Simulation software

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Simulation software is based on the process of modeling a real phenomenon with a
set of mathematical formulas. It is, essentially, a program that allows the user to
observe an operation through simulation without actually performing that operation.
Simulation software is used widely to design equipment so that the final product
will be as close to design specs as possible without expensive in process
modification. Simulation software with real-time response is often used in gaming,
but it also has important industrial applications. When the penalty for improper
operation is costly, such as airplane pilots, nuclear power plant operators, or
chemical plant operators, a mock up of the actual control panel is connected to a
real-time simulation of the physical response, giving valuable training experience
without fear of a disastrous outcome.

Advanced computer programs can simulate power system behavior,[1] weather

conditions, electronic circuits, chemical reactions, mechatronics,[2] heat pumps,
feedback control systems, atomic reactions, even complex biological processes. In
theory, any phenomena that can be reduced to mathematical data and equations can be
simulated on a computer. Simulation can be difficult because most natural phenomena
are subject to an almost infinite number of influences. One of the tricks to
developing useful simulations is to determine which are the most important factors
that affect the goals of the simulation.

In addition to imitating processes to see how they behave under different

conditions, simulations are also used to test new theories. After creating a theory
of causal relationships, the theorist can codify the relationships in the form of a
computer program. If the program then behaves in the same way as the real process,
there is a good chance that the proposed relationships are correct.

Contents
1 General simulation
2 Electronics
3 Programmable logic controllers
4 Sheet metal forming
5 Metal casting
6 Network protocols
7 See also
8 References
General simulation
General simulation packages fall into two categories: discrete event and continuous
simulation. Discrete event simulations are used to model statistical events such as
customers arriving in queues at a bank. By properly correlating arrival
probabilities with observed behavior, a model can determine optimal queue count to
keep queue wait times at a specified level. Continuous simulators are used to model
a wide variety of physical phenomena like ballistic trajectories, human
respiration, electric motor response, radio frequency data communication, steam
turbine power generation etc. Simulations are used in initial system design to
optimize component selection and controller gains, as well as in Model Based Design
systems to generate embedded control code. Real-time operation of continuous
simulation is used for operator training and off-line controller tuning.

There are four main renowned simulation approaches: Event-Scheduling method,

Activity Scanning, Process- Interaction, and Three-Phase approach, in comparison,
the following can be noted:

The Event-Scheduling method is simpler and only has two phases so there is no Cs
and Bs, this allow the program to run faster since there are no scanning for the
conditional events. All these advantages also tells us something about the
disadvantages of the method since there are only two phase then all events are
mixed (no Bs and Cs) then the method is not parsimony, which means it is very hard
to enhance (Pidd, 1998). The Activity Scanning approach is also simpler than the
Three-Phase method since it has no calendar, and it support the parsimonious
modeling. However this approach is much slower than Three-Phase since it treats all
activities are treated as conditional. On the other hand, the executive has two
phases. Usually this approach is confused with the Three-Phase method (Pidd, 1998).
The Process- Interaction “share two common advantages first; they avoid programs
that are slow to run. Second, they avoid the need to think through all possible
logical consequences of an event” (Pidd, 1998). Yet, as (Pidd, 1998) claims this
approach suffers from DEADLOCK problem, but this approach is very attractive for
novice modelers. Although, (Schriber et al, 2003). Says “process interaction was
understood only by an elite group of individuals and was beyond the reach of
ordinary programmers”. In fact (Schriber et al, 2003).adds “. Multi- threaded
applications were talked about in computer science classes, but rarely used in the
broader community”. Which indicates that the implementation of Process-Interaction
was very difficult to implement. The obvious contradiction, in the previous quote
is due to the mix up between the Process Interaction approach and the Transaction-
flow approach. To see the complete idea of the origins of Transaction-Flow best
stated by (Schriber et al, 2003): This was the primordial soup out of which the
Gordon Simulator arose. Gordon’s transaction flow world-view was a cleverly
disguised form of process interaction that put the process interaction approach
within the grasp of ordinary users. . Gordon did one of the great packaging jobs of
all time. He devised a set of building blocks that could be put together to build a
flowchart that graphically depicted the operation of a system. Under this modeling
paradigm, the flow of elements through a system was readily visible, because that
was the focus of the whole approach. The Three-Phase approach allows to “simulate
parallelism, whilst avoiding deadlock” (Pidd and Cassel, 1998). Yet, Three-Phase
has to scan through the schedule for bound activities, and then scans through all
conditional activities which slow it down. Yet many forgo the time spent in return
for solving the deadlock problem. In fact, Three-Phase is used in distributed
systems whether talking about operating systems, databases, etc, under different
names among them Three-Phase commit see (Tanenbaum and Steen, 2002).[3]

Electronics
Electronics simulation software utilizes mathematical models to replicate the
behaviour of an actual electronic device or circuit. Essentially, it is a computer
program that converts a computer into a fully functioning electronics laboratory.
Electronics simulators integrate a schematic editor, SPICE simulator and onscreen
waveforms and make “what-if” scenarios easy and instant. By simulating a circuit’s
behaviour before actually building it greatly improves efficiency and provides
insights into the behavior and stability of electronics circuit designs. Most
simulators use a SPICE engine that simulates analog, digital and mixed A/D circuits
for exceptional power and accuracy. They also typically contain extensive model and
device libraries. While these simulators typically have printed circuit board (PCB)
export capabilities, they are not essential for design and testing of circuits,
which is the primary application of electronic circuit simulation.

While there are strictly analog[4] electronics circuit simulators include both
analog and event-driven digital simulation[5] capabilities, and are known as mixed-
mode simulators.[6] This means that any simulation may contain components that are
analog, event driven (digital or sampled-data), or a combination of both. An entire
mixed signal analysis can be driven from one integrated schematic. All the digital
models in mixed-mode simulators provide accurate specification of propagation time
and rise/fall time delays.

The event driven algorithm provided by mixed-mode simulators is general purpose and
supports non-digital types of data. For example, elements can use real or integer
values to simulate DSP functions or sampled data filters. Because the event driven
algorithm is faster than the standard SPICE matrix solution simulation time is
greatly reduced for circuits that use event driven models in place of analog
models.[7]

Mixed-mode simulation is handled on three levels; (a) with primitive digital

elements that use timing models and the built-in 12 or 16 state digital logic
simulator, (b) with subcircuit models that use the actual transistor topology of
the integrated circuit, and finally, (c) with In-line Boolean logic expressions.

Exact representations are used mainly in the analysis of transmission line and
signal integrity problems where a close inspection of an IC’s I/O characteristics
is needed. Boolean logic expressions are delay-less functions that are used to
provide efficient logic signal processing in an analog environment. These two
modeling techniques use SPICE to solve a problem while the third method, digital
primitives, use mixed mode capability. Each of these methods has its merits and
target applications. In fact, many simulations (particularly those which use A/D
technology) call for the combination of all three approaches. No one approach alone
is sufficient.

Programmable logic controllers

In order to properly understand the operation of a programmable logic controller
(PLC), it is necessary to spend considerable time programming, testing, and
debugging PLC programs. PLC systems are inherently expensive, and down-time is
often very costly. In addition, if a PLC is programmed incorrectly it can result in
lost productivity and dangerous conditions. PLC simulation software is a valuable
tool in the understanding and learning of PLCs and to keep this knowledge refreshed
and up to date.[8] PLC simulation provides users with the ability to write, edit
and debug programs written using a tag-based format. Many of the most popular PLCs
use tags, which are a powerful method of programming PLCs but also more complex.
PLC simulation integrates tag-based ladder logic programs with 3D interactive
animations to enhance the user’s learning experience.[9] These interactive
animations include traffic lights, batch processing, and bottling lines.[10]

By using PLC simulation, PLC programmers have the freedom to try all the "what-if"
scenarios changing ladder logic instructions and programs, then re-running the
simulation to see how changes affect the PLC's operation and performance. This type
of testing is often not feasible using hardwired operating PLCs that control
processes often worth hundreds of thousands – or millions of dollars.[11]

Sheet metal forming

Sheet metal forming simulation software utilizes mathematical models to replicate
the behavior of an actual metal sheet manufacturing process.[citation needed]
Essentially, it is a computer program that converts a computer into a fully
functioning metal manufacturing prediction unit. Sheet metal forming simulation
prevents metal factories from defects in their production lines and reduces testing
and expensive mistakes improving efficiency in the metal forming process.[citation
needed]

Metal casting
Metal casting simulation is currently performed by Finite Element Method simulation
software designed as a defect-prediction tool for the foundry engineer, in order to
correct and/or improve his/her casting process, even before prototype trials are
produced. The idea is to use information to analyze and predict results in a simple
and effective manner to simulate processes such as:

Gravity sand casting

Gravity die casting
Gravity tilt pouring
Low pressure die casting
The software would normally have the following specifications:

Graphical interface and mesh tools

Mould filling solver
Solidification and cooling solver: Thermal and thermo-mechanical (Casting
shrinkage).
Network protocols
The interaction between the network entities is defined by various communication
protocols. Network simulation software simulates behavior of networks on a protocol
level. Network Protocol Simulation software can be used to develop test scenarios,
understand the network behavior against certain protocol messages, compliance of
new protocol stack implementation, Protocol Stack Testing. These simulators are
based on telecommunications protocol architecture specifications developed by
international standards body such as the ITU-T, IEEE, and so on. The output of
protocol simulation software can be detailed packet traces, events logs etc.