9500544 Henderson This grant provides funding to the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Arizona State University for the purchase of graphics supercomputer equipment that will be dedicated to the support of research in simulation of steps in Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD). This graphics equipment will replace currently outdated research workstations that are too slow for current research projects. Specifically, the new workstation will allow complex parts to be displayed and manipulated in real time while using texture mapping and lighting models. In addition, the workstation will allow stereo three-dimensional viewing at a 120 Hz refresh rate, which is required by current stereo viewing equipment. This equipment will enable real-time display for concurrent engineering, simulation, and data visualization. Computational speed is important because a metric used in today's product development is time, in the form of reduced time to market, instant design feedback, networked display for electronic commerce, and real-time simulation animation. Several important aspects of engineering design are supported by this equipment. These include a number of research projects that are likely to advance the state-of-the-art of engineering design. Research in engineering design is important to the maintenance of a competitive position in the design and production of nearly all products.
