Page 9 - CSIR ScienceScope Publication Volume 16 - number 1 of 2020

> O U R P E O P L E | F O C U S O N P H D ST U D IE S

C o m p u te r s im u la tio n s e m p lo ye d

to red u ce to xicity in p ro d u c in g

h ig h -p re c isio n m e tal p arts

C SIR Ph D stu d e n t D avid Tsh w an e u se s c o m p u te r sim u latio n s to in ve stig ate th e b e h avio u r an d n atu re o f
m ate rials. Tsh w an e’s re se arc h fo c u se s sp e c ific ally o n c o m p u tatio n al m o d e llin g an d sim u latio n o f titan iu m
m e tal su rfac e e tc h in g .

T ita n iu m a n d its a llo ye d c o m p o n e n ts a re u se d “O n e c a n d e sig n , d isc o v e r, c h a ra c te rise , m a n u fa c tu re
e x te n siv e ly in in d u strie s su c h a s a e ro sp a c e , a n d te st m a te ria ls in th is w ay. S im u la tio n stu d ie s sh a re
th e sa m e a p p ro a c h a s a n e x p e rim e n ta l in v e stig a tio n .
a u to m o tiv e , m e d ic in e a n d e n e rg y sto ra g e .
E tc h in g is a h ig h ly a c c u ra te m a n u fa c tu rin g M o d e llin g a n d sim u latio n p re d ic ts th e p ro p e rtie s o f th e
su rfa c e p ro c e ss u se d to p ro d u c e h ig h -p re c isio n m e ta l m a te ria l u n d e r sim u la te d c o n d itio n s, w h e re a s a c tu a l
p a rts. H o w e v e r, th e se p ro c e sse s p la c e w o rk e rs a t risk a s e x p e rim e n ts a re c o stly, lim ite d o r m o re d a n g e ro u s,”
says Tsh w a n e .
th e y a re to x ic a n d d a n g e ro u s, w h ic h m a k e s it d iffi c u lt to
in v e stig a te th e e tc h in g m e c h a n ism s e x p e rim e n ta lly o r Tsh w a n e says th at in d u strie s th a t e m b ra c e d m o d e llin g
p h ysic a lly. a n d sim u latio n h av e re a lise d h u g e c o st a n d tim e sav in g s
in g e ttin g th e ir p ro d u c ts to m a rk e t.
A to m istic sim u la tio n m o d e ls a re u se d to p ro b e
w h at h a p p e n s a t th e ato m ic sc a le in so lid s, liq u id s, Tsh w a n e is a m e m b e r o f th e C S IR ’s te a m fo r a d v a n c e d
m o le c u le s a n d p la sm a s. T h e size o f a sim u la tio n m o d e l m a te ria ls a n d e n g in e e rin g , w h ic h d e v e lo p s, d e sig n s,
c a n ta k e o n th o u sa n d s o f a to m s. T h e se sim u la tio n s m a n u fa c tu re s a n d te sts v a rio u s m e ta ls p a rts fo r
h av e b e c o m e p o ssib le w ith th e in c re a se o f h ig h - n u m e ro u s se c to rs. H e h a s a B S c d e g re e (P h ysic s a n d
p e rfo rm a n c e c o m p u tin g p o w e r, a n d o ff e r n e w w ays o f C h e m istry ), B S c H o n o u rs (P h ysic s) a n d M S c (P h ysic s) cu m
in v e stig a tin g th e p ro p e rtie s o f a m a te ria l, w h e re b y th e la u d e. H e is c u rre n tly e n ro lle d fo r a P h D d e g re e at th e
sim u lato r b u ild s a m o d e l o f a re a l syste m a n d e x p lo re its M a te ria ls M o d e llin g C e n tre o f th e U n iv e rsity o f L im p o p o .
b e h av io u r. Tsh w a n e is a b le to g e n e ra te la rg e d a ta se ts H is tim e at th e C S IR h a s m a d e h im re a lise th at h e lo v e s
a n d sim u la tio n s th ro u g h c o m p u tatio n a l p o w e r p ro v id e d m o d e llin g a n d sim u latio n , a d ire c tio n th a t h e n e v e r
b y th e C S IR ’s C e n tre fo r H ig h Pe rfo rm a n c e C o m p u tin g .
would have foreseen a n d a fa r c ry fro m h is h ig h sc h o o l
in te n tio n o f b e c o m in g a p ilo t.

C o m p u te r sim u la tio n o ff e rs a n a lte rn a tiv e w a y o f E n q u ir ie s :
in v e stig a tin g th e p ro p e rtie s o f a m a te ria l, u sin g a D a v id T s h w a n e
co m p u ter, w h ereb y th e sim u lato r b u ild s a m o d el o f a d t s h w a n e @ c s ir.c o .z a
real system an d exp lo re its b eh avio u r.

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