17MDC81 – Modeling and Simulation

Assignment Key:
Applications
Modelling is the process of representing a model which includes its construction and
working. This model is similar to a real system, which helps the analyst predict the effect of
changes to the system. In other words, modelling is creating a model which represents a
system including their properties. It is an act of building a model.
Simulation of a system is the operation of a model in terms of time or space, which helps
analyze the performance of an existing or a proposed system. In other words, simulation is
the process of using a model to study the performance of a system. It is an act of using a
model for simulation.
Continuous simulation is used in the following sectors.
In civil engineering for the construction of dam embankment and tunnel constructions. In
military applications for simulation of missile trajectory, simulation of fighter aircraft
training, and designing & testing of intelligent controller for underwater vehicles.
In logistics for designing of toll plaza, passenger flow analysis at the airport terminal, and
proactive flight schedule evaluation. In business development for product development
planning, staff management planning, and market study analysis.
Modelling & Simulation can also be applied to the following areas − Military applications,
training & support, designing semiconductors, telecommunications, civil engineering designs
& presentations, and E-business models.
 Designing Safer Cars. A computer model of a car can be used to test how safe the
design of the car is in a crash.
 Weather Forecasting. A computer model of a weather system can be used to
predict storms.
 Building Better Bridges.
 Running a Business.
Single Channel Queuing System – Grocery Store
Most retail stores use one of the two most common queuing systems: single-line and multi-
line. It most commonly uses single-channel queuing systems mean when there is a single
counter to serve the customers as a small store. A single channel can be digital or physical.
A small grocery store has only one checkout counter. Customers arrive at this checkout
counter at random times that are from 1 to 8 minutes apart. Each possible value of interarrival
time has the same probability of occurrence. The service times vary from 1 to 6 minutes. The
problem is to analyze the system by simulating the arrival and service of 100 customers. In
actuality, 100 customers is too small a sample size to draw any reliable conclusions. The
accuracy of the results is enhanced by increasing the sample size. However, the purpose of
the exercise is to demonstrate how simple simulations can be carried out in a table, either
manually or with a spreadsheet, not to recommend changes in the grocery store. A simulation
of a grocery store that starts with an empty system is not realistic unless the intention is to
model the system from startup or to model until steady-state operation is reached. Here, to
keep calculations simple, starting conditions and concerns are overlooked.
A set of uniformly distributed random numbers is needed to generate the arrivals at the
checkout counter. Such random numbers have the following properties:
1. The set of random numbers is uniformly distributed between 0 and 1.
2. Successive random numbers are Independent.
Random digits are converted to random numbers by placing a decimal point appropriately.
Since the probabilities are accurate to 3 significant digits, three-place random numbers will
suffice. It is necessary to list 99 random numbers to generate the times between arrivals. Why
only 99 numbers? The first arrival is assumed to occur at time 0, so only 99 more arrivals
need to be generated to end up with l 00 customers. The first random digit assignment is 001-
125. There are 1000 three-digit values possible (001 through 000). The probability of a time-
between-arrival of l minute is 0.125, so 1 25 of the I000 random digit values are assigned to
such an occurrence. Times between arrival for 99 customers are generated by listing 99 three-
digit values and comparing them to the random digit assignment.
The average waiting time for a customer is 1.74 minutes. This is computed in the following
manner:
Average waiting time (minutes) = total time customers wait in queue (minutes) / total
numbers of customers
174 / 100 = 1.74 minutes.
The probability that a customer has to wait in the queue =
probability(wait) = number of customers who wait / total number of customers =
= 46/ 100 = 0.46
Simulation of manufacturing and material handling system
Manufacturing and material-handling systems provide one of the most important
applications of simulation. Simulation has been used successfully _as an aid in the design of
new production facilities, warehouses, and distribution centers. It has also been used to
evaluate suggested improvements to existing systems.
Engineers and analysts using simulation have found it valuable for evaluating the
impact of capital investmentS in equipment and physical facility and of proposed changes to
material handling and layout. They have also found it useful to evaluate staffing and
operating rules and proposed rules and algorithms to be incorporated into production control
systems, warehouse-management control software, and material-handling controls.
Managers have found simulation useful in providing a "test drive" before making
capital investments, without disrupting the existing system with untried changes.
For simulation,proper scope and level of detail should be determined by the objectives
of the study and the questions being asked. On the other hand, level of detail could be
constrained by the availability of input data and the knowledge of how system components
work. For new, non-existent systems, data availability might be limited, and system
knowledge might be based on assumptions.
 Models of Manufacturing Systems Models of manufacturing systems might have to
take into account a number of characteristics of such systems, some of which are the
following:
Physical layout, Labour Shift schedules, Job duties and certification, Equipment Rates
and capacities, Breakdowns Time to failure, Time to repair, Resources needed for repair
Production Maintenance schedule Time and resources required.
Models of material-handling systems often have to contain some of the following
types of subsystems:
Conveyor : Accumulating , Nonaccumulating
Transporters : Unconstrained vehicles (e.g., manually guided fork trucks) , Guided
vehicles
Storage systems: Pallet storage, Case storage, etc.,
There are numerous types of material-handling devices common to manufacturing,
warehousing, and distribution operations. They include unconstrained transporters, such as
carts, manually driven fork-lift truc!'s, and pallet jacks; guided path transporters, such as
AGVs (automated guided vehicles); and fixed-path devices, such as various types of
conveyor