Application of visualization tools in solid mechanics

With increasingly complex digital simulations and computations, large volumes of numerical output are generated, and users must select more effective techniques for handling and displaying such output in order to extract relevant information. In this study, visualization techniques such as animation, tracking, and 2D/3D color displays are imbedded in implicit and explicit finite element codes for solving complex solid-mechanics problems. With these techniques, the investigator can more fully utilize computer time and better understand the results of long and costly computations. This investigation demonstrates the effectiveness of different visualization techniques and distributed computing on an IBM platform.