Developing a Flexible System-Modeling Environment for Engineers

We are developing a module-oriented, multiphysics, mixed-fidelity system simulation environment that will enable engineers to rapidly analyze the performance of a system and to optimize its design. In the environment, physical components of the system are represented by software components, and are linked by ports that transfer and transform data between them. The model fidelity in a composite module may be specified independently, e.g., one composite module may have a parametric model and another may have a three-dimensional finite-element model. In a prototype of the environment users can specify thermal radiation models for each system component, embed electrical circuits in each component, and set the external conditions for the system. During the simulation users can monitor the thermal and electrical behavior of the system. The latest software design for the environment promises greater flexibility in extending the environment for analyzing and optimizing a variety of complex systems.