Structural
mechanics

Our team will advise and support you in the following areas of expertise:

• Design and eco-design
• Material and topological optimisation
• Prototyping and 3D printing
• Numerical modelling of multi-physical systems
• Numerical simulation of the mechanical behaviour of materials and structures
• Development of calculation codes for the analysis of materials and structures
• Design of experimental systems and model validation
• Development of laser machining processes
• Multi-scale characterisation: mechanical, spectral and calorimetric of materials
• Instrumentation for the prediction and detection of structural failure using external or integrated sensors
• Product life cycle analysis
• Carbon footprint

You can also train yourself and your teams in various skills through customised professional training:

• Mechanical design
• Prototyping and 3D printing
• Strength of materials
• Continuum mechanics
• Mechanical behaviour of materials
• Vibration mechanics
• Fluid mechanics
• Heat transfer
• Numerical methods for engineers: finite element method
• Physical chemistry of materials
• Heat treatment
• Spectroscopy
• Laser machining
• Tribology, friction and wear studies
• Measurement uncertainties
• Radiative transfer (radiosity method, Planck fraction method, Monte Carlo method)
• Product lifecycle analysis

Do you have an innovative project aimed at designing and manufacturing a product?

Our research teams address scientific and technological challenges in the following areas:

• digital and experimental optimisation of materials and structures
• durability control and structural health monitoring,
• optimisation of environmental impacts.

They apply to the industrial, building, aerospace, automotive and health sectors.

• Design and eco-design of mechanical systems
• Material and topological optimisation for mass and cost reduction
• Retro design
• Design of diffractive optical elements (modification of the refractive index)
• Design of phase masks (inscription of Bragg gratings inside optical fibres)
• Stress analysis of parts
• Dimensioning of mechanical systems using the finite element method
• Vibration analysis of embedded systems, balancing of rotating machines
• Studies and modelling of thermal transfers
• Thermal simulation of laser-matter interaction
• Studies and modelling in fluid mechanics
• Metallographic study
• Study of the effects of heat treatment on materials
• Study of the thermal properties of materials
• Study of surface tensions
• Viscometry study
• Study of the optical properties of materials
• X-ray diffractometry
• Thin film deposition
• Modelling and dimensioning of energy systems
• Characterisation of the mechanical properties of materials (behaviour law, modulus of elasticity, yield point, breaking point)
• Characterisation of the thermal properties of materials (conductivity, heat capacity, latent heat, contact resistance and conductance)
• Instrumentation and embedding of sensors to monitor mechanical stresses in parts
• Ultrasonic characterisation of metallic materials (defects, welding, etc.)
• Product lifecycle analysis

Whatever your project, our team will assist you in its experimentation and development.

• Developing and instrumenting an experimental rocket
• Developing a test bench to measure stresses
• Designing and building a 3D printing machine by selective laser sintering
• Automating the black body furnace bench device for the calibration of optical pyrometers
• Dimensioning, designing and building an additive manufacturing bench with a solar concentrator
• Simulating the mechanical behaviour of a greenhouse under extreme climatic conditions
• 3D modelling the Muesberg site and simulating energy losses for several thermal renovation scenarios
• …

MACHINES

• Shimadzu tensile and compression testing machine, 5 kN and 100 kN
• Mitutoyo micro Vickers hardness testing machine, 0.2 to 20 N
• Buehler macro Vickers hardness testing machine, 1 to 50 N
• Taber abrasion tester
• Netzsch differential scanning calorimeter -40 to 600°C
• Netzsch dilatometer operating up to 1,600°C
• Agilent UV-Vis spectrometer
• PerkinElmer FT-IR spectrometer with ATR measurement and by transmission
• Bruker X-ray diffractometer
• Buehler metallography equipment, including a manual cutter, ATM precision cutter, ATM mounting system and Escil polisher
• Olympus transmission/reflection microscopes, polarising filtre, magnification x 5 up to x 100 with operating software
• 3 Nabertherm furnaces with a heating capacity of up to 1,280°C
• Nabertherm oil and water quench baths with adjustable temperature
• Ubbelohde & Brookfield-type viscometres
• Krüss tensiometer for measuring surface tension according to the Wilhelmy plate method and Du Noüy ring method
• Krüss tensiometer for the measurement of contact angles and surface tension by the hanging drop method and forward/backward contact angle
• Instron Pendulum Impact Tester with 1.5 J, 5 J and 25 J hammers for Charpy test EN ISO 148 and 5J hammer for Izod test EN ISO 148
• VTC-50 spin coater, variable speed up to 8000 rpm, accepting samples up to 102 mm
• Centrifugal blower fan, 9,000 m3/h
• Ultimaker 3 3D printer (215 x 215 x 200 mm, 20 µm Z-axis resolution, dual extrusion)
  60 W CO2 laser cutter (engraving on all materials, wood and PMMA cutting)
• SiteScan D 50 portable ultrasonic device with 45°, 60° and 70° translators

SOFTWARE

• SolidWorks
• Autodesk Inventor Suite,
• Nastran, Revit
• RDM7
• Matlab, Scilab
• Archiwizard