Modelling and analysis tools for assembly/disassembly process simulation
Résumé
Optimization and realistic virtual simulation of the Assembly and Disassembly (A/D) process represent important research subjects, considering the important role played by these operations in the initial stages of the product design, as well as in the fabrication, ergonomics, training, service or recycling stages. Literature reports many methods used for analysis and optimization and different simulation applications based on assembly connection concept or which use information referring to components mating. Moreover, virtual reality (VR) environments have significantly evolved towards the A/D simulation, highlighting new requirements for the preparation stages and their integration. All these simulations address different objectives: A/D sequencing, path planning, ergonomic analysis etc., and are complementary to each other. The first objective of this work is to present a comparative review of the assembly modules available in A/D analysis software and simulation platforms, and the assembly modelling tools provided by commercial Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. Different elements are investigated: mating conditions (geometric constraints) used for reciprocally placing components in an assembly, functions used for contacts generation, as well as clashes and interferences detection tools. Furthermore, an additional purpose is to determine what type of information related to components relative mobility is available in the existing software and how this is used. The main objective of this research is to propose new tools for enhancing the A/D simulation capabilities and to define a software development pipeline. This paper is part of an on-going research effort aimed at creating a virtual assembly simulation platform.