Overview

Metals have been used for millennia and even today it is not possible to imagine machine parts or cars without them. And yet there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the processing of metallic materials relevant for industrial production – such as deformation mechanisms, which are crucial in pressing car parts from sheet metal. The project MULTIAX will focus on the questions: how does a metal behave if the strain direction is suddenly changed? And why does it behave like this? Such questions are everyday concerns in the production of metallic components.

The aim of the research project will be to study the behaviour of metal if it is stretched in different directions and the strain paths change. One standout feature of the project is that the behaviour is to be studied at different length scales – from the microscopic scale, where the atomic structure will be observed, to the macroscopic scale, where entire metal parts are to be examined. Only by studying the processes separately on different scales can we end up with a complete picture of what goes on in the material. One particular challenge will be to develop a tiny device that can be used specifically to subject small samples to the right strain and enable us to study the processes on a miniscule scale.

In the experiment, the materials are to be stressed while being studied in situ with neutrons from the neutron source SINQ or synchrotron light from the Swiss Light Source. This means that, to a certain extent, how the inner structures change can be observed ”live”. Based on this information, researchers will then be able to optimise computer programmes, which will enable to predict the behaviour of new metallic materials.

The PEM (Photons for Engineering and Manufacturing) group has many years of experience in the field of materials research, especially with in-situ studies of metallic materials and combining experimental results with computer simulations. A total of seven people are to be employed using the ERC Grant – two experienced researchers as postdoctoral students, four doctoral students and one technician. Two researchers will focus on computer simulations; the rest will organise and conduct the remaining experiments. Ultimately, the project should yield a double gain: firstly, insights into the deformation mechanisms in metals; secondly, novel experimental equipment for large-scale facilities, which will be available to researchers from other scientific institutes and industry.

(Text adapted from PSI-researcher Helena Van Swygenhoven awarded prestigious ERC Grant)