BlackboardCrash Analysis Highlights Transportation Research in Civil Engineering - Silicon Graphics Donation Supports Computer Modeling
Researchers at the FAMU - FSU College of Engineering Department of Civil Engineering are developing methods to determine crashworthiness of highway and marine barriers, piers, bridges and other supporting structures. Their work streamlines prototype development and assists in improved structural design process resulting in saving lives and millions of dollars in damage to state and national infrastructure.
Using high-performance computational mechanics and non-linear dynamic finite element analyses, the team headed by Prof. Jerry Wekezer can predict damage resulting from crash impacts, which allow to gauge, with a high degree of accuracy, what happens when a vehicle strikes a barrier at various speeds and locations on structures.
The modeling efforts are being supported by a donation of over $200,000 of computer equipment from the Silicon Graphics Corporation to establish a world- class laboratory with resources necessary to solve these complex analytical problems.
Modern high-performance computing environment is required to perform complex impact analyses. Computer runs often take days or weeks before results are completed. Unlike full-scale crash tests, they can be used repeatedly over a short period of time to account for a wide range of impact conditions including different velocities, angles of impact, etc. Virtual crashes allow the researchers to replay the moment of impact and zoom in on structural details to study their response when struck.
The research work has been funded by various agencies including the Florida Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. However, the technology is equally applicable to space, automotive industry and high-speed train safety.
