a frequency evaluation index （FEI） method. The effectiveness of the FEI method is first verified through comparison with the discrete transfer fimction approach for compensation methods assuming constant delay. Incomparable advantage is further demonstrated for the FEI method when applied to adaptive compensation methods, where the discrete transfer function approach is difficult to implement. Both numerical simulation and laboratory tests with predefined displacements are conducted using sinusoidal signals and random signals as inputs. Findings from numerical simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the FEI method is an efficient and effective approach to compare the performance of different compensation methods, especially for those requiring adaptation of compensation parameters.

Efficiency analysis of numerical integrations for finite element substructure in real-time hybrid simulation

Finite element（FE） is a powerful tool and has been applied by investigators to real-time hybrid simulations（RTHSs）. This study focuses on the computational efficiency, including the computational time and accuracy, of numerical integrations in solving FE numerical substructure in RTHSs. First, sparse matrix storage schemes are adopted to decrease the computational time of FE numerical substructure. In this way, the task execution time（TET） decreases such that the scale of the numerical substructure model increases. Subsequently, several commonly used explicit numerical integration algorithms, including the central difference method（CDM）, the Newmark explicit method, the Chang method and the Gui-λ method, are comprehensively compared to evaluate their computational time in solving FE numerical substructure. CDM is better than the other explicit integration algorithms when the damping matrix is diagonal, while the Gui-λ（λ = 4） method is advantageous when the damping matrix is non-diagonal. Finally, the effect of time delay on the computational accuracy of RTHSs is investigated by simulating structure-foundation systems. Simulation results show that the influences of time delay on the displacement response become obvious with the mass ratio increasing, and delay compensation methods may reduce the relative error of the displacement peak value to less than 5% even under the large time-step and large time delay.

A Mathematical Model of Real-Time Simulation and the Convergence Analysis on Real-Time Runge-Kutta Algorithms

In this paper, a mathematical model of real-time simulation is given, and the problem of convergence on real-time Runge-Kutta algorithms is analysed. At last a theorem on the relation between the order of compensation and the convergent order of real-time algorithm is proved.

Orthopaedic education in the era of surgical simulation: Still at the crawling stage

Surgical skills education is in the process of a crucial transformation from a master-apprenticeship model to simulation-based training. Orthopaedic surgery is one of the surgical specialties where simulation-based skills training needs to be integrated into the curriculum efficiently and urgently. The reason for this strong and pressing need is that orthopaedic surgery covers broad human anatomy and pathologies and requires learning enormously diverse surgical procedures including basic and advanced skills. Although the need for a simulationbased curriculum in orthopaedic surgery is clear, several obstacles need to be overcome for a smooth transformation. The main issues to be addressed can be summarized as defining the skills and procedures so that simulation-based training will be most effective; choosing the right time period during the course of orthopaedic training for exposure to simulators; the right amount of such exposure; using objective, valid and reliable metrics to measure the impact of simulation-based training on the development and progress of surgical skills; and standardization of the simulation-based curriculum nationwide and internationally. In the new era of surgical education, successful integration of simulation-based surgical skills training into the orthopaedic curriculum will depend on efficacious solutions to these obstacles in moving forward.

Real-time Simulation of Gas Based on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics

This paper extends the SPH method to gas simulation. The SPH （Smoothed Particles Hydrodynamics） method is the most popular method of flow simulation, which is widely used in large-scale liquid simulation. However, it is not found to apply to gas simulation, since those methods based on SPH can＇t be used in real-time simulation due to their enormous particles and huge computation. This paper proposes a method for gas simulation based on SPH with a small number of particles. Firstly, the method computes the position and density of each particle in each point-in-time, and outlines the shape of the simulated gas based on those particles. Secondly the method uses the grid technique to refine the shape with the diffusion of particle＇s density under the control of grid, and get more lifelike simulation result. Each grid will be assigned density according to the particles in it. The density determines the final appearance of the grid. For ensuring the natural transition of the color between adjacent grids, we give a diffuse process of density between these grids and assign appropriate values to vertexes of these grids. The experimental results show that the proposed method can give better gas simulation and meet the request of real-time.