Modeling packed powder grains is important for simulating the manufacture of composite materials. A cluster of 2,421 spheres is shown at random close-packed density. Hue is used to enhance size perception.
Red spheres are smallest, and purple are largest.
CalTrans plans to compare these results with test data to refine the model's accuracy. This image is from a simulation of the effects of crashing a test vehicle against a signpost. The movie of the crashing effects is also shown at SDSC's Science Discovery pages. This image is from a simulation of the effects of land topography on atmospheric circulation. This simulation of wind flow over the western United States helps understand climate change.