U.S. Army installs 512-processor Cray T3E-1200E

 Mountain View 20 Jul 99 The U.S. Department of Defense Modernization Program has replaced its 332-processor Cray T3E-900 system located at the Army Corps of Engineers with a 512-processor Cray T3E-1200E supercomputer. The new system will be used to improve the efficiency of plow blades used to clear land mines and model the movement of contaminants through different soils.

The supercomputers allow DoD scientists and engineers to tackle scientific problems in a 'virtual proving ground' where we can simulate the performance of off-road military vehicles very accurately. For land mine clearing, computer modeling helps DoD scientists and engineers evaluate different plow designs to determine the forces acting on the blade and its optimum shape, speed and dept

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In a current study of a breaching vehicle blade - on a military vehicle used to clear mines, wire obstacles, anti-mine ditches and rubble ahead of soldiers - CEWES is using its Cray T3E system to simulate the blade's interaction with more than 10 million soil particles. This model helped CEWES determine how different ground conditions exert different pressures on the plow blade and tines. Understanding the pressures on the blade is vital. If the breaching vehicle does not plow below the mine burial depth, it may miss mines, but if it plows too deeply the vehicle may stall.

The increased supercomputing power also will help with other research projects, such as studies of airborne lasers that aid communications and surveillance activities, and studies of the effects of explosives on concrete structures, such as buildings.

In addition to replacing its existing 450 MHz Cray T3E-900 processors with 600 MHz Cray T3E-1200E processors, CEWES also expanded its disk storage to one terabyte to manage the additional output generated by its growing computer models.

CEWES also owns a 128-processor Origin 2000 supercomputer; a 16-processor Origin 2000 server; a 16-processor Cray C90 system; one eight-processor and one 12-processor Cray J90 system; and four 12-processor Onyx2 workstations.

 

Ad Emmen