A Brief Description of the System
In this initial version, the system addresses only Hydraulic Systems, focusing on Concurrent Engineering aspects relevant to the design process. However, plans have been made to apply the same structure to a pneumatic version.
The system is composed of a set of rules that define the necessary circuits based on the Load Attributes, as defined by the user.
These attributes are included in a high-level language, which means the definition of general attributes, such as position, reaction, type of control, etc., without requiring specific knowledge of hydraulics.
This system:
- Allows the user to specify an actuation system requirement at a minimal level of information.
- Prompts the user to respond interactively to determine the requirements in more detail, as for example the direction and orientation of loads.
- Generates automatically for consideration by the design engineer a set of feasible circuits based on well proven principles of circuit design.
- Displays the circuits as textual descriptions based on data objects which comprise submodules and generic components. Allows the change of Power Supply circuit, redefining the component lists. Handles servo-hydraulic circuits as feasible alternatives.
- Allows the preliminary ranking among the alternative solutions, considering general attributes, such as, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, maintenance, precision and operation.
- Calculates the power supply demand based on the load attributes (force, speed, torque, etc.).
- Displays the circuit diagrams and descriptions through HYPERTEXT links.
- Gives guidelines to the user to select the most adequate oil based on the application area.
Those functions give A DISTINT FEATURE TO THIS PROTOTYPE which encompasses several concepts in the same system, i.e. a Concurrent Engineering Approach in the process of design hydraulic systems.
What will This Tool be able to offer?
- A marketing opportunity to promote your products through a widespread database.
- Company profile as linked to a high-tech field, such as Artificial Intelligence.
- The tool could be offered to your customers to ease their decision making process.
- It can be used to start up the implementation of Concurrent Engineering Aspects in your design process, in case it has not been adopted, or to increment its application.
- A tool that could be offered to your customers to assist their decision making process, by making appropriate parts of the system available to them.
- As a rapid means of creating and assessing fluid power system design alternatives, including control systems for servo-hydraulics.
- "Technology Credit" in the market place, by being known to use expert system software as a design support tool.
All these aspects are taken into account in this project.
The system has two targeted types of user:
- For a noviciate engineer (or student) without expertise in hydraulics, the system provides a better understanding of the design process and some guidelines in hydraulics,
- And for experienced users, the system empowers them with:
- more freedom of choice
- a quicker start-up in terms of generating alternative solutions for the design problem,
- a facility to balance in a much broader way general criteria for the design at the conceptual design stage and
- a tool to automatically develop the basic calculations.
This explains why YOUR COMPANY WILL BENEFIT FROM SPONSORING THIS SYSTEM.
In terms of market, the product will be licensed world widely to:
- Engineering Schools.
- Training Institutions.
- Component Manufacturers.
- System Designers.
- Consultants.
EXAMPLE OF AN OUTPUT AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED
BY THE SYSTEM
An example of your company adversiting would be:
THIS SOFTWARE IS SUPPORTED BY
