High Performance Simulation for Structural Integrity Analysis

HIPSIA - INCO-DC95-956

Keywords: HPC, parallel processing, welding, simulation

Start Date: 1 March 96 / Duration: 36 months

Objectivies and Approach

Welding processes are of major concern in many industries, including power, off shore and aerospace. This concern is due to the frequent fatigue failure of welded parts, which is caused by a number of small flaws joining up and leading to the formation of dominant cracks. As such, welded components are the target of costly periodic inspections.

Computer simulation is now recognised as a necessary part of the design process for high technology manufacturing industries. Reducing time and cost of such inspections through enhanced simulation is therefore essential to maintain the competitiveness of these industries.

This project aims to create a new design and simulation environment by combining new, state-of-the-art numerical methods, analytical models based on experimental tests and cost effective high performance computing technology.

The main objectives of the project are:

to develop an interactive simulation based engineering design environment for the assessment of structural integrity of welded components;
to demonstrate this environment by application to problems of interest for end users;
to disseminate results to a wider group of end users, opening the way for further take up and exploitation of high performance computers.

Coordinator

Wessex Institute of Technology
Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst, Southampton
SO40 7AA Hampshire, UK

EU Partners

Wessex Institute of Technology, UK
CESGA, E

Non-EU Partners

COPPE, BRZ
INTEMA, AR

CONTACT POINT

Dr. M.H. Aliabadi
Tel: +44 1703 293 223
Fax: +44 1703 292 853
E-mail: wit@wessex.witcmi.ac.uk