High-Fidelity Simulation of Large-Scale Structures

Abstract

Abstract. Active structures capable of responding to external stimulii represent the emerging frontier in structural design. Robust and real-time sensing, control, and actuation pose fundamental challenges that must be addressed in this context. As part of an ambitious project funded by the National Science Foundation, researchers at Purdue, Rice, Florida State, and the Catholic (Belgium) Universities have undertaken development of these core technologies. Over the past 18 months, considerable progress has been made in the areas of model reduction and control, sensing, and simulation-based validation. This paper describes our results in highfidelity simulations of large structures, subject to various (mechanical and thermal) stresses.A high-fidelity simulation infrastructure poses a number of challenges. These include geometric modeling (generating a suitable mesh for the structure), physical modeling (developing mathematical models for coupling between various phenomena, specifying material properties), computational modeling (developing efficient numerical schemes and their parallel formulations), and appropriate visualization techniques. We have made fundamental contributions in each of these areas. Here, we overview some of our major contributions, along with sample simulations of existing structures. As part of our ongoing work, we also aim to perform a high-fidelity simulation of the tragic World Trade Center (WTC) crash. To this end, we have developed, from available blueprints, a highly resolved geometric model of the WTC. We also aim to complement all of our computational studies with detailed experimental validation on fullscale structures at the Bowen Lab for Structural Engineering. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive effort to fully integrate simulation and modeling with sensing, control, and actuation in an experimental setting. In this sense, we believe that this project is a novel realization of the concept of dynamic data-driven application systems in the realm of large-scale structures.

Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems: New Capabilities for Application Simulations and Measurements

“…In all cases the mathematical algorithms and systems software development is done in the context of specific applications driving and validating the developed technologies. The projects discussed in [6][7][8][9][10][11]21] enable improved analysis and prediction capabilities of application simulations and/or speeding up the computation times together with improved quality of simulations, and in a feedback loop the simulations control of measurements, sensors and other instruments. The applications range from structural analysis, environmental and natural resource management, and crisismanagement.…”

“…The project in [11] discusses development of application models and algorithms, as well as a systems software infrastructure for optimization of the process of secondary oil recovery. The project in [21] has developed high-fidelity simulations of large structures, subject to mechanical and thermal stesses.…”

Case studies in developing comprehensive decision making environments for engineering design and analysis

“…One project (Chhugani et al, 2005) has focused on developing highly efficient rendering methods to enable immersive virtual walkthroughs of three dimensional geometric datasets. Other data visualization applications have included image-based diagnosis medical data (Manssour et al, 2005), airborne laser scanner data (Soderman et al, 2005), and mechanical and thermal data for large scale structures (Hoffmann et al, 2005). Work done by Malkawi et al, 2005 has focused on creating a more complete and interactive visualization environment for working with high fidelity information by allowing the user to change analysis parameters and perform new simulations in real time.…”

Adaptive nonlinear modeling procedure for progressive collapse analysis of reinforced concrete frame structures

“…Since progressive collapse occurs in multi-story buildings (as Figure 1.2) or even in tall buildings (as Figure 1.1), computational efficiency will be a significant concern for progressive collapse modeling of large analytical models. To model progressive collapse of the World Trade Centre towers, more than two million refined elements were employed with taking huge computational effort for the analysis (Hoffmann 2005). This is definitely not suitable to use general computational programs to run a full-process analysis of collapse of large-scale buildings.…”