TU Delft's QAIMS team wins the Golden Application Prize 'Pushing the boundaries of quantum tech for mobility' in the Airbus-BMW Global Quantum Computing Challenge. The team applies quantum technology to solve a key issue in the design of fibre-reinforced composite materials.
How do you determine the optimal sequence of angles in which layers of material are stacked? This is a key issue in the development of fibre-reinforced composite materials. These materials consist of a combination of strong and lightweight materials, suitable for use in a variety of load-bearing structures. Think of aircraft fuselages and wings, but also car chassis. The QAIMS team is the first team in the world to apply quantum computing to solve this issue.
QAIMS team
The team consists of researchers Arne Wulff, Swapan Madabhushi Venkata, Boyang Chen and Yinglu Tang from the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Matthias Möller from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) and Sebastian Feld from the Faculty of EEMCS and QuTech. The team was led by Chen. According to TU Delft, most of the credits for the development go to Arne Wulff followed by Swapan Madabhushi Venkata, fellow PhD student in the same group who provided valuable support in data generation and benchmarking.
"In two years of research, we have developed a brand new methodology that we have shown to be highly competitive on an industrial scale, and marketable software that companies can already use today to make better lightweight composite materials," said Chen.
Standalone software package
The team entered the competition with a standalone software package developed as part of their research. "When we started this research two years ago, we saw it more as fundamental research, where industrial-scale application would normally only come after additional phases of more applied research. Now, after only two years, we have already developed a pioneering methodology that is demonstrably very competitive at industrial scale, and have developed marketable software that companies can already use today to make better lightweight composite materials."
According to the team, the software is ideally suited for manufacturing companies with established design processes, which use current software or past experience to determine fibre stacking sequences. The quantum computing software helps these parties determine the optimal sequence faster and better. The software is available open source.
Chen also sees opportunities for integrating software into broader design tools. Chen: "There are many opportunities for start-ups to use our software and integrate it into a unique structural design tool that is very commercially viable."
Airbus-BMW Global Quantum Computing Challenge
The Airbus-BMW Global Quantum Computing Challenge is a competition aimed at teams from industry and universities focusing on the deployment of quantum technologies for industrial applications and mobility. The QAIMS team was the only university finalist in the Golden Application category (Pushing the boundaries of quantum tech for mobility).
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
