Modeling and Simulation for the Accelerated Development of Materials

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II effort will result in a prototype system for full-field optical deformation measurement and advanced analysis software. The data analysis and optimization software, fully integrated with a successfully commercialized Digital Image Correlation (DIC) tool, will be used for material model calibration, validation, and property estimation. The system is intended to acquire full-field, high magnification, two- and three-dimensional strain data for length scales from sub-millimeters to several meters at elevated temperatures, and use nonlinear optimization algorithms for automated and efficient estimation of model parameters from vast amounts of data. This innovative product will be an enabling tool for accelerated evaluation and development of new materials. SC Solutions, Inc. (SC), a leader in providing modeling, model-based control and optimization solutions has teamed with Correlated Solutions, Inc. (CSI), the leading provider of optical deformation measurement products. The feasibility of the overall approach has been successfully demonstrated in Phase I by parameter estimation using two optimization techniques on data obtained from measurements on a stir-welded aluminum alloy. In Phase II, the system capabilities will be enhanced, the software product fully prototyped, and the process substantially automated. There is potential for wide-ranging military and commercial application of this technology in aerospace and materials processing industries.