Engineering Rules-based Orthogonal and Variable-steps Pipe Routing Algorithm for Aero-engines

Pipe routing is to design the routes for pipes in 3D space, meeting various constraints and engineering rules. This paper proposes the engineering rules-based orthogonal and variable-steps pipe routing algorithm. Firstly, the cylindrical coordinate system was adopted to describe the layout space and obstacles. In view of two endpoints of the pipe and obstacles in between, the local searching space was built. Then, the searching algorithm was given according to engineering rules, which was involved with the orthogonal searching directions and their order, the searching variable-steps. Moreover, the specific flow of this algorithm was described. The algorithm requires less memory space and has a fast search speed. The case study shows it is feasible and effective.