Use of a Supercomputer in Aerodynamics Computations at General Motors Research Laboratories

The supercomputer plays a major role in vehicle aerodynamics computations at General Motors Research Laboratories. Its relatively large real memory (two-million 64-bit words) permits the solution of previously unsolvable problems, and its computational speed provides these solutions to the design process at times compatible with overall vehicle design schedules. Although the physical modeling of vehicle flow fields remains incomplete, by exercising codes which embody candidate physical models and experimentally validating the results, the state-of-the-art is continually being advanced. Two example computations are given to illustrate the state of code development. Finally, supercomputer requirements for more realistic aerodynamics computations are given.