Algorithm for 3D shape model auto-conversion based on 2D drawing of pipe

Refrigerant pipes in outdoor air conditioning units link the compressor and heat exchanger. The pipes vibrate due to the compressor vibration, and high vibration may cause pipe breakage or other problems. This is why study of ways to reduce pipe vibrations is so important at the design stage. Vibration analysis technology (CAE) can be used to calculate the vibration amplitudes and stresses of pipes in order to design low-vibration pipes. In order to conduct vibration analysis, a 3D shape model must be defined in a computer, and then a 3D analytical model broken down into finite elements must be created. Unfortunately the process of creating a 3D analytical model is so labor-intensive that vibration analysis is not currently a part of design work. In order to automate the process of creating a 3D shape model, an algorithm of 3D shape model auto conversion based on a 2D drawing of a pipe was developed. The pipe targeted for this study has two features. First, the 2D drawing shows only the central axis of the pipe. Second, the 3D pipe model is expressed by one continuous line without branches or other breaks. By limiting this study to such a simple pipe shape, an algorithm for 3D shape model auto conversion based on a 2D drawing of a pipe can be developed.