An Effective Mix of Minicomputer Power and Large Scale Computers for Complex Fluid Mechanics Calculations
Richard J. Freuler, S. L. Petrie · ACS symposium series · 1977
A "hybrid" computer system employing minicomputers linked to various large scale computers has been implemented to perform varied, complex calculations in fluid mechanics. The requirement for and application of such a system is not unique to the area of fluid mechanics. Similar motivation exists in theoretical chemistry and advanced physics. Basically, the increased power of computing equipment, the exponential rise in costs associated with experimental analyses, and the greater versatility of numerical experimentation has led researchers to turn to various computing techniques to examine physical phenomena. Although costs are also rising in many areas of the computer industry, the fact that computational speed has been increasing much faster than computational cost explains the trend of increased use of computers for research based on theoretical computations. The purpose of the present paper is to describe a unique "hybrid" computing system which has been assembled at the Aeronautical and Astronautical Research Laboratory