Monday the 17th of April was a special day for Darko Zibar, Ole Sigmund, and Dorte Juul Jensen. They each received a prestigious Villum Investigator grant, which is awarded to experienced and internationally renowned researchers who will continue to have a leading role in world-class research.
Professor Darko Zibar from DTU Electro, receives a grant for a project that aims to identify the most energy-efficient way of transmitting information via fibre-optic communication systems such as the internet.
“Internet traffic is growing exponentially, and by 2030 the fibre-optic communication systems on which the internet is based are expected to use a fifth of the world’s electricity consumption, which is unsustainable. I will use the Villum Investigator grant to identify the most energy-efficient approach to transmitting information via the fibre-optic networks, and my team and I will do this, among other things, by using artificial intelligence,” says Darko Zibar.
Darko Zibar and his team are resorting to artificial intelligence because today’s fibre-optic communication systems have become so complex that you need to use artificial intelligence to improve them. In addition, a need for self-regulation has arisen in the systems, and artificial intelligence can also be used for this.
The strongest structure: random or uniform?
Professor Ole Sigmund from DTU Construct will use his grant to investigate what is most optimal: random or uniform microstructures in architected materials such as those produced using 3D printing. In short, the purpose of Ole Sigmund’s project is to develop new methods to improve material structures so that everything from bridges to prostheses can be constructed in an even better way.
“If you compare a human bone to a man-made prosthesis, which is stronger? The bone with its random and uneven microstructures, or the prosthesis that, at the micro level, has a completely uniform and regular structure? This is exactly what we would like to know more about, so that we can develop new methods to, among other things, improve the steel structures used to build bridges," says Ole Sigmund about the project.
Micro-level metal enhancement
Professor, Dr. Techn. Dorte Juul Jensen from DTU Construct receives a grant for a research project on how to improve the microstructural design of metallic materials when 3D printing in stainless steel and aluminium. These materials are used by lots of people, and the results will be relevant to researchers as well as others working with these particular materials.
This pure basic research is expected to lead to improved 3D-printed stainless steel and aluminium components for a wide range of practical applications.
“So far, we have not systematically investigated possible ways of improving the microstructures of 3D-printed metals. The result has been non-optimized printed metal components, and this is what we are keen to do something about. Among other things, we will be using X-rays to look at the 3D-printed metals so as to fully understand their structure and development. Subsequently, we will investigate how to improve them by means of deformation and heat treatment, in particular,” explains Dorte Juul Jensen.
