Cluster Expertise at ICME 2017 in Michigan
World Congress on Integrated Computational Materials Engineering took place in Michigan (USA)
This year, Dr. Ulrich Prahl (IEHK) and Dr. Georg Schmitz, as well as Bernd Böttger (ACCESS e.V.) attended the World Congress on Integrated Computational Materials (ICME) in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on May 21 – 25. More than 250 attendees from all over the world gathered at the renowned conference. The congress and the joint exhibition were organized by the American “Minerals, Metals & Materials Society”. The TMS regularly hosts international gatherings like the TMS Conference and is the world’s biggest community in the field of mineral and materials science with more than 13,000 members in 94 countries.
Leading scientists in the field of ICME, the computer-based connection of material development, product development and manufacturing processes, were invited to discover the latest insights and findings of the research field and engage in scientific exchange. This year’s congress was the biggest ICME since the beginning of the initiative in 2011, gathering 250 researchers from different countries and disciplines, amongst them materials scientists, software engineers as well as process engineers and many other interest representatives.
The Cluster researchers once again took part in the internationally acclaimed congress, presenting their research fields in specialist lectures.
Dr. Ulrich Prahl outlined the Aachen strategy in the field of ICME by illustrating the development of a concept for case-hardened steel parts with reduced bending potential. He presentet this vision to the audience within the framework of his lecture on Titel “An Attempt to Integrate Software Tools at Microscale and Above Towards an ICME Approach for Heat Treatment of a DP Steel Gear with Reduced Distortion”. The ICMPE method developed within the Cluster offers the possibility of improving the manufacturing of component parts by means of linking the materials simulation and the process simulation.
In another lecture, Dr. Prahl focused on an innovative simulation approach to bainite transformation, which is applicable in the field of lightweight construction. The aproach is tailored to the security structures and allows the description of complex metal-physical mechanisms in components, which are exposed to mechanical stress during the cooling process.
In addition to various lectures, Dr. Georg Schmitz used his time at the congress to give a plenary speech with the title “Towards an ICME Methodology - Current Activities in Europe”. His talk focused on the research activities in Aachen, inclunding AixViPMaP, a project on developing a virtaul platform for the integrative simulation of materials and process simulations. He also talked about ICMEaix, the umbrella association of the activities in the field of modeling and simulation of structural materials at RWTH University. Both initiatives are pasrt of the Cluster’s research.
Dr. Prahl evaluates the Aachen-based researchers’ attendance very positively, stating “the competence of the Aachen ICME-activities were successfully presented and taken note of both in their intellectual depth and their thematical width.” Additionally, Dr. Schmitz represented the European, and especially Aachen-based, activities in the fied of ICME as a member of the international organization committee. He, as well, evaluates the congress positively and attests the congress a “high importance both for end users and developers within the industry, as well as software providers and academic research.”
Dr. Prahl praises the conference: “The event represented the significance of ICME as a key competence for a modern materials and process development impressively. The Aachen group added the most extensive contributions within the German community. Overall, it has become apparent that the goal of a numerically based material development for modern applications is still a big challenge and that the basic competences and methods are nevertheless interdisciplinaryly existent in Aachen.”