Finite Element Simulation of a Flexible Manipulator-Part 2: Parallel Processing Techniques

Abstract

This paper presents an investigation into the performance evaluation of homogeneous and heterogeneous parallel architectures in the real-time implementation of finite element (FE) simulation algorithm of a flexible manipulator. The algorithm is implemented on a number of homogeneous and heterogeneous architectures incorporating high-performance processors. The partitioning and mapping of the algorithms on both the homogeneous and heterogeneous architectures are investigated and finally a comparative assessment of the performance of the architectures in implementing the algorithm revealing the capabilities of the architectures in relation to the nature of the algorithm is presented in terms of execution time and speedup.