benefit from a new process – not only when designing complicated
structures as bridges or aircrafts, but also when designing new
materials, new products, buildings, etc. My vision is to be able to give
the industry the tools for a new process before the InnoTop project
ends in six years,” says Ole Sigmund.
The researchers do not only want to make a new design paradigm
possible. They also want to extend the possibilities for design with
their new model.
“It is interesting to be able to design an optimal construction of a new
wing of an aircraft. But we want our new design method to go further
and be able also to calculate the best shape of a wing in proportion to
its purpose. No one says that an aeroplane needs two traditional wings
and a tail plane; the model can probably design a much better layout of
a plane for transportation of people and goods,” says Niels Aage.
B777 wing structure viewed from the tip. Left: with upper skin layer and right: with upper skin removed.
Facts about NextTop
The NextTop project: Topology Optimization - the Next Generation, ran from 2011-2016 and was funded by VILLUM FONDEN with DKK 12.1 million.
Professor Ole Sigmund coordinated the project.
Project outcome
Amongst others, topology optimizations methods that focus on novel possibilities and constraints associated with additive manufacturing methods.
Paper in Nature
Aage, Niels; Andreassen, Erik; Lazarov, Boyan Stefanov; Sigmund, Ole. Giga-voxel computational morphogenesis for structural design. In: Nature, Vol.
550, No. 7674, 2017, p. 84-86.
See the TopOpt groups webpage: www.topopt.dtu.dk for more information.
Facts about the Villum Investigator project InnoTop
The InnoTop project: Interactive, Non-Linear, High-Resolution Topology Optimization is funded by VILLUM FONDEN through a VILLUM Investigator
Project awarded to Ole Sigmund. VILLUM FONDEN (a part of THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS) is a non-profit, private charitable foundation that supports
technical and scientific research as well as environmental, social and cultural projects in Denmark and internationally. The 6 year project was
initiated on September 1st, 2017. The total budget is 36.2 million; 31.1 million is funded by VILLUM FONDEN.
Researchers at DTU Mechanical Engineering and DTU Compute
From Mechanical Engineering: Villum Investigator and Professor Ole Sigmund, Associate Professor Niels Aage, Associate Professor Casper Schousboe
Andreasen, Senior Researcher Fengwen Wang and from DTU Compute: Associate Professor Andreas Bærentzen.
Improved ways for designing big, complex structures 21