Mechanics, digital processes and materials
Materials & Processes
CERI MP’s “Mechanics, digital processes and materials” theme is developed via three sub-themes on modelling approaches:
- Digital methods
- Modelling: Materials, Processes, Structures
- Digital twins
“Digital methods” sub-theme
This sub-theme focuses on the development of calculation codes and digital solutions.
These are either coupled, integrated into commercial software, or used entirely independently.
The main objective is to obtain reliable predictions, with reasonable calculation times, for realistic models.
The digital methods developed in this sub-theme must therefore be able to integrate all the physics of the problem in question and be able to deal with large-scale problems, such as those involved in industrial cases in three-dimensional space.
Modelling of composite laser welding: coupling ray-tracing and FEM
Acceleration of calculations by replacing a conventional finite element model (HFM) with a combination of two neural networks (autoencoder and predictor), a database created from the HFM used to train these two neural networks
“Modelling: Materials-Processes-Structures” sub-theme
The aim is to study the key challenges involved in modelling polymer/mineral/composite parts and/or structures due to the strong coupling between the manufacturing conditions, the microstructure produced by the implementation processes, and the final resulting properties (mechanical, physical and thermal) of the part or structure.
Under real processing conditions (e.g. temperature, pressure, time, flow rate of the material), the final properties of these materials depend not only on their composition (volume ratio and aspect ratio of the fillers or fibres, degree of polymerisation or crystallinity), but also their degrees of anisotropy (molecular orientation, filler or fibre orientation and dispersion, interdiffusion of polymer molecules across interfaces, granule rearrangement and fracture) and the presence of microstructural defects (e.g. porosities, fibre misalignments, bonding/welding lines).
Mapping of the porosity rate during the impregnation process (Resin Transfer Moulding)
Modelling of radiative transfer during the FDM 3D printing process
“Digital twins” sub-theme
The objective is to develop digital twins of parts and structures with complex geometric shapes (e.g. pressure equipment, railway structures, wind turbine blades) which are sometimes subjected to different types of static and/or dynamic or even multiphysical stresses (e.g. constraint, temperature). The purpose of these developments is to produce digital tools capable of assessing the mechanical behaviour of structures and predicting their long-term behaviour in situ and in real time.
We are therefore developing an innovative approach in which we combine and hybridise digital models based on mechanics (white box model) with dynamic models guided by data only (black box model). This hybridisation will result in the development of digital twins in the form of “grey box” models which are as effective as possible in diagnosing the instantaneous mechanical behaviour of structures and predicting their behaviour and residual lifetimes. To accomplish this, sensors (e.g. strain gauges, thermocouples, fibre Bragg gratings, acoustic emission) are integrated into parts and structures and connected to telecommunication networks (IoT) for data transmission and real-time cloud processing with machine learning algorithms (AI, deep learning, machine learning, etc.).
PROJECTS
SEABIOCOMP project
SEABIOCOMP project
The SEABIOCOMP project aims to develop new 100% bio-based composite materials in order to reduce carbon footprints, particularly for industrial applications in marine environments. For this project we have developed bio-based polymer non-woven preforms (e.g., PLA) and flax fibres, ready…
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