I have spent the the last few months learning Java and a whole lot of other technologies. Why? There are some projects I have in my head that I have never been able to take the time and get out into the Universe. Linkflow is one of those projects.
There are many hydraulic design programs out there. I designed linkFlow for a particular purpose, with one aim. It is designed to make things a complex design situation very simple, in a piece of software that is so lightweight it can run on anything, preferably even while you have a lot of other pieces of software running on your desktop. The simplicity and portability of the program also means it can be used anywhere. It is written in Java so it runs on anything. So an engineer in the field in a developing country has the same design tool as an engineer in an air conditioned office in Chicago.
So linkFlow is also flexible, allowing the designer to work in US Customary Units and in SI units. Any pipe series can be used for the design. Any erosion control fabric can be used for the lining, and any kind of crushed stone can be used for stability. Even the local vegetation can be input into the program to better model local conditions. All these things are stored in the back-end data of the program. The front, the direct user interface, is designed to be intuitive to operate. These are features not found in other hydraulic calculators.
The user only has to decide on the section he is designing, input a few design parameters, and with a few clicks, let linkFlow do the iterations to solve the problem. Simple computations of pipe diameters, to complex riprap channel design - both take seconds to fully design. All designs conform to the latest FHA standards for roadside drainage.
What else? This program has the ability to design complex and irregular sections with flexible materials, with varying n values. This is another feature not found in other hydraulic calculators. This opens the door to a lot of possibilities, including ditches with compound sections, and the design of watercourses with adjacent wetland areas in the same model.
So linkFlow is the first of many designs. I hope that it serves to help make the world a more livable place, by protecting water quality and reducing erosion. I am already working on the next project, but I will still be maintaining and updating this one. Download linkFlow free at SourceForge.
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