Lecture: Integrated computational materials engineering (ICME): The next big thing in structural materials
Speaker: John E. Allison, professor of department of materials, science and engineering of the University of Michigan
Time: June 9th, 2011,9:00 am-11:30 am
Venus: F210,Mechanical Building A
Inviter: Professor Xi-Li feng
 
 
Abstruct：
A new field of study is evolving within the global materials profession called Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME). ICME integrates materials information, represented in computational models, with engineering product performance analysis and manufacturing-process simulation. ICME promises to revolutionize the way the engineering community deals with materials and the way the materials community provides input to the engineering and scientific communities. It involves development of unified materials models which integrate information across length and time scales and across knowledge domains and enables integration of analysis of manufacturing, design and materials into a holistic system. Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) involves the development of materials models that integrate quantitative knowledge of processing-structure-property relationships for use by the engineering community. The development of processing-structure-property relationships has been a unifying paradigm in materials science and engineering. However this important paradigm has not resulted in the establishment of widely available, effective computational engineering tools. The focus of ICME is on developing such tools.

In addition to increasing the efficiency of the engineering process, ICME has significant potential for accelerating development of new materials. As an example of the former, this talk will draw on the presenter's experience at Ford Motor Company in development and implementation of a successful ICME tool called Virtual Aluminum Castings.  VAC is a comprehensive, integrated and experimentally verified suite of CAE tools for optimization of cast aluminum components and processes. This talk will review recent progress in integrating models for the Al-Si-Cu alloys typically used in automobile engine structures, including models for phase equilibria and microsegregation, aging response, and the influence of microstructure on properties. VAC captures this extensive knowledge of aluminum casting and provides it to a global engineering workforce. Using VAC, cast components are now designed and virtually cast, heat treated and tested for durability, all on a workstation long before components are fabricated. 

The talk will also draw from a recent National Academies report on ICME and other factors to make the case that ICME represents the Next Big Thing in Structural Materials.