A design support system is provided, which accurately simulates the
behavior of a flexible medium in a convey path even if the flexible
medium exhibits different flexural stiffness in different bending
directions. In a design support system which supports the user to design
a convey path by simulating the behavior of a flexible medium conveyed in
the convey path, a flexible medium model creation module (102), when a
flexible medium to be conveyed is defined in the convey path defined by
using a convey path definition module (101), creates a flexible medium
model representing the flexible medium by segmenting the flexible medium
into a plurality of stiff body elements each having a mass, and
connecting the respective adjacent stiff body elements with two springs,
that is, a rotational spring and translational spring whose spring
constants change depending on the direction of flexural deformation of
the flexible medium. A motion calculation module (104) time-serially
calculates the behavioral state of the flexible medium in the convey path
by numerical simulation on the basis of the flexible medium model created
by a flexible medium model creation module (102) and the convey
conditions and frictional coefficients set by a convey condition setting
module (103).