THE IST DESIGN STUDIO: a plan for action… by Manuel ... - In+

IST Design Studio October 2003_____________________________________________________________________________4.1 Scientific areas and Research topicsThe various scientific areas considered are briefly described below, independently of theinstitutions involved:1. Materials Science and Manufacturing TechnologiesResearch focuses on how to process materials and how to improve or predict the life ofmaterials used in engineering components, but emerging areas will consider thedevelopment of multi-material products and intelligent structures. Attention will alsoinclude the development of constitutive models of engineering materials for soliddeformation processing operations and in-service loading, as well as experimentalinvestigations of the large deformation response of polymers and composites. Inaddition, a particular emphasis will be given to rapid prototyping and tooling as specifictools for materials processing and new product development.Within the development of this research area, the goal is to specialize in the design ofsmart structures, with particular concentration on the development of innovativeactuators incorporating smart materials such as piezoelectrics, electrostrictives, andshape memory alloys.This research area includes the following research subjects:• Composites• Multi-material products• Intelligent structures• Rapid Prototyping and Tooling• Casting, Machining, Assembling• Micro manufacturing2. MechanicsResearch emphasis derives from traditional solid and fluid mechanics, in a way topromte the development of new and reliable products, with particular attention totransport systems. This includes automotive and trains structural durability bydeveloping techniques for components modeling, subsystem and full vehicle dynamicsimulation, stress and fatigue life prediction, and design optimisation, but also thedevelopment of the necessary skills in computational and experimental fluid mechanicsfor vehicle aerodynamics, and fluid-body, interaction studies. A major driving force ofthis research effort has been the urgent need to reduce up to one order of magnitude thenecessary time in the design cycle of new products, with significant increases inproductivity and manufacturing quality. Consequently, the use of CAD technology isessential in order to improve and modernize some portuguese industries, providing themwith a competitive edge in a global market economy. In addition, a major research taskhas been associated with the development of experimental fluid mechanics and thermalanalysis for new and reliable products.This research area includes the following research subjects:• Mechanical systems and dynamics (Multi-body dynamics)• Structural mechanics and vibrations• Tribology: direct contact and wear, hydrodynamic lubrication and lubricated contact• Computational thermo-fluids13