CISE-1835674 – Collaborative Research: Elements: Software: NSCI: Chrono - An Open-Source Simulation Platform for Computational Dynamics Problems

This project is augmenting modeling and solution methods employed by Chrono, an open-source computer simulation platform for multi-body dynamics (MBD) and fluid-solid interaction (FSI) problems. Chrono can capture dynamics at various size and time scales spanning from millisecond (impact phenomena) to decades (geophysics). These performance levels open up new directions of research in several fields. Chrono is widely used and further developed by other users and has an active forum with close to 500 registered users. This project is enhancing the richness of Chrono's modeling features, sound numerical solution foundation, and leverage of emerging hardware architectures to elevate this simulation capability to the status of ready-to-use, open-source, best-in-class computational dynamics platform. Chrono has been used by universities, national labs, and industry. Over the past two years, various groups have used Chrono in extraterrestrial applications, machine learning in robotics, image processing, pattern recognition and computer vision, mechanical watch design, architectural studies, autonomous vehicles, fluid-solid interaction applications, wind turbine dynamics, next generation space suit design, oil extraction and accident mitigation, hardware-in-the-loop simulation, etc. Finally, this project has engaged high-school students from under-represented groups in a six-day residential camp run (now at its 12th edition) and has trained a group of undergraduate students from California State University at University of Wisconsin-Madison through a new residential program that will introduce them to the use of Chrono in simulation-based robotics design.