Benchmarking the performance of physical impact simulation software on vector and parallel computers

The cost of just one physical car crash experiment can range between $50000 and $750000 depending on whether the test is performed on a production model car or on a prototype vehicle. The high expense of impact testing and the availability of a variety of vector and parallel computers have motivated the development of sophisticated software to model such complex physical phenomena. An investigation has recently been initiated to improve the performance of such programs. The purpose of the research is to define and apply methodology to reduce execution time and improve transportability of physical impact simulation software for vector and parallel processors. The authors focus on the design and analysis of a set of relevant test problems for applicability in current and future computational environments with vector and/or parallel facilities. The attributes of each test problem are discussed, along with performance data using the DYNA3D nonlinear physical impact simulation program on a CRAY X-MP/24 supercomputer.<>