PhD opportunities

Finite element modeling of Hot Isostatic Pressing at the mesoscopic scale

Thesis proposal

Area of expertiseMécanique numérique et Matériaux
Doctoral SchoolSFA - Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées
SupervisorBERNACKI Marc
Co-supervisorPINO MUÑOZ Daniel
Research unitCentre de Mise en Forme des Matériaux
KeywordsHIP process, HPC, Digital twins, Computational Metallurgy, Interface networks
AbstractOne of the European Union’s objectives in climate change consists
of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Such perspective puts the metallic materials industry, as a large contributor to carbon emissions, under tremendous pressure for change and
requires the existence of robust computational materials strategies to enhance and design, with a very high confidence degree,
new metallic materials technologies with a limited environmental
impact. From a more general perspective, the in-use properties
and durability of metallic materials are strongly related to their
microstructures, which are themselves inherited from the thermomechanical treatments.
Because of opportunities that powder metallurgy (PM) processes
offer in both technical and economic points of view, these processes are increasingly used in industries for the manufacture of
complex shaped parts for many applications. PM technologies,
which allow the production of near-net-shape densified metal or
ceramic parts with controlled microstructure, are very diverse but
Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) appears as the key process when large
complex parts, such like nuclear plant components (pipes, valves,
impellers...), are required. The modeling of the powder densification during HIP and the prediction of the final microstructure
through numerical simulation is an open and complex research
problem. It is not easy to answer to seemingly simple questions
like: is full densification achieved everywhere in the part? Will the
as-HIPed shape allow to achieve the component? Did the powder
microstructure lead to a satisfactory dense material which will
exhibit good properties? What if I change the HIP parameters
(pressure, temperature, time) or the powder production process?
Indeed, theories that provide quantitatively correct predictions of
local heterogeneities observed during densification of the granular
packing, as well as theories able to predict the final polycrystalline
grain size distribution, have long been sought to fill a critical link
in our ability to model HIP process from start to finish. To date,
such theories do not exist. In this context, multiscale materials modeling, and more precisely simulations at the mesoscopic
scale, constitute the most promising numerical framework for the
next decades of industrial simulations as it compromises between
the versatility and robustness of physically-based models, computation times, and accuracy. The DIGIMU consortium and the
RealIMotion ANR Industrial Chair are dedicated to this topic at
the service of major industrial companies.
ProfileDegree: MSc or MTech in Metallurgy or Applied
Mathematics, with excellent academic record. Skills:
Numerical Modeling, Metallurgy, programming,
proficiency in English, ability to work within a
multi-disciplinary team.
FundingFinancement d'une association ou fondation