Widening materials models

Specific challenge: The future of the European industry relies inter alia on a strong modelling capacity. An efficient approach is needed to shorten the development process of materials-enabled products, being a key to the global competitiveness of industry. Existing models describe the behaviour of different physical entities, and thus several models need to be linked to cover all scales and arrive at industrial relevant results. The coverage of a single model should be expanded to reduce the necessity of linking. In addition, today’s material models often lack accuracy, especially when describing product properties connected to the material behaviour.

Scope: Proposals should elaborate the physics and chemistry involved in an existing model to extend the length and time scales to which this model can be applied. The model to be expanded can be an electronic, atomistic, mesoscopic or continuum scale model; where the discrete electronic, atomistic and mesoscopic model describes the behaviour of electrons, atoms and nanoparticles/grains respectively, and a continuum model describes the behaviour of continuum unit cells.[1] There is a special need for the expansion of discrete mesoscopic models. Proof of the possibility to design new materials and/or materials processes with the expanded physics/chemistry must be delivered within the project.

The extended model should be implemented in a code integrated in a multi-scale approach available to end-users and demonstrate the reduced need of linking due to the extended coverage of the model.

The proposals should include interface design to facilitate the future implementation in larger and extendable framework architecture. Proposals should contain a series of model validation in which the model is validated against a chain of experimental data of increasing complexity relevant to materials design leading up to and including realistic test cases. These data should either be collected during the project or exist already. The extended model should be implemented in a code integrated in a multi-scale approach available to end-users. As part of each project, industrial end-users should assess this code on predefined industrial test cases, to guarantee industrial relevance.

For this topic, proposals should include an outline of the initial exploitation and business plans, which will be developed further in the proposal project.

Activities expected to focus on Technology Readiness Level 5. In line with the objectives of the Union's strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), as well as with the conclusions of the Materials Summit 2013, international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with the USA.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 3 and 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected impact:

                Rapid deployment of lower-cost advanced materials solutions through predictive design of novel materials and production routes optimised for specified applications (e.g. properties and functionality minimise the environmental impact, reduced risk of product failure and increased life);

                Improved control of materials production and an improved control of concerned industrial products and processes.

Type of action: Research & Innovation Actions

[1] http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/pdf/modelling-brochure_en.pdf