Abstract

Recent advances in high speed network technology has allowed clusters of computers to be linked together to form distributed computing networks capable of real-time simulation of large scale complex mechanical systems. Real-time distributed simulation can potentially be used to develop highly detailed virtual prototypes for testing and optimization in automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing industries. Industrial applications, however, have been limited until now due to lack of systematic methods for constructing real-time distributed simulations. This thesis investigates new methods for real-time distributed simulation of partial differential equations (PDEs). This represents an important class of mechanical systems that in most cases requires multiple computers in order for simulations to proceed in real-time. The focus is on the wave equation since it has well known properties and it is representative of many types of PDE systems. The proposed approach uses an innovative time division multiple access (TDMA) real-time communication protocol based on gigabit Ethernet. Equation distribution and real-time simulation algorithms based on finite-difference approximations are developed for both explicit and implicit integration methods. Together, these results provide a more systematic approach for real-time distributed simulation of PDE systems.