Hydraulic Structures For Engineering Analysis Software System Development

The objects, purposes and means of hydraulic structure analyses have become more and more complicated. Nowadays, the analyses serve not only for the design but also for the construction and operation of the structures. Meanwhile, the users of the analysis software are extended from researchers to designers and even to field engineers. As a result, how to develop practical project-oriented software system for hydraulic structure analysis merits exploration. This paper is based on the author's work, as a participant, in developing three large-scale software systems, i.e. Dam concrete temperature control simulation and feedback analyses system for Three Gorges Project during 2nd construction stage, Tunnel construction simulation and feedback analyses system and Xiaolangdi Project safety monitor system (Structure Analysis sub-system). The author, taking the systems for tunnel construction as an example, demonstrated the global framework and functions for a project-oriented hydraulic structure analysis software system, and proposed certain principles for developing the system in visualized and interactive mode. Both modeling real-world problems and interpretation of computation results are two bottlenecks with respect to the application of finite element software. Three-dimensional geometry construction by using surface cutting showed great flexibility to accommodate the special requirements for hydraulic structures. In the implementation of the surface cutting, the author raised an auto-zoning method by normal direction searching and relevant technique. This method can be applied to any complicated 2D and 3D surface. The author developed the user-friendly interfaces with good visual effect for model construction and post processing by means of the well-known 3D graphic function library OpenGL. According to the global design of system of the above mentioned tunnel construction systems, the author finished the implementation of the following parts of the first version: the framework and pre- and-post processing. This made it possible for users to erect analysis models and process enormous result data accurately and rapidly. As an application to practical project, the author also developed pre- and post process modules suitable for field application to the system for 2nd stage concrete construction in Three Gorges Project. The modules can satisfy the demands to simultaneously performance .of temperature control simulation analyses for more than 50 of dam monoliths in Three Gorges Project.