Simulation Techniques
Task:
- Simulate a transport company, where k trucks with capacity of u units transport cargo goods between the headquarters and n regional depots.
- Goods arrive in batches of size r units, where r is a random variable following normal distribution with mean μ𝑟 and variance σr2 (but the lowest possible size is 0.1 unit and the highest is 10 units).
- In the headquarters the cargo batch destination depot 𝑑𝑛 is a random variable following uniform distribution with equal probability for each depot, while the cargo batch destination for all cargo generated in depots is the headquarters.
- The time interval between the arrival (generation) of two consecutive cargo batches is a random variable with exponential distribution and average 𝑐ℎ𝑞 and 𝑐𝑑 for the headquarters and each depot, respectively.
- Cargo batches wait in queues at the headquarters and the depots until they are taken by the next truck going to the destination point of a cargo batch, where the truck destination at the headquarters is selected with strategy S, while for the depots the destination is always the headquarters.
- After the destination is determined the cargo batches destined to this point are loaded in first-in first-out order (FIFO) until the next one exceeds the truck capacity.
- Only full batch can be loaded, assuming there is enough space in the truck.
- In the headquarters there are M loading/unloading platforms, while in each depot there are N loading/unloading platforms, with single platform able to accommodate one truck.
- Trucks upon arrival enter a free platform unless all of them are occupied – in such a case they wait in queue. Then they are unloaded and later loaded, with the loading and unloading time for each cargo batch determined as r𝑇𝐼 and r𝑇𝑢, respectively.
- Delivered cargo batches leave the system. Trucks leave the platform according to strategy P.
- The traveling time for each truck between any depot and headquarters follows normal distribution with average μ𝑡 and variance σt2.
Simulation Parameters:
Strategies used in the Project:
Method used in the Project:
Simulation Model Scheme:
Please find the simulation scheme I prepared below. I believe that it will help you to picture how events will be carried out in your mind and will give you a chance to understand the process better.
Randomly selected starting variables:
Result:
It took a long time to obtain consistent results and ensure that the system was functioning properly. However, as a result of this project, I received a decent grade. You can write your own code by studying how this code's algorithms and strategies are implemented. Best wishes. Ahmet Mesut