Next step is a new design process
The two researchers are of course proud of their new world class
resolution, but they are already in charge of a new project, InnoTop,
which they hope will make it possible to go even further.
“Our vision is to develop a new paradigm for design processes. We want
the giga resolution to work real time. This will make it possible for
experts from different areas to be part of the same process and profit
from the possibility of changing the design regarding the consequences
of different expert inputs. It will make the design process more efficient
and avoid decisions that have to be changed later, when new experts
get involved and add new requirements,” explains Ole Sigmund.
Combination of two existing techniques
The very ambitious project will be based on the combination of two
different techniques, which are both developed by the researchers
themselves or colleagues at DTU. It is the TopOpt3D app and the first
model for topology-optimization developed 30 years ago.
“Ole and I are part of the team that developed the TopOpt3D app.
The app is an interactive topology optimization tool in 3D. The app
allows the user to change loads, supports and the volume fraction
interactively and watch the design evolve to a new optimum in
real time. At the moment, the app can only illustrate rather simple
structures and changes, but we want to develop it to handle bigger and
more complex structures,” says Niels Aage.
He explains that the future design method will be far from working
as fast as the TopOpt3D app, and that it will require a powerful
workstation for the calculation and not just a cell phone.
“It is likely that when the design team of e.g. a
new bridge asks for a new calculation, they
will have to wait maybe until the next
morning before it is finished.
However, a crude initial
design may come
out in minutes”.
Screen shot from the TopOpt 3d App downloadable from the App Store.
Aerial view of the optimized load carrying structure of a Boing 777 wing.
Improved ways for designing big, complex structures 19