A survey of simulation techniques in commerce and defence

Despite the developments in Modelling and Simulation (M&S) tools and techniques over the past years, there has been a gap in the M&S research and practice in healthcare on developing a toolkit to assist the modellers and simulation practitioners with selecting an appropriate set of techniques. This study is a preliminary step towards this goal. This paper presents some results from a systematic literature survey on applications of M&S in the commerce and defence domains that could inspire some improvements in the healthcare. Interim results show that in the commercial sector Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) has been the most widely used technique with System Dynamics (SD) in second place. However in the defence sector, SD has gained relatively more attention. SD has been found quite useful for qualitative and soft factors analysis. From both the surveys it becomes clear that there is a growing trend towards using hybrid M&S approaches

Social BIM: Co-creation with shared situational awareness

© 2015 The authors. A common data environment (CDE) is a specific requirement for Level 2 BIM in the UK in accordance with BS1192-2007 and PAS1192-2 standards. It is a central repository of BIM data and examples include 4BIM and Autodesk 360. These repositories have some disadvantages:(i) it is after synchronisation or file upload that changes between local and cloud versions of BIM models can be appreciated by remote teams; (ii) there is a cost associated with subscribing to these servers, which could marginalise SMEs wanting to adopt BIM; and (iii) during the design phase, these systems do not permit real-time co-creation capabilities or audiovisual consensus amongst designers. So although these repositories are helpful technologies, it is people who collaborate (not systems) and in the design phase, audio-visual feedback and consensus can augment the collaboration experience and outcomes. With socio-technical input, the quality of BIM data/models generated by team members can be enhanced (and clashes minimised) if visual isolation is eliminated. This research presents a framework and proof-of-concept which redefines Social BIM (SBIM) as a socio-technical mode of BIM that enriches the co-creation process for Levels 2 and 3 BIM. It enables 'shared situational awareness' by empowering remote participants with visual and remote control of BIM models using GoToMeeting as a 'groupware'. The BIM data was hosted by surrogate servers linked to cloud-based storage. A quasi-experiment through a desktop sharing and communication system enabled 14 globally dispersed participants to control the graphical user interface (GUI) of a host PC in the UK running Autodesk Revit. Four audio-visual collaboration protocols were developed and three were tested. Participants interacted via the host PC remotely using computers (which acted as nomadic servers) and with mobile devices. Remote desktop/laptop users had unlimited control of the data in host PC, while real-time audio-visual communication improved the collaboration and co-creation of 3D BIM models. The experience of participants in editing BIM models was a function of internet bandwidth, hardware and operating systems. Unitary optimisation of modelling efforts/outcomes was possible on shared/coordination models. Divisible optimisation of industry-specific tasks (i.e. architectural, engineering and management) by participants was enhanced by feedback which was either on-demand (requested) or just-in-time (spontaneous)

A concurrent design facility architecture for education and research in multi-disciplinary design of complex systems

Engineering design processes applied in the industry focuses more towards a concurrent approach rather than traditional sequential design, because of its potential to improve lead-time, quality and reducing cost. In Concurrent Design (CD) or concurrent engineering (CE), all elements of the product life cycle are included and considered simultaneously during the design process. CE is also known as Collaborative Engineering. Over the last two decades, industries have applied a dedicated CD environment, representing an infrastructure of integrated hardware and software, where multi-disciplinary design teams work together collaboratively on a specific project. Graduates moving into engineering design will become more involved in CD and the use of so-called Concurrent Design Facilities (CDF). Therefore, universities need to adopt their design curriculums and expose students to CD principles to make them work-ready for this new environment. The objectives of this thesis are to investigate the design engineering education approaches in universities, with a focus on aerospace engineering, and to identify the requirements for a concurrent design facility specifically for design education and research. The thesis gives give special attentions to the design of concurrent design facility that are low-cost, adaptable, and easy to use and its role in the overall design curriculums

The 1993/1994 NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program

The NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP) attempts to reach a culturally diverse group of promising U.S. graduate students whose research interests are compatible with NASA's programs in space science and aerospace technology. Each year we select approximately 100 new awardees based on competitive evaluation of their academic qualifications, their proposed research plan and/or plan of study, and their planned utilization of NASA research facilities. Fellowships of up to $22,000 are awarded for one year and are renewable, based on satisfactory progress, for a total of three years. Approximately 300 graduate students are, thus, supported by this program at any one time. Students may apply any time during their graduate career or prior to receiving their baccalaureate degree. An applicant must be sponsored by his/her graduate department chair or faculty advisor; this book discusses the GSRP in great detail

Vision 2040: A Roadmap for Integrated, Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of Materials and Systems

Over the last few decades, advances in high-performance computing, new materials characterization methods, and, more recently, an emphasis on integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) and additive manufacturing have been a catalyst for multiscale modeling and simulation-based design of materials and structures in the aerospace industry. While these advances have driven significant progress in the development of aerospace components and systems, that progress has been limited by persistent technology and infrastructure challenges that must be overcome to realize the full potential of integrated materials and systems design and simulation modeling throughout the supply chain. As a result, NASA's Transformational Tools and Technology (TTT) Project sponsored a study (performed by a diverse team led by Pratt & Whitney) to define the potential 25-year future state required for integrated multiscale modeling of materials and systems (e.g., load-bearing structures) to accelerate the pace and reduce the expense of innovation in future aerospace and aeronautical systems. This report describes the findings of this 2040 Vision study (e.g., the 2040 vision state; the required interdependent core technical work areas, Key Element (KE); identified gaps and actions to close those gaps; and major recommendations) which constitutes a community consensus document as it is a result of over 450 professionals input obtain via: 1) four society workshops (AIAA, NAFEMS, and two TMS), 2) community-wide survey, and 3) the establishment of 9 expert panels (one per KE) consisting on average of 10 non-team members from academia, government and industry to review, update content, and prioritize gaps and actions. The study envisions the development of a cyber-physical-social ecosystem comprised of experimentally verified and validated computational models, tools, and techniques, along with the associated digital tapestry, that impacts the entire supply chain to enable cost-effective, rapid, and revolutionary design of fit-for-purpose materials, components, and systems. Although the vision focused on aeronautics and space applications, it is believed that other engineering communities (e.g., automotive, biomedical, etc.) can benefit as well from the proposed framework with only minor modifications. Finally, it is TTT's hope and desire that this vision provides the strategic guidance to both public and private research and development decision makers to make the proposed 2040 vision state a reality and thereby provide a significant advancement in the United States global competitiveness

1997 Graduate Student Researchers Program

In 1980, NASA initiated the Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) to cultivate additional research ties to the academic community and to support a culturally diverse group of students pursuing advanced degrees in science and engineering. Eligibility requirements for this program are described, and program administrators are listed. Research areas are detailed for NASA Headquarters and all Research and Flight Centers

Integrated lifecycle requirements information management in construction

Effective management of information about client requirements in construction projects lifecycle can contribute to high construction productivity; within budget and schedule, and improve the quality of built facilities and service delivery. Traditionally, requirements management has been focused at the early stages of the construction lifecycle process where elicited client requirements information is used as the basis for design. Management of client requirements does not extend to the later phases. Client requirements often evolve and change dramatically over a facility’s life. Changing client requirements is one of the principal factors that contribute to delays and budget overruns of construction projects. This results in claims, disputes and client dissatisfaction. The problems of current requirements management process also include: lack of integrated and collaborative working with requirements; lack of integrated requirements information flow between the various heterogeneous systems used in the lifecycle processes, and between the multiple stakeholders; inefficient and ineffective coordination of changes within the lifecycle processes; manual checking of dependencies between changing requirements to facilitate assessment of cost and time impact of changes. The aim of the research is to specify a better approach to requirements information management to help construction organisations reduce operational cost and time in product development and service delivery; whilst increasing performance and productivity, and realising high quality of built facilities. In order to achieve the aim and the formulated objectives, firstly, a detailed review of literature on related work was conducted. Secondly, the research designed, developed and conducted three case studies to investigate the state-of-the-art of managing client requirements information. A combination of multiple data collection methods was applied which included observations, interviews, focus group and questionnaires. Following this, the data was analysed and problems were identified; the necessity for a lifecycle approach to managing the requirements information emerged. (Continues...)