Software virtual machines for development of finite element systems

Abstract

The software virtual machine (SVM) concept is described as a methodology to reduce the manpower required to implement and maintain finite element software. A SVM provides the engineering programmer with high‐level languages to facilitate the structuring and management of data, to define and interface process modules, and to manage computer resources. A prototype finite element system has been successfully implemented using the SVM approach. Development effort is significantly reduced compared to a conventional all‐FORTRAN approach. The impact on execution efficiency of the SVM is described along with special procedures developed to minimize overhead in compute‐bound modules. Planned extensions of capabilities in the SVM used by the authors are outlined.