Implicit schemes and parallel computing in unstructured grid CFD

The development of implicit schemes for obtaining steady state solutions to the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations on unstructured grids is outlined. Applications are presented that compare the convergence characteristics of various implicit methods. Next, the development of explicit and implicit schemes to compute unsteady flows on unstructured grids is discussed. Next, the issues involved in parallelizing finite volume schemes on unstructured meshes in an MIMD (multiple instruction/multiple data stream) fashion are outlined. Techniques for partitioning unstructured grids among processors and for extracting parallelism in explicit and implicit solvers are discussed. Finally, some dynamic load balancing ideas, which are useful in adaptive transient computations, are presented

MRRR-based Eigensolvers for Multi-core Processors and Supercomputers

The real symmetric tridiagonal eigenproblem is of outstanding importance in numerical computations; it arises frequently as part of eigensolvers for standard and generalized dense Hermitian eigenproblems that are based on a reduction to tridiagonal form. For its solution, the algorithm of Multiple Relatively Robust Representations (MRRR or MR3 in short) - introduced in the late 1990s - is among the fastest methods. To compute k eigenpairs of a real n-by-n tridiagonal T, MRRR only requires O(kn) arithmetic operations; in contrast, all the other practical methods require O(k^2 n) or O(n^3) operations in the worst case. This thesis centers around the performance and accuracy of MRRR.Comment: PhD thesi

Efficient Utilization of Fine-Grained Parallelism using a microHeterogeneous Environment

The goal of this thesis is to propose a new computing paradigm, called micro- Heterogeneous computing or mHC, which incorporates PCI (or other high speed local system bus) based processing elements (vector processors, digital signal processors, etc) into a general purpose machine. In this manner the benefits of heterogeneous computing on scientific applications can be achieved while avoiding some of the lim itations. Overall performance is increased by exploiting fine-grained parallelism on the most efficient architecture available, while reducing the high communication over head and costs of traditional heterogeneous environments. Furthermore, mHC based machines can be combined into a cluster, allowing both the coarse-grained and fine grained parallelism to be fully exploited in order to achieve even greater levels of performance. An existing high performance computing API (GSL) was chosen as the interface to the system to allow for easy integration with applications that were previously developed using this API. The ensuing chapters will provide the motivation for this work, an overview of heterogenous computing, and the details pertaining to microHeterogeneous comput ing. The framework implemented to demonstrate a microHeterogeneous computing environment will be examined as well as the results. Finally, the future of micro Heterogeneous computing will be discussed

Heterogeneous multicore systems for signal processing

This thesis explores the capabilities of heterogeneous multi-core systems, based on multiple Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) in a standard desktop framework. Multi-GPU accelerated desk side computers are an appealing alternative to other high performance computing (HPC) systems: being composed of commodity hardware components fabricated in large quantities, their price-performance ratio is unparalleled in the world of high performance computing. Essentially bringing “supercomputing to the masses”, this opens up new possibilities for application fields where investing in HPC resources had been considered unfeasible before. One of these is the field of bioelectrical imaging, a class of medical imaging technologies that occupy a low-cost niche next to million-dollar systems like functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). In the scope of this work, several computational challenges encountered in bioelectrical imaging are tackled with this new kind of computing resource, striving to help these methods approach their true potential. Specifically, the following main contributions were made: Firstly, a novel dual-GPU implementation of parallel triangular matrix inversion (TMI) is presented, addressing an crucial kernel in computation of multi-mesh head models of encephalographic (EEG) source localization. This includes not only a highly efficient implementation of the routine itself achieving excellent speedups versus an optimized CPU implementation, but also a novel GPU-friendly compressed storage scheme for triangular matrices. Secondly, a scalable multi-GPU solver for non-hermitian linear systems was implemented. It is integrated into a simulation environment for electrical impedance tomography (EIT) that requires frequent solution of complex systems with millions of unknowns, a task that this solution can perform within seconds. In terms of computational throughput, it outperforms not only an highly optimized multi-CPU reference, but related GPU-based work as well. Finally, a GPU-accelerated graphical EEG real-time source localization software was implemented. Thanks to acceleration, it can meet real-time requirements in unpreceeded anatomical detail running more complex localization algorithms. Additionally, a novel implementation to extract anatomical priors from static Magnetic Resonance (MR) scansions has been included

Computational methods and software systems for dynamics and control of large space structures

Two key areas of crucial importance to the computer-based simulation of large space structures are discussed. The first area involves multibody dynamics (MBD) of flexible space structures, with applications directed to deployment, construction, and maneuvering. The second area deals with advanced software systems, with emphasis on parallel processing. The latest research thrust in the second area involves massively parallel computers

Computational methods and software systems for dynamics and control of large space structures

This final report on computational methods and software systems for dynamics and control of large space structures covers progress to date, projected developments in the final months of the grant, and conclusions. Pertinent reports and papers that have not appeared in scientific journals (or have not yet appeared in final form) are enclosed. The grant has supported research in two key areas of crucial importance to the computer-based simulation of large space structure. The first area involves multibody dynamics (MBD) of flexible space structures, with applications directed to deployment, construction, and maneuvering. The second area deals with advanced software systems, with emphasis on parallel processing. The latest research thrust in the second area, as reported here, involves massively parallel computers

Harnessing the power of GPUs for problems in real algebraic geometry

This thesis presents novel parallel algorithms to leverage the power of GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) for exact computations with polynomials having large integer coefficients. The significance of such computations, especially in real algebraic geometry, is hard to undermine. On massively-parallel architectures such as GPU, the degree of datalevel parallelism exposed by an algorithm is the main performance factor. We attain high efficiency through the use of structured matrix theory to assist the realization of relevant operations on polynomials on the graphics hardware. A detailed complexity analysis, assuming the PRAM model, also confirms that our approach achieves a substantially better parallel complexity in comparison to classical algorithms used for symbolic computations. Aside from the theoretical considerations, a large portion of this work is dedicated to the actual algorithm development and optimization techniques where we pay close attention to the specifics of the graphics hardware. As a byproduct of this work, we have developed high-throughput modular arithmetic which we expect to be useful for other GPU applications, in particular, open-key cryptography. We further discuss the algorithms for the solution of a system of polynomial equations, topology computation of algebraic curves and curve visualization which can profit to the full extent from the GPU acceleration. Extensive benchmarking on a real data demonstrates the superiority of our algorithms over several state-of-the-art approaches available to date. This thesis is written in English.Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit neuen parallelen Algorithmen, die das Leistungspotenzial der Grafik-Prozessoren (GPUs) zur exakten Berechnungen mit ganzzahlige Polynomen nutzen. Solche symbolische Berechnungen sind von großer Bedeutung zur Lösung vieler Probleme aus der reellen algebraischen Geometrie. Für die effziente Implementierung eines Algorithmus auf massiv-parallelen Hardwarearchitekturen, wie z.B. GPU, ist vor allem auf eine hohe Datenparallelität zu achten. Unter Verwendung von Ergebnissen aus der strukturierten Matrix-Theorie konnten wir die entsprechenden Operationen mit Polynomen auf der Grafikkarte leicht übertragen. Außerdem zeigt eine Komplexitätanalyse im PRAM-Rechenmodell, dass die von uns entwickelten Verfahren eine deutlich bessere Komplexität aufweisen als dies für die klassischen Verfahren der Fall ist. Neben dem theoretischen Ergebnis liegt ein weiterer Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit in der praktischen Implementierung der betrachteten Algorithmen, wobei wir auf der Besonderheiten der Grafikhardware achten. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit haben wir hocheffiziente modulare Arithmetik entwickelt, von der wir erwarten, dass sie sich für andere GPU Anwendungen, insbesondere der Public-Key-Kryptographie, als nützlich erweisen wird. Darüber hinaus betrachten wir Algorithmen für die Lösung eines Systems von Polynomgleichungen, Topologie Berechnung der algebraischen Kurven und deren Visualisierung welche in vollem Umfang von der GPU-Leistung profitieren können. Zahlreiche Experimente belegen dass wir zur Zeit die beste Verfahren zur Verfügung stellen. Diese Dissertation ist in englischer Sprache verfasst

Proceedings of the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics 2015

This volume contains the full papers accepted for presentation at the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics 2015 held in the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, on June 29 - July 2, 2015. The ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics is an international meeting held once every two years in a European country. Continuing the very successful series of past conferences that have been organized in Lisbon (2003), Madrid (2005), Milan (2007), Warsaw (2009), Brussels (2011) and Zagreb (2013); this edition will once again serve as a meeting point for the international researchers, scientists and experts from academia, research laboratories and industry working in the area of multibody dynamics. Applications are related to many fields of contemporary engineering, such as vehicle and railway systems, aeronautical and space vehicles, robotic manipulators, mechatronic and autonomous systems, smart structures, biomechanical systems and nanotechnologies. The topics of the conference include, but are not restricted to: ● Formulations and Numerical Methods ● Efficient Methods and Real-Time Applications ● Flexible Multibody Dynamics ● Contact Dynamics and Constraints ● Multiphysics and Coupled Problems ● Control and Optimization ● Software Development and Computer Technology ● Aerospace and Maritime Applications ● Biomechanics ● Railroad Vehicle Dynamics ● Road Vehicle Dynamics ● Robotics ● Benchmark ProblemsPostprint (published version

High-performance computing for impact-induced fracture analysis exploiting octree mesh patterns

The impact-induced fracture analysis has a wide range of engineering and defence applications, including aerospace, manufacturing and construction. An accurate simulation of impact events often requires modelling large-scale complex geometries along with dynamic stress waves and damage propagation. To perform such simulations in a timely manner, a highly efficient and scalable computational framework is necessary. This thesis aims to develop a high-performance computational framework for analysing large-scale structural problems pertaining to impact-induced fracture events. A hierarchical grid-based mesh containing octree cells is utilised for discretising the problem domain. The scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) is employed, which can efficiently handle the octree cells by eliminating the hanging node issues. The octree-mesh is used in balanced form with a limited number of octree cell patterns. The master element matrices of each pattern are pre-computed while the storage of the individual element matrices is avoided leading to a significant reduction in memory requirements, especially for large-scale models. Further, the advantages of octree cells are leveraged by automatic mesh generation and local refinement process, which enables efficient pre-processing of models with complex geometries. To handle the matrix operations associated with large-scale simulation, a pattern-by-pattern (PBP) approach is proposed. In this technique, the octree-patterns are exploited to recast a majority of the computational work into pattern-level dense matrix operations. This avoids global matrix assembly, allows better cache utilisation, and aids the associated memory-bandwidth limited computations, resulting in significant performance gains in matrix operations. The PBP approach also supports large-scale parallelism. In this work, the parallel computation is carried out using the mesh-partitioning strategy and implemented using the message passing technique. It is shown that the developed solvers can simulate large-scale and complex structural problems, e.g. delamination/fracture in sandwich panels with approximately a billion unknowns (or DOFs). A massive scaling can be achieved with more than ten thousand cores in a distributed computing environment, which reduces the computation time from months (on a single core) to a few minutes