O-176 Temper Status and Recommendations

The present paper describes the main evolution of TEMPER, it’s current status, assessment of the capabilities, feasibility to update and improve, brief plan, benefits if we undertake any recommended improvements and estimate of resources required to undertake future work. It also outlines ongoing efforts that have already begun to make it available on current Windows platforms.

A three phase plan is recommended.  The first phase is intended to provide a VB6 based version of TEMPER that will run on current Windows computer platforms.  A second phase would greatly augment TEMPER to run under Virtual Basic .NET addition (VB.net).  A third stage would address the TEMPER input structure and provide increased and enhanced model parameter sets.

Great improvement of the TEMPER toolbox is possible.  Here is a non-exhaustive list of what should be done for the third phase:

• Modify the material objects which contain unnecessary variables, and test for the presence of the values of the variables, as for the main objects when they are initialized from a file.
• Improve the management of the parameters of models (a single file for each high-energy material, incorporating all model data);
• Incorporate generic names for the high-energy materials, to make available several sets of parameters for a material;
• Take more effective account of the compatibility of models;
• Quantify output variables within the models, and make use of these variables in TEMPER (for example;
• Make all models in a single set of SI based units;
• Optimise model parameters relative to experimental values to provide a much larger set of modelling materials and models.

These modifications are not necessarily all complex, but would take time – hence the interest of maintaining TEMPER as an open source project, in which the users are also the developers.