Interactive 3D Virtual Hydraulics

Pauniaho, L.; Hyvönen, Mika; Erkkilä, Riku; Vilenius, J.; Koskinen, K. T.; Vilenius, Matti

doi:10.1007/0-387-23572-8_33

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…In the area of online education for hydraulic control systems, there is a wide category of tools that is available to students such as [13], [14], [15], mostly built in academia, in common are limited to few basic experiences without allowing the user to build and assemble the circuit themselves. Moreover, no recent research has been done toward improvements.…”

Section: State Of the Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydraulic Trainer for Hands-on and Virtual Labs for Fluid Power Curriculum

Assaf¹,

Vacca²

2021

Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings

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Hands-on experiences constitute a high value, perhaps unreplaceable, element of applied engineering disciplines such as fluid power. Hydraulic and pneumatic trainers have been developed over the years to expose students to applications of fluid power technology. However, the traditional approach for educating students through hands-on lab is recently under high pressure due to the following aspects: a) the outdated design of the traditional trainers that seldom integrate modern electro-hydraulic components, data acquisition systems, and visual aids; b) the increased need for online education. These factors have been endangering the number of students – already low compared to the industry needs – enrolled in fluid power programs. This paper describes the effort made at Purdue University to develop a modern hydraulic trainer along with its digital twin that tackles the above challenges. A novel physical trainer was formulated to allow 29 lab experiences that span from basic concepts of single actuator control to more sophisticated layouts for controlling multiple actuators. The trainer largely uses electro-hydraulic components, sensors as well as a DAQ system connected with a touch base screen, aimed at maximizing the student’s feeling of experiencing modern technology. A virtual trainer that replicates the physical trainer is developed and implemented with the commercial software Unity 3D. The virtual trainer uses the CAD drawings of the physical components of the actual trainer, and it allows reproducing all the main aspects of the real lab experience, including typical students’ mistakes and realistic operating noise. This trainer simulator was successfully used for the first time at Purdue in Fall 2020, and it will represent a valid option for virtual hands-on experiences for distance learning students for years to come.

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Section: State Of the Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydraulic Trainer for Hands-on and Virtual Labs for Fluid Power Curriculum

Assaf¹,

Vacca²

2021

Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings

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“…An evaluation of the effectiveness in delivering content and success at attaining prescribed learning objectives was performed after implementing these labs in the classroom, and the students provided positive feedback regarding the experiences and skills gained. While the previous example targeted the demonstration of FP system operation, Pauniaho et al [30] focused on the component operation and utilized a 3D virtual environment to illustrate what happens inside a hydraulic control valve. Wong et al [38] implemented a bond graph method combined with a singular perturbation approach to solve the hydraulic and pneumatic equations in an FP system, coupled with graphical animation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual reality tool to support fluid power curriculum

Assaf

Vacca

2023

Comp Applic In Engineering

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Remote learning has recently become a crucial need in engineering education. In applied disciplines such as fluid power (FP), hands‐on lab experiences constitute an essential component for educating future engineers at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Physical hydraulic trainers have been developed over the years to expose students to applications of modern FP technology. However, there is a notable absence of virtual tools that can provide students with a realistic feeling of assembling, troubleshooting, and operating an actual hydraulic circuit. This paper describes the effort made to develop an original virtual trainer that fulfills these needs. This virtual trainer is designed to replicate existing physical trainers that were recently designed and implemented for FP education but on a virtual platform. The virtual trainer is implemented in Unity3D software, using CAD drawings of the components from the actual trainer, and provides the user with an interactive environment that reproduces all the aspects of a real lab experience. The tool allows the students to learn by mistake, as in typical activities with a physical trainer and includes realistic operating noise. The core part of the virtual trainer is the object‐oriented simulation model that is behind every hydraulic component. First successfully used in the Fall of 2020, and subsequently utilized in both Spring and Fall 2021 courses, the simulator represents an alternative for hands‐on experiences, and could be a valid option for distance learning students in the future. Details of the implementation approach and some significant cases are covered in the following work.

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“…Among the 3D animations, some were developed through technologies such as OpenGL [39], VRML [40,41], and other popular 3D modelling software, such as LabVIEW [42][43][44], creating more immersive virtual environments so as to retain more users' involvement. For example, Pieritz et al [39] developed an interactive, Web-based virtual laboratory with OpenGL technology to simulate and study fluid flow problems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to its generality, the tool can also be used by engineering professionals. Pauniaho et al [40] introduced a three-dimensional model in a Hydraulics course at Tampere University of Technology (TUT), in Finland, using virtual reality modelling language (VRML) to teach the structures and functions of fluid power systems and hydraulic components. This technique showed students how a slide moved inside a valve and how it affected the opening of flow orifices, thus increasing or decreasing the flow.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

StreamflowVL: A Virtual Fieldwork Laboratory that Supports Traditional Hydraulics Engineering Learning

2019

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This paper describes an innovative virtual laboratory for students of Hydraulic Engineering at an Italian university that shows water discharge measurement techniques applied in open-channel flows. Such new technology, which supports traditional practical classes, has the potential to increase students’ motivation and improve their skills, as well as simultaneously reducing the costs, time, and possible dangers that continuous field experiments would involve. Thanks to this immersive and interactive experience that is carried out indoors, students learn to move around a fluvial environment, as well as work more safely and with reduced risks of accidents. Besides, the virtual lab can boost learners’ interest by combining education with pleasure and making knowledge more fun. Collaboration with a group of students enrolled in the Master’s degree course of the Civil and Environmental Engineering program at Basilicata University at the early stages of developing the educational tool led to improvements in its performance and features. Also, a preliminary testing procedure carried out on a student sample, verified the achievement of the students’ learning objectives in terms of knowledge and skills. Such analysis indicated that students took more active role in the teaching/learning process and they showed greater interest in the topic dealt with through the new technology compared to the involvement of students observed during traditional lessons in previous years. The architecture and operational modes of the virtual laboratory as well as the results of the preliminary analysis are discussed.

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Interactive 3D Virtual Hydraulics

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Hydraulic Trainer for Hands-on and Virtual Labs for Fluid Power Curriculum

Hydraulic Trainer for Hands-on and Virtual Labs for Fluid Power Curriculum

Virtual reality tool to support fluid power curriculum

StreamflowVL: A Virtual Fieldwork Laboratory that Supports Traditional Hydraulics Engineering Learning

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