The MATOP project's final report was submitted to SSF March 31 2009.

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MATOP - Development of tools for integrated optimisation of materials

Mathematical and numerical optimisation of performance of materials with respect to selection and use of material has successfully been utilised for a number of years. The mathematical foundation of this procedure was formulated 10 years ago.

In modern industrial development of materials a gradual introduction of more advanced tools has taken place. Mathematical and numerical optimisation of properties and processes of materials has for a long time been an exciting possibility but some of the necessary tools have not been available.

Direct mathematical optimisation of materials properties, which is referred to as materials optimisation, represents many distinguished scientific challenges:

  • The essential features of the microstructure should be possible to compute.

  • Quantitative composition-microstructure-property relations must be available.

  • In addition to mechanical and physical properties, relations for technological properties and environmental loading must be included. In fact, the development of many new materials primarily involves technological properties such as corrosion, forming and welding.

  • The composition of new materials is often outside the range of more established ones. The extrapolation of data to these new compositions is therefore essential.

  • The optimisation procedure as such is highly nontrivial. In fact the use of new principles from modern optimisation theory is essential.

The purpose of this program is to develop the necessary tools and collect and assess the required data to attack the above mentioned scientific challenges and to establish materials optimisation as a powerful tool in material and process development. The approach will be applied to processes and properties of stainless steels, aluminium alloys and structural steels. Serious consideration of the economic and environmental impacts is strongly emphasized.

The program is financed by the Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) with generous support from Jernkontoret, Outokumpu, Sandvik, SAPA and SSAB.

Rolf Sandström

 

Dennis Andersson  2005-05-13