The purpose of the Microstructure Science and Engineering laboratory is to investigate the coevolution of microstructure and physical properties in materials for various applications using modeling and simulation tightly coupled with experimental data. This understanding can then be used to determine microstructures that optimize the material performance.
MSE Lab uses the finite element framework MOOSE (Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment), an open source software developed at Idaho National Laboratory, to simulate microstructural behavior of materials. MOOSE is designed to simplify the development of advanced numerical applications that solve partial differential equations. Most current applications of this software involve materials used in nuclear reactors. Research goals include improving fuel cladding, testing multilayered materials for improved performance, and validating simulations experimentally.
In our laboratory we are building on the MOOSE framework to develop computational tools for modeling the coevolution of microstructure and physical properties. These tools are multiphysics, coupling phase field simulations of microstructure evolution with mechanics, heat conduction, electrostatics, and more.
