Technologies to deliver real-time interactivity for virtual reality in stress analysis of solids

这项提案列出了一项工作方案，如果成功，将导致使用计算工具提供工程模拟的方式发生变化。这种方法将为整个过程带来更多的互动性，以便工程师/设计师不断地与分析互动，并接收解决方案的即时反馈，以便他/她可以评估正在设计的部件的耐用性、寿命和抗疲劳性能。读者被要求想象一台计算机显示实体表面上的应力等高线，然后想象工程师对设计进行一些几何更改，例如增加圆角半径。这样的操作通常可以通过点击并拖动鼠标操作来执行。接下来，想象一下随着鼠标的拖动和几何体的变形，屏幕上的应力等值线会实时更新。使用不同动态操作的进一步几何更改也会导致应力实时更新。因此，应力分析随几何图形一起发展，并指导设计，而不是在设计完成后对其进行验证。这是对拟议工作输出的愿景。对于2D模拟来说，这种交互水平不再是愿景，而是现实。达勒姆大学之前的工作导致了系统概念分析员的开发，读者可以访问网站http://www.conceptanalyst.com来查看典型交互设计分析会议的屏幕截图。这项拟议工作的目的是为3D模拟带来相同水平的交互。这将带来几个技术挑战，但有望产生相当大的影响。我们请求EPSRC提供资金，以支持一名博士后研究助理和一名研究生，提供适当的计算设施，并通过会议和学术出版物资助合作和传播。拟议项目的期限为三年。

This proposal sets out a programme of work that, if successful, will lead to a change in the way that computational tools are used to provide engineering simulations. The approach will bring considerably more interactivity into the process, so that the engineer/designer is continuously interacting with the analysis and receiving immediate feedback of solutions from which he/she can assess the durability, life and fatigue resistance of the component being designed. The reader is asked to imagine a computer showing contours of stresses on the surface of a solid body, and next imagine the engineer making some geometric change to the design, e.g. increasing a fillet radius. Such an operation might normally be performed by a click-and-drag mouse operation. Next, imagine the stress contours updating on the screen in real time as the mouse is dragged and the geometry is being deformed. Further geometric changes using different dynamic operations also cause stresses to update in real time. Thus the stress analysis evolves along with the geometry, and guides the design rather than validates it after its completion. This is the vision for the output of the proposed work.This level of interactivity is no longer a vision, but instead a reality, for 2D simulations. Previous work at Durham has led to the development of a system Concept Analyst, and readers are invited to view the web site http://www.conceptanalyst.com to view screen captures of typical interactive design analysis sessions. It is the aim of the proposed work to bring the same level of interactivity to 3D simulations. This will present several technical challenges, but promises to have considerable impact.We request funding from EPSRC to support a post-doctoral research associate and a postgraduate student, to provide for appropriate computational facilities, and to fund collaboration and dissemination through conferences and academic publications. The duration of the proposed project is three years.