Computational engineering is an emerging discipline that deals with the development and application ofcomputational models for engineering, known as computational engineering models[1] or CEM. Computational engineering uses computers to solve engineering design problems important to a variety of industries.[2] At this time, various different approaches are summarized under the term computational engineering, including usingcomputational geometry and virtual design for engineering tasks,[3][4] often coupled with a simulation-driven approach[5] In computational engineering, algorithms solve mathematical and logical models[6] that describe engineering challenges, sometimes coupled with some aspect ofAI[7]
In computational engineering theengineer encodes their knowledge in a computer program. The result is analgorithm, the computational engineering model, that can produce many different variants of engineering designs, based on varied input requirements. The results can then be analyzed through additional mathematical models to create algorithmicfeedback loops.[8]
Simulations of physical behaviors relevant to the field, often coupled withhigh-performance computing, to solve complex physical problems arising in engineering analysis and design (as well as natural phenomena (computational science). It is therefore related toComputational Science and Engineering, which has been described as the "third mode of discovery" (next to theory and experimentation).[9]
In computational engineering,computer simulation provides the capability to create feedback that would be inaccessible to traditional experimentation or where carrying out traditional empirical inquiries is prohibitively expensive.
Computational engineering should neither be confused with purecomputer science, nor withcomputer engineering,[10] although a wide domain in the former is used in computational engineering (e.g., certain algorithms, data structures, parallel programming, high performance computing) and some problems in the latter can be modeled and solved with computational engineering methods (as an application area).
Computational engineering methods and frameworks include:
With regard to computing, computer programming, algorithms, andparallel computing play a major role in computational engineering. The most widely used programming language in the scientific community isFORTRAN.[11] Recently,C++ and C have increased in popularity over FORTRAN. Due to the wealth of legacy code in FORTRAN and its simpler syntax, the scientific computing community has been slow in completely adopting C++ as the lingua franca. Because of its very natural way of expressing mathematical computations, and its built-in visualization capacities, the proprietary language/environmentMATLAB is also widely used, especially for rapid application development and model verification.Python along with external libraries (such asNumPy,SciPy,Matplotlib) has gained some popularity as a free andCopycenter alternative to MATLAB.
There are a number of free and open-source software (FOSS) tools that support computational engineering.
Computational engineering finds diverse applications, including in:
