Newswise — Warrendale, PA—The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) announced the teams that will study and identify key steps needed to extend and accelerate implementation of the emerging discipline of integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) in the automotive, aerospace/aircraft, and maritime industries.

TMS, which is leading the project on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, has recruited a cross-section of more than 35 scientists, engineers, and technical experts representing industry, government, and academia to serve on a total of four ICME implementation study teams. Three of these teams will focus on specific industrial sectors–aerospace, automotive, and maritime–while a fourth team will study the “cross-cutting” issues across these sectors.

“We are pleased to be able to assemble and convene such a broad and rich talent base for this important project,” said George Spanos, TMS technical director and the study’s project leader. “Engaging experts from industry, academia, and government will not only provide a much more comprehensive and detailed approach than would be possible by any single organization; it will also facilitate the implementation of ICME across the entire materials design and development cycle—from discovery to deployment.”

“The results of this study ultimately will benefit society by assisting in bringing new materials and materials-related manufacturing processes to market much faster than is possible today, and at less cost,” said Spanos.

Currently, it takes about 10 to 20 years for a new material to evolve from a laboratory concept to commercial readiness. Products developed using the ICME approach can be introduced to the market in nearly half that time and at a fraction of the cost. Such results are possible by combining cutting-edge computational modeling and information technologies with advances in experimental tools. ICME also is highlighted as a critical element of the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), announced by President Barack Obama in 2011. According to the “Materials Genome Initiative for Global Competitiveness,” a white paper released by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, reducing the time and cost required to bring discoveries to market is crucial to strengthening domestic manufacturing and ensuring U.S. global competitiveness and economic growth. Advanced materials are necessary for the implementation of critical technologies impacting on national security, energy, transportation, and health care, to name just a few sectors of society.

“This new study will determine frameworks and pathways needed to implement ICME more rapidly and on a much broader scale, within the automotive, aerospace, and maritime industries, and will generate ideas and offer guidance that can aid integrated product development teams, ICME practitioners, and research and engineering groups seeking to implement ICME in these industries,” said Spanos. The intent is that the final report will, in essence, serve as a ‘field manual’ toward such ICME implementation.”

Providing leadership for each of the four ICME implementation study teams convened by TMS are:

AerospaceTresa Pollock, Alcoa Professor of Materials and Chair, Materials Department, University of Southern California at Santa BarbaraPollock has more than 25 years of university and industry experience and is recognized for her leading research on high-temperature materials, including alloys for aircraft turbine engines. Her current research focuses on structural materials and coatings, the use of ultrafast lasers for materials diagnostics and development of models for ICME efforts. She was president of TMS in 2005, inducted as a TMS Fellow in 2009, and is associate editor of Metallurgical and Materials Transactions. Elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2005, Pollock was chair of the committee that produced the groundbreaking study released by the National Research Council of the National Academies in 2008 that initially identified the tremendous potential of ICME in accelerating materials and manufacturing innovation. She earned her B.S. from Purdue University and holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

AutomotiveJohn Allison, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan at Ann ArborAllison is an internationally recognized scientist whose current research focus is on ICME and advanced materials and their use in engineering applications. During his 27 years as a senior technical leader at Ford Motor Company, he led teams pioneering ICME methods and helped develop advanced computer software that simulates manufacturing processes and predicts the influence of the manufacturing process on material properties. Allison was president of TMS in 2002 and elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2010. With Pollock, he served as vice-chair of the committee that produced the 2008 National Academies report on ICME. He earned his Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering and materials science from Carnegie Mellon University and is also is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and Ohio State University.

MaritimeJohnnie Deloach, Manager, Welding, Processing and Non-destructive Evaluation (NDE) Branch, Naval Surface Warfare Center; Technology Transition Detailee, Office of Naval ResearchDeloach has more than 25 years of engineering service in a broad variety of materials-related engineering and research and development programs. His primary areas of concentration are high-strength steels, filler metal development, friction stir welding, nondestructive evaluation, and weldability assessment and procedure development for ferrous and non ferrous metals used in U.S. Navy ships and submarines. The overriding objective of his research activities is to develop and transition technology that improves the properties of naval alloys and reduces the cost of construction and support of U.S. Navy vessels. DeLoach earned his B.Sc. in materials science and engineering from Brown University and his M.MSE from Johns Hopkins University.

Cross-Cutting Brad Cowles, Cowles Consulting LLC and Senior Fellow and Discipline Lead (retired) for Materials and Processes, Pratt & WhitneyCowles has extensive experience in aerospace propulsion, materials and structures. His current focus, as a consultant to industrial and government agency clients, is developing materials-related strategic plans for the aerospace. In his 37 years at Pratt & Whitney, he oversaw Materials and Processes technical projects and technology development programs, including strategic planning for future technology. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering from Florida State University and a master’s in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

ABOUT TMS TMS is a member-driven international professional society dedicated to fostering the exchange of learning and ideas across the entire range of materials science and engineering, from minerals processing and primary metals production, to basic research and the advanced applications of materials. Included among its 11,000 professional and student members are metallurgical and materials engineers, scientists, researchers, educators, and administrators from more than 70 countries on six continents