Simulation-Based Engineering Laboratory

Broadly speaking, the goals of this lab are (1) to investigate and develop computational tools and methods that help one understand how systems change in time, and (2) to use these tools and methods to gain insights into the dynamics of processes. Most of our effort is dedicated to understanding through simulation the time evolution of mechanical systems, a topic sometimes called multibody dynamics simulation. Lately, we started to regard "multibody systems dynamics" as a wider problem that spans several spatial and temporal scales. This led some members of our group to investigate the dynamics associated with the motion of atoms and, even below that scale, the electron charge density distribution in nanomaterials. The primary focus of the lab, however, remains the simulation of classical multibody dynamics at macro and meso-scales.  The idea here is to produce numerical algorithms that are capable of robustly and efficiently predicting the time evolution of a collection of mutually interacting elements, which can be rigid or flexible. The primary motivation underlying our research efforts is the simulation-based engineering concept, whose entire goal is that of replacing, whenever possible, hardware prototyping with virtual prototyping in design engineering. In a wider context, as members of the Computational Science community, we promote the idea of scientific discovery through advanced computing.

The Simulation-Based Engineering Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin - Madison is led by Assistant Professor Dan Negrut.

National Science Foundation

British Aerospace (BAE)

MSC.Software

Resilient Technologies

GP Technologies

NVIDIA Corporation