Numerical simulation via parallel-distributed computing of energy absorption by metal deformation
Edward J. Plaskacz, Ronald F. Kulak · University of North Texas Digital Library (University of North Texas) · 1995
Collapsible steering column designs are credited with saving tens-of-thousands of lives since their introduction in the late 1960`s. The collapsible steering column is a safety feature designed to absorb energy and protect-the driver in a head-on collision. One of the most frequently used design concepts employs two telescoping metal tubes that slide over one another as the occupant impacts the steering wheel. Hardened steel ball bearings are embedded in a plastic sleeve located between the two tubes. There are two primary mechanisms for energy absorption during steering column collapse. One is the friction between the bearing and tube surfaces. Another is the gouging of the tubes` surfaces by the bearings. Current analytical models are unable to adequately capture the physics behind this process. In this paper we will present an overview of a parallel finite element code, currently under development, that can be used to simulate the highly nonlinear response of this energy absorbing mechanism. Our parallel algorithms are constructed on a message-passing foundation. The actual message-passing implementation used was the Argonne-developed p4 package. However, other message-passing libraries can easily be accommodated as they are largely identical in function and differ only in syntax. Once the algorithm is restructured as a set of processes communicating through messages, the program can run on systems as diverse as a uniprocessor workstation, multiprocessors with and without shared memory, a group of workstations that communicate over a local network, or any combination of the above. Benchmarks of the parallel code performance on networks of workstations and the IBM SP1 parallel supercomputer will be discussed.