Multi-scale computational and experimental mechanics for the design of high-performing additively manufactured ceramics

This research follows a hybrid multi-scale computational and experimental approach for the design of AM alumina ceramics with tailored microstructures (e.g., grain sizes and porosity features) and properties (e.g., strength). The strain-rate dependent mechanical properties of the AM alumina ceramics were experimentally tested combined with ultra-high-speed imaging and DIC analysis to capture the in situ failure. Informed and validated by the experimental data, our multi-scale computational framework covers nanoscale (e.g., molecular dynamics simulations and developing machine learning-based inter-atomic potentials), microscale (e.g., EBSD-based polycrystalline RVE modeling), and macroscale (e.g., hybrid FE-DEM modeling of the specimen) simulations. Altogether, this experimentally validated multi-scale numerical modeling enables us to inform on the microstructure-property-performance relationships of AM ceramics which have implications for the design of better-performing materials and structures in a range of applications.