Semi Solid Processing of Steels Action 541 Start

Semi Solid Processing of Steels Action 541 Start date: 12/07/2006 End date: 11/07/2010 Year: 3 RASSILI Ahmed Chair University of Liège / Belgium COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Scientific context and objectives • Research area: • Material Science, Processing and Mechanical Engineering • Brief reminder of Mo. U objectives: • Development of an industrial applicable process for the thixoforming of steel alloys. COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 2 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Scientific context and objectives Product Specifications (e. g. mechanical characteristics, cost, dimensions etc, . ) Product Design Material Tool Design Heating System Handling Thixoprocess Part Characteristics Die OEM End User COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 3 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Working groups • 1) Materials development and characterization – Development and characterisation of work piece (steel alloys) and tool materials (ceramics or others) that are suitable for thixoforming. – evaluation of the tool wear and its lifetime as well as the assessment and reliability issues of the obtained parts • 2) Modelling and process control – Development of mathematical models for process control – Material and die filling behaviour matching the special properties of materials in twophase state • 3) Processing, automation and industrial investigations – Methodology development – Design, set-up and optimisation of sophisticated devices of a process chain for the fully automated production of a thixoforming process for steel parts – Industrial investigations COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 4 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Action Members COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 5 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Number of individual participants and early stage researchers COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 6 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Use of COST instruments • Action 541 policy: – All instruments must be used. – Good balancing between the instruments. – Encouraging ESR’s oriented instruments. – Encouraging actions towards industrials and European organisations. COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 7 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Use of COST instruments YR 1 No. of MC / WG meetings No. of STSMs No. of workshops / conferences No. of publications No. of training schools GASG (activities) COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme YR 2 YR 3 YR 4 2 6 4 3 7 3 3 10 2 3 8 -10 2 10 1 20 1 15 0 20 1 Website, ETP’s Posters, ETP’s, website Website, Dissemination 8 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Significant highlights (1/2) • Activity 1: • Saragoza Tranining School on Semi-Solid Modelling: – Early stage researchers (16). – Long-life learning (2). – Lecturers (5). – Interesting publication (Modelling book) distributed to nearly 400 international experts inducing a large visibility for the action 541 and COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 9 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Significant highlights (2/2) • Activity 2: • S 2 P 2008 Conference on Semi-Solid Processing of Alloys and Composites: – 160 Participants (more than 2/3 are ESR’s). – 140 Excellent scientific papers, many of them resulting from action’s STSM’s. – Important role of the action (organisation) and thus important visibility. COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 10 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Global dimension • Number of researchers from institutions from non-COST countries involved in the Action: 3 (MO) • Will your Action have any follow-up in other funding frameworks or through public-private partnerships? § Many public-private national partnerships : ES (2), TR(1), IR(1), BE(3), FR(1), DE(2), PL(3) with a feedback to the action § FP 7 NMP global project (in preparation) COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 11 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Global dimension • Is/Has your Action cooperating/ed with any external body, organization or company? ü Action 541 is a partner in European Technological ü Platforms : ü ESTEP, MANUFUTURE, EUMAT ü EUREKA ü EU DG Materials, Coal and Steel ü Many companies : BOSCH, BREMBO, SKF, VALEO, Kolben Schmidt, Federal Mogul, FORD, Daimler Chrysler, FIAT, FERRARI, ASCOMETAL, Forges de Courcelles, Ascoforge. Safe ü Crisis COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 12 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Global dimension • Which dissemination efforts have been undertaken? (Brief overview): ü Scientific papers ü Conference proceeding’s : o ESAFORM 2007, 2008 and 2009 o S 2 P 2008 ü Book : – Modelling of Semi-Solid Processing (ISBN 978 -3 -8322 -7212 -8); ~400 copies distributed all over the world ü Website : www. cost 541. ulg. ac. be ü Dissemination oriented workshops COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 13 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract

Challenges • Successes and shortcomings: üFP 7 Project on Thixo. Steel üPublication of the “Steel Thixoforming” book üMore European collaborations on Thixo. Steel • Future challenges (Action main objective): üIndustrialisation of the thixoforming of steels üEuropean MASTER degree üPh. D network COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme 14 ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract