Newswise — June 4, 2012—Warrendale PA—The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) announced today that it will lead a 15-month study to identify, prioritize, and recommend key steps for rapid implementation of integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) in the automotive, aerospace/aircraft, and maritime industries. The study’s specific focus will be ICME implementation for structural materials used in lightweighting systems. TMS is coordinating this effort on behalf of the Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation. ICME can save significant time and money in discovering, developing, and producing advanced materials necessary for the implementation of critical technologies for national security, energy, transportation, and health care, to name just a few sectors of society. Such results are possible by combining cutting edge computational modeling and information technologies with advances in experimental tools. Currently, it takes 10 to 20 years for a new material to be made available for commercial use. Products developed using the ICME approach can be ready for market in nearly half that time at a fraction of the cost. The tremendous potential of ICME was identified in a 2008 study by the National Research Council—TMS provided input to and was cited in this study. ICME has also been highlighted as a critical element of the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), which is being coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy in conjunction with the National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on the Materials Genome Initiative.
The challenge in fully realizing these benefits is the “I”—integrated—in ICME. “Scientists, engineers, and designers from different disciplines and subdisciplines, with the different models and experiments that they bring to bear, need to be brought together in a truly cohesive way,” said George Spanos, TMS technical director, and the study’s project leader.
The new study provides a forum in which experts with a wide range of expertise representing industry, government, and academia can work together synergistically to define opportunities for rapid implementation of ICME. It is also intended that the project will generate ideas that can assist in the self-assembly of ICME teams for accelerating advanced materials and product development. “This type of integration is necessary to unlock the full potential of ICME in accelerating the design, development, and deployment of new materials systems,” said Spanos.
In addition to identifying and prioritizing key steps for ICME implementation, the study will address cross-cutting issues that affect the three industrial sectors, including model validation/verification and uncertainty quantification. The information and analysis yielded by this work is intended for use by integrated product development teams, ICME practitioners, and lightweighting research and engineering groups seeking to overcome technical barriers to ICME implementation.
About TMSTMS is a member-driven international professional society dedicated to fostering the exchange of learning and ideas across the entire range of materials science and engineering, from minerals processing and primary metals production, to basic research and the advanced applications of materials. Included among its 11,000 professional and student members are metallurgical and materials engineers, scientists, researchers, educators, and administrators from more than 70 countries on six continents.
Building on its recognized leadership in integrated computational materials engineering (ICME), TMS has committed to facilitating the development of a new innovation infrastructure that unifies and streamlines materials design and manufacturing processes. These objectives are mirrored in the U.S. Materials Genome Initiative, as well as other exciting efforts throughout the world. Embodying this commitment is TMS’s new strategic initiative—Materials Innovation @ TMS. Additional information on Materials Innovation @ TMS can be found on the web site.
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