Computers in engineering

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A virtual fighter

SGI's Origin 2000 servers and Silicon Graphics Onyx2 visual supercomputers were used by both The Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. to design their respective Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) demonstrators virtually. The JSF is a next-generation, multi-role strike fighter under development as a replacement for several of the U.S. military's aging fleet. The first operational aircraft is slated for delivery in 2008.

Using SGI's advanced graphics capabilities and multiple CPUs, Boeing engineers were able to perform collaborative fly-through sessions and virtual assembly tasks.

Both contractors are required to build and fly two concept demonstrator aircraft as part of the JSF Concept Demonstration and Risk Reduction (CDRR) phase. The focus of the JSF program is affordability—reducing the development, production, and ownership costs of the JSF family of aircraft. To achieve this goal, both companies looked at virtual modeling and advanced visualization technology to help them determine the optimal design and build of the JSF.

Boeing used SGI's advanced graphics capabilities and multiple CPUs to perform collaborative fly-through sessions and virtual build/assembly/maintenance tasks to ensure concurrent engineering and first-time quality. According to Boeing, these processes and the hardware that made them possible allowed them to define and integrate the aircraft across multiple companies in record time, with higher quality, and at a fraction of the cost.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is addressing the issues of affordability and performance through its Virtual Product Development Initiative (VPDI), which enables everyone involved in new product definition to access relevant information and the most current design iteration. By identifying processes and technologies and building them into an integrated infrastructure, the company plans to achieve significant reductions in cycle time and cost for development, production, and support. It focused on eight key high-payoff initiatives, including a combination of process change, hardware, and software. In some areas, the company experienced reductions in cycle time and cost savings in excess of 70 to 80%.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has more than 450 Silicon Graphics visual workstations used for CATIA, Delmia, and EAI applications in its design and manufacturing group as well as several Onyx2 systems and Origin 2000 servers across multiple disciplines. Visualization tools enable teams to see the impact of their work on the entire project before the design is firmly established, minimizing the cost of making design changes. The company is also applying visualization technology to verify the material flightworthiness of the JSF, which will use a higher percentage of composites than previous fighters. To identify potential flaws that could lead to part failure under stress conditions, the company is replacing conventional water-coupled ultrasonic devices with its own Laser Ultrasonic Technology (Laser UT) system, which consists of an Onyx2 supercomputer, visualization software developed at Lockheed Martin, and a gantry robot. Ultrasonic waves scan the components and are then translated into 3-D solid models, which are examined by inspectors to determine material flightworthiness. With the Laser UT system, the company can reduce the time it takes to inspect a part, such as a composite inlet duct, from 24 h to less than 2 h.

Lockheed Martin has addressed affordability and performance issues through its Virtual Product Development Initiative (VPDI).

Lockheed Martin also employs Onyx2 systems and Origin 2000 servers for avionics and tactical software integration as well as for pilot training.

The SGI Origin server family is used for high-performance, computationally intensive applications in business, government, and the scientific and technical communities. The use of MIPS processors, combined with the SGI IRIX(r) operating system and ccNUMA architecture in a 64-bit scalable server environment, allows the servers to scale to thousands of processors, providing the opportunity to seamlessly grow as customer requirements demand.

The Silicon Graphics Onyx2 visual workstation, with its high-bandwidth ccNUMA architecture, combines supercomputing and visualization technologies to process 3-D graphics, 2-D imaging, and video data in real time. It is a suitable solution for gaining insight into the fields of manufacturing, government, engineering, science, research, and entertainment. The Onyx2 family of products offers flexible configurations ranging from a desk-side platform to multiple rack systems.

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