Superscalar processors contain large, complex structures to hold data and instructions as they wait to be executed. However, many of these structures consume large amounts of energy, making them hotspots requiring sophisticated cooling systems. With the trend towards larger, more complex processors, this will become more of a problem, having important implications for future technology. This thesis uses compiler-based optimisation schemes to target the issue queue and register file. These are two of the most energy consuming structures in the processor. The algorithms and hardware techniques developed in this work dynamically adapt the processor's resources to the changing program phases, turning off parts of each structure when they are unused to save dynamic and static energy. To optimise the issue queue, the compiler analysis tracks data dependences through each program procedure. It identifies the critical path through each program region and informs the hardware of the minimum number of queue entries required to prevent it slowing down. This reduces the occupancy of the queue and increases the opportunities to save energy. With just a 1.3% performance loss, 26% dynamic and 32% static energy savings are achieved. Registers can be idle for many cycles after they are last read, before they are released and put back on the free-list to be reused by another instruction. Alternatively, they can be turned off for energy savings. Early register releasing can be used to perform this operation sooner than usual, but hardware schemes must wait for the instruction redefining the relevant logical register to enter the pipeline. This thesis presents an exploration of compiler-directed early register releasing. The compiler can exactly identify the last use of each register and pass the information to the hardware, based on simple data-flow and liveness analysis. The best scheme achieves 15% dynamic and 19% static energy savings. Finally, the issue queue limiting and early register releasing schemes are combined for energy savings in both processor structures. Four different configurations are evaluated bringing 25% to 31% dynamic and 19% to 34% static issue queue energy savings and reductions of 18% to 25% dynamic and 20% to 21% static energy in the register file.

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Complex-phase (CP) steels are employed in applications that require high-strength and good edge formability. These steels derive their strength from a fine-grained bainite-ferrite microstructure, and alloying to provide solid-solution and precipitation strengthening. CP steels are produced industrially through a process of controlled rolling and cooling to produce desirable microstructures. Hole-expansion tests are typically used as a measure of edge formability for applications such as stretch-flanges. It has been shown that CP microstructures are susceptible to large fluctuations in hole-expansion performance with little change in processing or resulting tensile properties. The steel’s characteristics of damage evolution are critical to the hole-expansion performance. This study investigates the role of microstructure in the development of damage in CP microstructural variants. Two variant pairs of different thicknesses were produced from the leading and trailing edge of industrially produced hot-rolled sheet. Each pair consisted of a variant with poor hole-expansion performance, and a variant with good hole-expansion performance. Each variant was tested via interrupted double-notched uniaxial tension testing to induce damage. Damage evolution in each variant was quantified by X-ray micro-computed tomography (XµCT), and supplementary optical micrography. The damage results were correlated with microstructural characteristics. It was shown that poor hole-expansion variants failed by intergranular fracture. In these variants, void damage induced by hard martensite and retained austenite was not critical in producing failure. Purely void-damaged microstructures failed by ductile fracture, whereas cracked microstructures failed in a mixed brittle-ductile failure initiated by planar cracks. Microstructural banding of large elongated ferrite grains correlated with the existence of intergranular planar fractures. / Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2013-12-17 15:03:02.206