The finite element machine: an assessment of the impact of parallel computing on future finite element computations

Abstract Recent and impending advances in parallel and supercomputers provide the opportunity to significantly improve current structural analysis capabilities for large order finite element problems. This article discusses some research carried out over the past eight years in parallel computing associated with the NASA Finite Element Machine (FEM) project. The results show the potential of parallel computers to provide significant increases in computation speed over sequential computers in such computation intensive problem areas as eigenvalue analysis and transient response.