About Labex Damas

LABoratory of EXcellence Design of Alloy Metals for low-mass Structures (Labex DAMAS) was created to support fundamental research in metallurgy. It creates a new research dynamic by bringing together scientists from IJL and LEM3, specialised in materials science and mechanics, in "mixed" working groups. It aims to develop excellence in basic research and to increase the international attractiveness of Lorraine in the field of materials science.

Aims

Metallurgy is a strategic sector for industry worldwide. It concerns the production and transformation of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, automotive, aeronautical, nuclear, petroleum, wind energy, biomedical...

LabEx DAMAS initially had the following main objectives :

  • Develop excellence in fundamental research in metallurgy.
  • Improve the mechanical performance of metals and the lightness of metallic structures.
  • Increase the international attractiveness of Lorraine in the field of metallurgy.
  • Bring research input on the socio-economic development of Lorraine.

In its second phase, Labex DAMAS has focused on the development of a new metallurgy (new materials and new processes) and the associated tools to meet the latest economic and societal challenges, such as reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Labex DAMAS is now aiming at fundamental advances in four main research directions :

Background

2012

Nucleation

In 2011 and 2012, two reports by the French Academy of Sciences and Technologies and the European Science Foundation (ESF) highlighted that « research and education in metallurgy have lost a lot of strength and competence over the last 15 years ». They stated that: « To face future societal challenges, it is necessary to invest in the next generation of metallic products ».

In 2012, LabEx DAMAS was created to support fundamental research in metallurgy. LabEx DAMAS was directed by Pr. Laszlo Toth -LEM3 (right) and co-directed by Pr. Sabine Denis – IJL (left).

2012 - 2019

Growth

The research in LabEx DAMAS was organized in 5 work packages, each led by collaborating scientists from IJL and LEM3.

  • WP1: Materials innovation
    (Thierry Grosdidier – LEM3 and Sébastien Allain – IJL).
  • WP2: Microstructure design
    (Hervé Combeau – IJL and Nathalie Gey – LEM3).
  • WP3: Process design
    (Alain Jardy – IJL and Pascal Laheurte – LEM3).
  • WP4: Mechanical properties and structures
    Laszlo Toth (LEM3) and Alain Jacques (IJL).
  • WP5 : Multiscale modelling
    (Stéphane Berbenni – LEM3 and Miha Zaloznik – IJL).

2019 – 2024

Growth

In its second phase, LaBex DAMAS has focused more on the development of new materials and new processes, taking more into account economic and societal challenges. New topics such as recycling, hydrogen storage, additive manufacturing, data science, ab-initio and phase field calculations have been addressed. To this end, the research was organised around 4 research axes, each led by collaborating scientists from IJL and LEM3.

  • Axe A: Innovative metallurgical processes
    (Fabrice Patisson – IJL and Thierry Grosdidier – LEM3).
  • Axe B : Optimisation of microstructure-properties for light weighting
    (Sébastien Allain – IJL and Lionel Germain – LEM3).
  • Axe C: Advanced characterisation techniques/span>
    (Thomas Schenk – IJL and Nathalie Gey – LEM3).
  • Axe D: Multiscale modelling and simulations
    (Benoit Appolaire – IJL and Stéphane Berbenni – LEM3).

2012 – 2024

Growth

The success of LabEx DAMAS has also been highlighted by the « Shanghai Ranking ».

  • University of Lorraine ranked 43rd in Metallurgical Engineering, with more than 750 papers published in scientific journals under the banner of DAMAS.
  • University of Lorraine ranked 15th for International Collaborations in Materials Science. DAMAS has contributed through the development of more than 120 collaborations worldwide.
  • LabEx DAMAS scientists have published some of their research results in a special issue of Materials entitled « Design of Alloy Metals for low-Mass Structure ».

From 2021

Coarsening

After a short transition period during which LabEx DAMAS was directed by Sabine Denis (IJL), DAMAS is now directed by Thierry Grosdidier (LEM3) together with Benoît Appolaire (IJL).

The results of LabEx DAMAS have been evaluated twice by an international jury, which concluded that :

  • “The proposed work is creative, well-planned, and based on an excellent track record of research in this area. It recognizes a need to move away from the traditional metallurgy of the steel making industry, to engage in research on new materials and processes that are more compatible with environmental goals and requirements, including limits on energy use and greenhouse gas production in materials processing… It is an outstanding example of what a Laboratory of Excellence should be.

LabEx DAMAS is part of the Lorraine Université d’Excellence (LUE) created in 2016 in the I-SITE /IDEX program of the PIA. It therefore contributes to develop new interdisciplinary projects through ORION (Open-up to Research through Integrated and Optimized training) and an emerging interdisciplinary program addressing societal issues around sustainable industry and industrial sovereignty.