Austenitic stainless steels are a prominent class of materials finding applications in a large spectrum of industries. The material is extensively utilized in components subjected to cyclic loading, making an understanding of its fatigue behavior essential for ensuring structural integrity and longevity. However, during cyclic loading, microstructural changes gradually occurs. The effect and modelling framework of such transformation are still subject to extensive research.  In particular, strain-induced martensitic transformation (SIMT), while initially beneficial for hardening, can become a site for crack initiation due to its reduced ductility compared to the austenitic phase. At the RMO lab, we develop a holistic multiscale modelling framework of the effect of microstructural phase transformation on the fatigue life of additively manufactured components. 

Bio-composites, such as wood-based fibrous material s, exhibit a large degree of randomness in their structure and, consequently, in their product performance. This randomness is perceived as one of the main reasons for occasional material failures that cannot be predicted by deterministic material models and limited sets of experiments. As a result, wood fiber-based products (such as packaging) are sometimes overdesigned to withstand the loads a factor five or larger than the loads which they are supposed to experience. 

In our research we are studying the link between the micromechanical scale and product scale, by developing methods for the assessment of the stochastic response of fibrous materials at large scales relevant for product size. The ultimate goal of the research is to reveal the factors influencing stochastic failure and lifetime of these fiber-based products based on micromechanical material properties.