Modelling flexible parts for virtual reality assembly simulations which interact with their environment

Within the scope of simulation of assembly/disassembly operations, flexible modelling for virtual reality environments is described. The study analyzes the adequacy of various mechanical models in the specific context of oil hoses. The model behaviour is checked against experiments for validation. As an issue of this comparison, a mechanical model is proposed through the concept of a dual mechanical approach. The adequacy of this last model is deduced from the experimental data. The mechanical model is coupled with a geometric model for free-form surfaces. The deformation criterion uses a functional based on the external forces applied to the mechanical model. This model is expressed as a prescribed displacement problem in order to obtain a more accurate model. The model proposed is also capable of handling interaction between the flexible area of the hose and rigid parts of its environment which model other components of an engine bay. To this end, the mechanical model is enriched with a contact boundary condition which preserves the coherence of the approach. The proposed approach is also a proposal for a methodology to model mechanical flexible parts for virtual reality applications. The model set up has been inserted into a virtual reality environment for efficiency evaluation.