Simulation Tools
Navy pilot training enhanced by AEMASE smart machine
May 16, 2012 9:41 am | News | CommentsNavy pilots and other flight specialists soon will have a new "smart machine" installed in training simulators that learns from expert instructors to more efficiently train their students. Sandia National Laboratories' AEMASE is being provided to the Navy as a component of flight simulators.
Modeling the lithium-ion battery
May 15, 2012 5:30 am | White PapersModeling and simulation tools can help researchers understand and optimize the design of lithium-ion batteries.
Nanotube 'sponge' has potential in oil spill cleanup
May 10, 2012 10:11 am | News | CommentsA carbon nanotube sponge that can soak up oil in water with unparalleled efficiency has been developed with help from computational simulations performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Scientists develop large-scale simulation of human blood
May 2, 2012 5:23 am | News | CommentsA team of biomedical engineers and hematologists at the University of Pennsylvania has made large-scale, patient-specific simulations of blood function under the flow conditions found in blood vessels, using robots to run hundreds of tests on human platelets responding to combinations of activating agents that cause clotting.
A True Picture of a Product
April 19, 2012 11:43 am | by Jim Clark,Business Manager, Konica Minolta 3D Scanning Labs, Ramsey, N.J. | Articles | Comments3D laser scanning technology captures comprehensive dimensional data for R&D, simulations, product testing, and quality control.
Simulate First; Build to Last
April 19, 2012 11:24 am | by Thierry Marchal, Industry Director, ANSYS Inc., Canonsburg, Pa. | Articles | CommentsAnalyzing and modifying design parameters early and often can help companies engineer better products.
New institute to tackle 'data tsunami' challenge
April 19, 2012 6:19 am | by Louise Lerner | News | CommentsMany simulations and experiments already generate petabytes of data—a single petabyte is 2,000 times more data than you can fit on a typical laptop—and they will soon be generating exabytes. The Department of Energy’s newly established Scalable Data Management, Analysis, and Visualization (SDAV) Institute is intended to help scientists deal with the deluge of data.
Astronomers put forward new theory on size of black holes
March 23, 2012 1:25 pm | News | CommentsBlack holes grow by sucking in gas, which forms a disc around the hole and spirals in. But this usually happens too slowly to explain the great size of black holes at the center of many galaxies, including ours. A new theory compares these giants to a Wall of Death, in which two motorcycles—or gas discs—crash and both quickly fall into the hole.
Nuclear fusion simulation shows high-gain energy output
March 20, 2012 8:24 am | News | CommentsHigh-gain nuclear fusion could be achieved in a preheated cylindrical container immersed in strong magnetic fields, according to a series of computer simulations performed at Sandia National Laboratories. The simulations show the release of output energy that was many times greater than the energy fed into the container's liner.
Heart-powered pacemaker could eliminate battery-replacement surgery
March 5, 2012 3:18 am | News | CommentsA new power scheme for cardiac pacemakers turns to an unlikely source: vibrations from heartbeats themselves. Engineering researchers at the University of Michigan designed a device that harvests energy from the reverberation of heartbeats through the chest and converts it to electricity to run a pacemaker or an implanted defibrillator.
Mysterious electron acceleration explained
February 27, 2012 2:48 am | by David L. Chandler, MIT News Office | News | CommentsA mysterious phenomenon detected by space probes has finally been explained, thanks to a massive computer simulation that was able to precisely align with details of spacecraft observations. The finding could not only solve an astrophysical puzzle, but might also lead to a better ability to predict high-energy electron streams in space that could damage satellites.
Mechanism behind capacitor's high-speed energy storage discovered
February 23, 2012 10:53 am | News | CommentsResearchers at North Carolina State University have discovered the means by which a polymer known as PVDF, polyvinylidene fluoride, enables capacitors to store and release large amounts of energy quickly. Their findings could lead to much more powerful and efficient electric cars.
X-ray CT scans reveals underground world of plant roots
February 20, 2012 9:34 am | News | CommentsPlant and computer scientists can now study the underground world of plants with more accuracy and clarity thanks to the adaption of X-ray micro computed tomography (micro-CT). The method has been used in the U.K. to examine the shape and branching patterns of roots in soil. The new technique should improve the chances of breeding better crop varieties and increasing yields.
Nanorod-assembled order affects diffusion rate and direction
February 6, 2012 4:41 am | News | CommentsSome of the recent advancements in nanotechnology depend critically on how nanoparticles move and diffuse on a surface or in a fluid under non-ideal to extreme conditions. Georgia Institute of Technology has a team of researchers dedicated to advancing this frontier.
Spider web’s strength lies in more than just the silk
February 1, 2012 3:03 pm | News | CommentsWhile researchers have long known of the incredible strength of spider silk, the robust nature of the tiny filaments cannot alone explain how webs survive multiple tears and winds that exceed hurricane strength. A combination of computer simulations and new experimental observations have revealed more about the sacrificial beams and stress-dependent materials that make silk so strong.
Oxygen molecule survives to enormously high pressures
January 31, 2012 3:32 am | News | CommentsUsing computer simulations, a researcher has shown that an oxygen molecule is stable up to pressures of 1.9 terapascal, which is about 19 million times higher than atmosphere pressure. The result was a complete surprise, because other simple molecules like nitrogen or hydrogen do not survive such high pressures.
Space Weather Center to add world's first ‘ensemble forecasting' capability
January 30, 2012 4:15 am | by Lori Keesey | News | CommentsCoinciding with a peak in solar activity, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Space Weather Laboratory will soon simultaneously produce as many as 100 computerized forecasts by calculating multiple possible parameters, improving our ability to predict the impact of solar storms. Currently, just one set of conditions is used to anticipate solar-storm activity.
Lab team develops new capability for atomistic simulations
January 27, 2012 3:31 am | News | CommentsConventional scientific wisdom says that the interatomic forces between ions that control high-temperature processes are insensitive to the heating of the electron "glue" that binds the ions together. In effect, traditional atomistic simulations ignore electron temperature completely. However, physicists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have shown how electron temperature has a surprisingly large impact on phase stability and melting in refractory transition metals.
Scorpions inspire tougher surfaces for machinery
January 25, 2012 5:41 am | News | CommentsTaking inspiration from the yellow fattail scorpion, which uses a bionic shield to protect itself against scratches from desert sandstorms, scientists have developed a new way to protect the moving parts of machinery from wear and tear.
Engineers debut open-source fluid dynamics design application
January 24, 2012 11:33 am | by Andrew Myers | News | CommentsEvery year, students studying aeronautical and astronautical design brace themselves for the time-consuming process of writing their own code to optimize aerospace designs. In search of a better way, a team of engineers at the Aerospace Design Lab at Stanford University has released SU2, an open-source application that models the effects of fluids moving over aerodynamic surfaces.
Metadynamics technique offers insight into mineral growth and dissolution
January 24, 2012 3:42 am | News | CommentsBy using a novel technique to better understand mineral growth and dissolution, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are improving predictions of mineral reactions and laying the groundwork for applications ranging from keeping oil pipes clear to sequestering radium.
New regression models to predict service life of wastewater pipelines
January 23, 2012 11:50 am | News | CommentsCivil engineers at Syracuse University have developed various statistical prediction models using data obtained from the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, to generate deterioration models for wastewater pipes. The models, when adapted to a given system, is intended to facilitate a proactive approach to pipeline replacements and maintenance.
The great gas hydrate escape
January 18, 2012 11:14 am | News | CommentsFor some time, researchers have explored flammable ice for low-carbon or alternative fuel or as a place to store carbon dioxide. Now, a computer analysis of the ice and gas compound, known as a gas hydrate, reveals key details of its structure. The results show that hydrates can hold hydrogen at an optimal capacity of 5 weight-percent, a value that meets the goal of a U.S. Department of Energy standard and makes gas hydrates practical and affordable.
Computer models that predict crowd behavior could halt pandemics
January 16, 2012 12:25 pm | News | CommentsAgent-based computer models use fine-scale data from actual movements of individuals obtained by detailed video recordings, global positioning systems, or mobile phone tracking. Researchers say that these tools, which can help them simulate crowd movements, could also help them model the spread of infections in mass gatherings.
Electron's negativity cut in half by supercomputer
January 13, 2012 4:24 am | by Ashley Yeager, Duke University | News | CommentsWhile physicists at the Large Hadron Collider smash together thousands of protons and other particles to see what matter is made of, they're never going to hurl electrons at each other. No matter how high the energy, the little negative particles won't break apart. But that doesn't mean they are indestructible. Using several massive supercomputers, a team of physicists has spilt simulated electron perfectly in half.
