Material Delay

Material Delay elements simulate delay in the physical movement (flow) of material. The input to the Material Delay element is typically a rate; the input rate is delayed the specified amount of delay time and then becomes the output rate from the element. These delays often have a critical impact in the dynamic behavior of systems.

You would use a Material Delay element to simulate processes like the movement of parts on a conveyor belt, the flow of water through an aquifer, the movement of cars from one location to another, and the movement of letters through the mail system.

Material is conserved as it moves through a Material Delay. In addition, material may be dispersed while in transit. As an example of delay "dispersion", if you send 100 letters all at once, they will not be delivered at the same time. Rather, there will be some variability in the time at which they are delivered (i.e., the delay time).

Some example usages of the Material Delay element are presented below and the Material Delay is also compared to the Information Delay element.

To Open the Model File:

1. Start GoldSim
2. Click on the File and select Open Example...
3. Browse to General Examples and select the file called MaterialDelay.gsm