Digital materials engineering concept executed by the industry-driven Dimecc Breakthrough Materials Doctoral School with its 37 doctoral students and tens of industry partners in the BSA and HYBRIDS programs aims to speed up R&D significantly.
“We combine solid understanding of material characteristics from micro-structure to product-level performance in demanding industrial application environments utilizing modern multi-scale modeling tools. Experimental research plays, however, a key role in providing the accurate data needed for the models and creating the deep fundamental understanding on critical phenomena such as wear, fracture, fatigue, friction or corrosion”, says Dr. Markku Heino from Spinverse, Program Manager of Dimecc BSA & HYBRIDS running this multidisciplinary PPP research entity.
The 6th Seminar of the Doctoral School (26.-27.9.2016, Tampere) focused on smart experimental research methods which are needed together with the multi-scale modeling to solve critical research challenges set by the industry. A world-leading expert in the field, Professor Amos Gilat, The Ohio State University, USA joined the event as a keynote speaker and key research collaborator. He pointed out, e.g. that regarding car crash tests, before typically 7 cars where needed. Today, with well-defined methods and data, only 2 is enough to verify the behavior. Novel methods such as 3D digital image correlation (DIC) used together with mechanical testing opens a new window to the research. “Visualization by 3D digital image correlation shows that many old assumptions were wrong. It is the best thing that happened to mechanics”, commented Prof. Gilat.
The industrial keynote speech was given by Jari Riihilahti, VP Technology from Metso. He emphasized the key role of material technology in developing future minerals processing solutions. “Material research together with experimental field testing and latest digital technologies give us a lot opportunities to develop more sustainable and cost efficient solutions. Learning from each other is an important part of the development”, said Riihilahti.
The unique working mode in which the doctoral researchers working daily in the industry-led projects of the BSA and HYBRIDS programs team up regularly with their peers through the doctoral school events and thematic working groups, sharing thoughts intensively, coaching each other and being coached by the senior research scientists and key industry experts involved is leading to results. “The efforts we have put together to build and run this unique concept are really paying off now. I’m delighted to see the significant progress and development of competences today, after less than three years from the start”, concludes Markku Heino.
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