Content about Disaster management

  Feature - Ground-shaking research relies on Herculean computing Examining how and why different earthquake simulation programs produce different results is important for their validation. This shows the displacement from soil vibration in a quake simulated using Hercules (top) as compared to the same region simulated using TeraShake. (bottom). Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center The basic goal of earthquake research is to know how the Earth will shake. Even from one city block to the next, the level of shaking can change dramatically due to subsurface soil and the nature of the seismic waves,” says Jacobo Bielak, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.Bielak and his colleague David O’Hallaron lead the Quake Project, a large collaborative research team that uses sophisticated computational methods to create realistic 3D models of earthquakes. In collaboration with the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), their work aims to provide information that w

Image of the week - World Trade Center North Tower at 0.37 seconds Computed damage to the core structure of the World Trade Center North Tower, 0.37 seconds after impact.Image courtesy of Mete Sozen, Ayhan Irfanoglu and Christoph HoffmannThe Northwest Indiana Computational Grid and Purdue’s Network for Computational Nanotechnology have provided the infrastructure support for large-scale simulations of the effects of crashing an air frame loaded with fuel—similar to a Boeing 767-200ER—into a steel and concrete structure—similar to that of the World Trade Center North Tower.Results from the simulations are being used to understand the extent of the damage caused by the impact.The modeled airframe is loaded with the approximate amount of fuel and set to impact the WTC-1 building at the speed, position and orientation published in official reports.The simulation models both the exterior building skeleton and the core support structure of the building, as well as concrete floors and supporting girders.The simulat

  Feature - Thailand goes tera: scientists connect to the power of ThaiGrid ThaiGrid powers this tsunami simulation, run by a team from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and focusing on the potential effects of tsunamis in the Indian Ocean.Image courtesy of ThaiGrid Scientists across the globe are cranking up their computing requirements: they want more processing power to tackle ever more challenging problems. The wishes of Thai scientists recently came true when their first teraflop computing system went online as part of the Thai National Grid Project.“Our demand for computational power and storage is increasing rapidly,” says Putchong Uthayopas, director of the Thai National Grid Project. “We had a need for a national computational infrastructure that would allow researchers to discover and explore more challenging problems,” he says. “The Thai government decided that now was the right time to explore grids as a key infrastructure enabler.”80 systems across 15 sites Comprising 1

Feature - Earthshaking Images Visualization created at San Diego Supercomputer Center using data from a sensor-equipped building to give engineers tools to explore structure performance from different perspectives in full-scale earthquake shake table experiments.  Image courtesy of Amit Chourasia, SDSC Visualization ServicesSan Diego Supercomputer Center Virtual Building Helps Engineers Explore Structure PerformanceThe powerful earthquake struck suddenly, shaking the seven-story building so hard it bent, cracked and swayed in response.But this was no ordinary earthquake. In a groundbreaking series of tests, engineering researchers from the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California at San Diego jarred a full-size 275-ton building erected on a shake table, duplicating ground motions recorded during the January 17, 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles, California, United States.To record the impact on the building, the structure was fitted with some 600 sensors and filmed as the shake table simulated the ea