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A computational framework for scale‐bridging in multi‐scale simulations
Author(s) -
Knap J.,
Spear C.,
Leiter K.,
Becker R.,
Powell D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.421
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1097-0207
pISSN - 0029-5981
DOI - 10.1002/nme.5270
Subject(s) - bridging (networking) , computer science , scale (ratio) , inefficiency , computational model , asynchronous communication , distributed computing , scale model , load balancing (electrical power) , industrial engineering , simulation , engineering , mathematics , grid , telecommunications , aerospace engineering , computer network , physics , geometry , quantum mechanics , economics , microeconomics
Summary A computational framework for scale‐bridging in multi‐scale simulations is presented. The framework enables seamless combination of at‐scale models into highly dynamic hierarchies to build a multi‐scale model. Its centerpiece is formulated as a standalone module capable of fully asynchronous operation. We assess its feasibility and performance for a two‐scale model applied to two challenging test problems from impact physics. We find that the computational cost associated with using the framework may, as expected, become substantial. However, the framework has the ability of effortlessly combining at‐scale models to render complex multi‐scale models. The main source of the computational inefficiency of the framework is related to poor load balancing of the lower‐scale model evaluation We demonstrate that the load balancing can be efficiently addressed by recourse to conventional load‐balancing strategies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.