Solid Modeling for Liquid Levels in Arbitrary Vessels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for computing liquid levels in containment vessels, such as fuel tanks, are limited by their reliance on specific geometric shapes, approximate methods, complex FORTRAN software, and proprietary file formats, making them inaccurate and difficult to maintain and integrate with other solutions.
Innovation Solution
The use of solid modeling techniques and Boolean operations to create a system that computes liquid levels in arbitrarily shaped containers using exact geometry, reducing code complexity and eliminating approximations, and allowing integration with other software solutions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If rectangular sliced approximations are used to compute fuel distributions, then the computation can be performed for different wing attitudes and configurations, but the solution accuracy deteriorates and the method is tied to specific geometric shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical rectangular slicing approximation method with a computational solid modeling approach using boundary representations and Boolean operations. This substitution enables exact geometric calculations for arbitrarily shaped containment vessels while maintaining adaptability to different orientations and configurations through coordinate transformation matrices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of the computational approach by using precise boundary representations (vertices, edges, faces) and Boolean operations instead of approximate rectangular slices. This parameter change allows the system to handle arbitrary geometries exactly while computing fuel levels for any vessel attitude through transformation matrices.
2Ease of operation
If extensively formatted and reduced geometric representations are used, then the existing software can function, but the geometric information accuracy is lost and custom coding is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for extensively formatted and reduced geometric representations by using solid modeling boundary representations directly. This extraction removes the information loss inherent in rectangular slicing while maintaining software functionality through integrated Boolean operations and volume computation algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses exact boundary representation copies of the containment vessel geometry (vertices, edges, faces with incidence relations) instead of approximate rectangular slices. This copying approach preserves complete geometric information while enabling computation through solid modeling Boolean operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If FORTRAN software with proprietary file formats is used, then existing solutions can be implemented, but the code complexity increases and integration with other solutions becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal solid modeling framework that can handle arbitrarily shaped containment vessels, compute fuel levels for any attitude, and integrate with other aerospace software solutions. This universal approach replaces multiple specialized FORTRAN programs with a single flexible system using boundary representations and Boolean operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces solid modeling boundary representations and Boolean operations as intermediaries between the geometric model and fuel level computation. This intermediary layer eliminates the need for proprietary file formats and complex FORTRAN code while enabling integration with other solutions through standard computational geometry interfaces.
4Productivity
If approximate solution methods are used, then computation speed may be improved, but the fuel level accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the containment vessel geometry into boundary representations (vertices, edges, faces) that can be processed through Boolean operations. This segmentation enables exact computation of fuel volumes and levels by operating on the geometric primitives directly, achieving both accuracy and computational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes approximate numerical integration methods with exact solid modeling Boolean operations on boundary representations. This substitution computes fuel levels precisely by calculating the volume of intersection between the containment vessel and fuel regions defined by planar cuts, eliminating approximation errors while maintaining computational speed.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and method for simulating liquid containment behavior. The system comprises a solid modeler and a nonlinear equation solver. The nonlinear equation solver takes as input the solid model representation of the containment vessel from the solid modeler, a desired orientation in space, dynamic conditions (e.g., lateral acceleration) and an amount of liquid. To find the level of liquid in the vessel, the system solver iteratively performs successive Boolean subtractions using an infinite horizontal half-space that represents the liquid level of the vessel. The resulting sliced solid model is used to compute the volume of the liquid at that level. The iterative system solver terminates when the computed volume of the sliced containment vessel matches the specified volume of liquid (e.g., fuel) within a given tolerance. To accommodate dynamic situations, e.g., when acceleration is present, the horizontal liquid plane is replaced with a plane at an angle that corresponds to the total acceleration.