Optimization study on a car crash model of 20 million finite elements

From March 2013 to March 2014 Renault and ESI France worked on the FMOC project (Fast Multi-physics Optimization of a Car) on the PRACE facilities. The focus is on the frontal car crash. The car crash model is growing up and we decide to build what could be a model in a few years and how we could work with it. The study had two main results. First, all topics around the model itself: design, results and benefits, HPC performances. Second, the optimization topics: how to manage a model with 20 million of finite element on in an optimization study, how to integrate a carry-over constraint.