ESI and Centrale Nantes to research thermoplastics, welding simulation and model reduction
Virtual Chart
This past Tuesday ESI Group, creators of the multi-domain simulation platform Visual-Environment 9.0, announced a 6-year, joint research project with French University Centrale Nantes (CN).
The joint venture will be funded by ESI and is set to start on January 21st. The research teams will study various simulation topics including advance welding, thermoplastic welding and model reduction.
ESI’s COO Dr. Vincent Chaillou says that “Centrale Nantes and ESI are joining forces to propose solutions that will raise the competitiveness of the French manufacturing industry and the country’s higher education alike.”
Computational Mechanics professor Pr. Francisco Chinesta will chair the teams, bringing years of experience in the fields of advanced modeling, material/process simulation and model reduction.
ESI’s Director Dr. Jean-Louis Duval and Project Manager Dr. Yannick Vincent will oversee research on model reduction and welding simulation, respectively; while ESI’s COE Manager Dr. Laurent Dufort and CN’s Dr. Christophe Binetruy will jointly lead the research into thermoplastics.
The model reduction team will work towards integrating “virtual charts” into the software. These “virtual charts” will help to optimize, and analyze changes in the manufacturing process for multivariable, non-linear systems.
At the same time, the advanced welding team will work towards modelling additive manufacturing (as a part of the welding process) and Friction Sheer Welding (FSW). FSW is used to connect objects which are comprised of different materials.
Finally, the thermoplastic team will focus on out-of-autoclave systems with the simulation of automatic tape placement. This research should be of particular interest to the transportation industries.
Joint research often leads to various advances in the global market, and various undergraduate and graduate students will benefit from this new partnership. Perhaps ESI may find some new lifeblood in the process too.
Image and Source courtesy of ESI Group.
