ICMEaix - Integrated Computational Materials Engineering
Topic
The ICMEaix Project House is the umbrella structure for modelling and simulation activities in the field of metallic structural materials in particular at RWTH Aachen University in cooperation with Forschungszentrum Jülich, Max Planck Institute for Iron Research MPIE in Düsseldorf, German Aerospace Center DLR in Cologne and DECHEMA Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in Frankfurt.
ICMEaix is part of the Materials Science and Materials Engineering MatSE profile division. MatSE has set itself the goal of strengthening the international competitiveness of RWTH Aachen University, bundling existing competencies and supporting the development of unconventional future topics.
Research Objectives
The objectives of the ICMEaix project house are to bundle the simulation activities of the individual chairs, the structural networking of all participants and the formulation and processing of scientific projects in the field of numerical materials and process development. The focus is particularly on questions that go beyond the individual expertise of the actors involved and range from atoms to the component, from disorder to functionality and from melt to component performance.
Within the framework of an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) approach, methods for linking different software tools are developed and used for the holistic optimization of process chains in the production, processing and application of metallic materials and components.
ICMEaix continues to develop new teaching and learning concepts for the holistic, multidisciplinary training of future process engineers and materials scientists.
Involved Professors and Departments
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering - Faculty 4
Chair and Institute for Materials Applications in Mechanical Engineering
Dipl.-Ing. Alexander Bezold
www.iwm.rwth-aachen.de
Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering - Faculty 5
Steel Institute
Dr.-Ing. Christian Haase
www.iehk.rwth-aachen.de
Institute of Metal Forming
Stephan Hojda, M. Sc.
www.ibf.rwth-aachen.de
Chair for Foundry Science and Foundry Institute
Dr.-Ing. Björn Pustal
www.gi.rwth-aachen.de
Institute of Materials Research (DLR)
Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Reh
www.dlr.de
Head of Thermochemistry of Energy Materials section
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Robert Spatschek
www.fz-juelich.de
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology - Faculty 6
ACCESS e.V.
Dr. rer. nat. Georg J. Schmitz
www.access.rwth-aachen.de
Others
Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg
Institute of Metal Forming
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Prahl
www.tu-freiberg.de
Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH
Dr.-Ing. Martin Diehl
www.mpie.de
Infrastructure available
With the AixViPMaP platform, the Aachen Virtual Platform for Materials Processing, the ICMEaix project house is currently setting up a simulation infrastructure at RWTH Aachen University, which, in addition to the expertise of Aachen materials scientists and process engineers, will provide computer performance, program packages and workflow managers as services offered by the RWTH Aachen institutes.
Projects
The ICMEaix project house works on a large number of projects with objectives including
- Development of a model chain and experimental methods to describe the evolution of inherent stresses in the manufacture of an austenitic steel housing component.
- Prediction of the microstructure development and thermomechanical properties of a laser weld and the heat-affected zone in a martensitic steel plate.
- precise prediction of wrinkling and energy absorption of a hexagonal crash box made of a high-manganese TWIP steel.
- Development of an energetically efficient production of forgings from micro-alloyed two-phase steel with reduced distortion.
- Determination of the influence of the powder filling process and the inhomogeneous initial density distribution within the capsule on the final shape of a component and optimization of the capsule design with regard to minimal distortion of hot isostatically pressed components.
- Adaptation of a drop forging process for gear production using finite element (FE) simulations and simulation-integrated processing maps to ensure a homogeneous and fine-grained grain size.
- realistic prediction of the evolution of the microstructure, residual stresses and distortions during the entire heat treatment cycle including temperature control
- quantitative prediction of residual stresses after grinding processes using FE modeling and simulation
Workshops
Current announcements of conferences and workshops can be found on the website.
Contact
Dr. rer. nat. Georg J. Schmitz
Website