The DMSM at the Institut Clément Ader

The Institut Clément Ader (UMR CNRS 5312) is the solid mechanics research laboratory of Toulouse and the region; it is under the aegis of the CNRS. The Institute brings together research teams from four institutions and three ministries including l’Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier (National Education), l’INSA (National education), l’ISAE-SUPAERO (Defence) andl’Ecole des Mines d’Albi (Industry). These organizations are located in three cities in the Midi-Pyrénées region: Toulouse, Albi and Tarbes.

In 2019, around 90 researchers and associate researchers organize and coordinate their activities in four Research Groups :

• MSC: Composite materials and structures
• SUMO: Surface, Machining, Materials and Tools
• MS2M: Modelling of Mechanical Systems and Microsystems
• MICS: Metrology, Identification, Control and Monitoring

Le DMSM is involved in three of the four research groups : MSC, SUMO, and MS2M.

Involvement of the DMSM in the research activities of the MSC

Four professors of the DMSM carry out their research activities within the Composite materials and structures Group (Groupe MSC of the ICA), mainly in the SIMU area, but also in certain areas of the MAPP Group (topics in bold below).

• Area 1 – Structures, impact, modelling, and machining (S.I.M.U.):
   Topic 1 : Impact – crash (Christophe Bouvet, Samuel Rivallant)
   Topic 2 : Modelling of behavior (Frédéric Lachaud, Laurent Michel)
   Topic 3 : Machining (Frédéric Lachaud)

• Area 2 – Materials, Properties and Processes (M.A.P.P.):
   Topic 1 : Simulation of processes
   Topic 2 : Emerging processes
   Topic 3 : Tooling
   Topic 4 : Innovative materials and methods for multi-scale properties

Certain activities related to composites, but also to topics of other research groups affiliated with the laboratory, are also dealt by the teams within the scope of collaborative Transverse Research Axis: Machining of multi-material stack (UMM), and Assembies (ASM) of the Instotut Clément Ader.

The team currently supervises around fifteen doctoral students (PhDs underway) and over 25 theses have been defended over the last ten years related to the following activities :

• Characterization and identification of damage, viscoelasticity, and viscoplasticity, crack propagation, durability, fatigue and environmental effect (humid aging), tolerance to impact damage
• Numerical modelling of critical structural zones, of energy absorption mechanisms, and of reaction to complex loads (lightening)
• Optimization of composite structures, armor shielding, machining of composites.

Partners

The main academic partners

The main industrial partners

Main projects

• French: ANR (MANSART, VERTEX, VULCOMP1, VULCOMP2), FUI (AXSPAD, PLUME S3L, SAMBA, S3PAC)
• European: ALCAS

Involvement of the DMSM in the research activities of the SUMO

Three professors of the DMSM contribute to and together run the research activities of Axis 1 of the SUMO group:

• Area 1 – Fatigue, wear damage, modelling (F.A.M.E.U):
   Topic 1 : Analysis of interfacial heat transfer
   Topic 2 : Tribology and hot and cold wear
   Topic 3 : Modelling the behavior and life under cyclic thermomechanical stresses
  (Rémy Chieragatti, Anis Hor, Catherine Mabru)

• Area 2 – Functional Properties and Microstructural relationships of Advanced Materials (P.U.M.A.):
   Topic 1 : AMecanism of deformation, plasticity & microstructural evolution in relation to macroscopic properties
   Topic 2 : Thermodynamic modeling and simulation and / or kinetic solid phases

• Area 3 – Machining and Metal-forming (Usi.M.e.F):
   Topic 1 : Improved quality of machining
   Topic 2 : Optimized tool positioning on left surface, optimized machining strategy
   Topic 3 : Chain of digital design and serviceability of equipment : Virtual Lab

The team currently supervises 6 doctoral theses in the following activities :

• Fatigue of parts from prés-des-côtes fabrication processes
• Multi-scale characterization and modelling of monotone and cyclical behavior

Main means used

• Experimental : stereo-correlation, microscopy (MO, MEB, EDX), fatigue machine (uniaxial and multiaxial), nano indentation tester,...
• Digital : ABAQUS, LS-DYNA, NASTRAN, Z-set (Zébulon, Zmat)

The team develops partnerships with academic and industrial organizations, sometimes involving French, European (ANR, FUI…) and regional multipartnerships.

Main partners

Involvement of the DMSM in the research activities of the MS2M group

Nine professors of the DMSM contribute to and together oversee the Axis 1 and Axis 2 research activities of MS2M:

• Area 1 – System and microsystem engineering (I.S.M.):
   Topic ISM1 : Design optimization in multidisciplinary or uncertain environment
   Topic ISM2 : Microfluidics and mechanical microsystems
   Topic ISM3 : On-board systems and actuators (Eric Paroissien)

• Area 2 – Structures under severe loading conditions (Miguel Charlotte, Christine Espinosa, Patrice Longère:
   Topic ISS1 : Systems and structures dynamics (Yves Gourinat, Guilhem Michon, Leonardo Sanches)
   Topic ISS2 : Structures under severe loading conditions (Miguel Charlotte, Christine Espinosa, Patrice Longère)
   Topic ISS3 : Computational structural mechanics (Miguel Charlotte, Christine Espinosa, Joseph Morlier, Michel Salaün)

Certain activities in modelling developed as proper research activities in this group, and related to topics of other research groups affiliated with the laboratory, are also dealt within the scope of the cross-disciplinary topics and teams, Multi-material machining (UMM) and Assemblies (ASM) of the Institut Clément Ader.

The team is currently supervising some ten doctoral students and post-doctoral students in the following areas:

• Methods of predicting non-linear behavior and of vibration dynamics and control of structures and materials, in particular for helicopters, launcher structures, and living systems,
• Advanced numerical methods decision making methods,
• Assemblies and choosing the best tradeoffs in terms of fabrication and design.

The main associated resources used are :

• Experimental : SHPB, gas launchers, ultra-fast cameras, MEB
• Numerical : ABAQUS, LS-DYNA, Impetus Afea, NASTRAN, COMSOL

The team develops partnerships with Airbus France, Airbus Group Innovation, CEA, CNES Direction des Lanceurs, ESA, Airbus Helicopter, ONERA, SAFRAN (SAE), Thales Alenia Space, DCNS, Pprime (UPR CNRS 3346), LaMCoS (UMR CNRS 5259), LMS (UMR CNRS 7649), IRDL (FRE CNRS 3744), etc.

Its main projects are :

• Aerosat TANKYOU
• ANR VULCOMP2
• FUI S3PAC

Main partners

Main projects

• Aerosat TANKYOU
• ANR VULCOMP2
• FUI S3PAC