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Mechanical Properties Group
Members
Takahito Ohmura
Director, Research Center for Structural Materials
Keyword : nanoindentation, electron microscope in situ deformation, elasto-plastic deformation, dislocation, yield stress
Masato Wakeda
Principal Researcher, Mechanical Properties Group, Materials Evaluation Field, Research Center for Structural Materials
Keyword : metallic materials, strengthening factors, high-precision analysis, lattice defects, nanoscale calculations
Thomas Edwards 
Senior Researcher, Mechanical Properties Group, Materials Evaluation Field, Research Center for Structural Materials
Keyword : plasticity, electron microscopy in-situ, deformation, material defects / dislocations, 3D-materials science, fatigue & fracture, metallic materials, ceramics
About us
The effect of microstructure on mechanical properties is closely related to deformation behavior on the same scale as the structure size. In our group, by nanoscale local mechanical behavior analysis and atomic scale modeling, we clarify the effects of lattice defects such as dislocations, solute elements, grain boundaries, and second phases on mechanical behavior. We aim to elucidate the elementary processes in which macromechanical properties appear, and to present new guiding principles for strength design.
Specialized Research Field
1. Nanoscale mechanical characterization & In-situ deformation analysis in a TEM
The nanoindentation method, which can directly evaluate the mechanical behavior at the nano-submicron scale, enables precise analysis of the microstructure-mechanical response.
In addition, TEM or SEM in-situ deformation analysis enables a more detailed understanding of the relationship between mechanical behavior and deformation structure on a microscopic scale.
Through these experimental analyses, it is possible to select a specific structure and quantitatively evaluate the mechanical response, and to elucidate the relationship between the formation process of the deformed structure and the mechanical response.
2. Theoretical approach of strengthening mechanism based on atomic-scale simulations
Atomic-scale simulation techniques such as first-principles and molecular dynamics calculations are powerful approaches for unveiling the effects of lattice defects (such as dislocations, grain boundaries, precipitates, and solute atoms) on the mechanical properties of structural materials.
We are investigating the interaction between lattice defects, microscopic deformation dynamics, and the effects of microstructure on the macroscopic strength of structural materials using atomic-scale calculation methods. We are also constructing more effective analysis methods to uncover the microscopic origins of mechanical properties.