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Research Area	FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IAPP Marie Curie IAPP transfer of knowledge programme
Project Reference	PIAPP-GA-2013-609758-HOTBRICKS
Coordinator	Dr. Francesco Dal Corso
Project Funding	1.10 million euro
Contract Type	Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP)
Start Date	2013-09-01
Duration	48 months

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Rock-like materials are of great engineering interest, since they are employed for many industrial purposes and their high melting temperature and the great thermal and chemical stability make them deal for high-temperature applications, as for instance to work molten steel and iron in steel mills.

The project addresses the development of an accurate constitutive modelling of rock-like materials with a specific consideration of thermal effects and the results will have an immediate impact on the design of elements employed for technologies involving high-temperature.

The HOTBRICKS consortium involves a research team working at the University of Trento (UNITN) specialized in the Mechanics of Solids and Fracture and the Vesuvius group (VESUVIUS), a global leader in the supply of specialized refractory products and packaged technology solutions to the steel making, foundry and glass industries). The consortium has been set up to attain the following main research targets:

• Constitutive modelling of rock-like materials at high temperature;
• Modelling of failure and fracture of thermal shock resistant elements;
• Design and experimental validation of innovative pieces involved in the handling of molten materials.

The two partners will collaborate through secondment of Early Stage, Experienced and More Experienced Researchers and recruitment of research fellows. In particular, the research targets will be achieved through the implementation of the following Work Packages:

WP1: Microstructural and Mechanical characterization of refractory materials for high-temperature
applications;
WP2: Thermo-mechanical modelling of refractory materials;
WP3: Thermoplastic material instabilities;
WP4: Computer implementation and simulation of processes involved in high-temperature technology;
WP5: Production and final testing of mechanical systems involved in high-temperature technology;

Contacts

Dr. Francesco Dal Corso
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale e Meccanica
Università di Trento, via Mesiano, 77 I-38123 Trento (Italia)