Objectives

The purpose of CoMetaS is to establish a network of interdisciplinary research groups to solve a new scientific and technological challenge of high practical interest for industry.

The scientific and technological overall objective is to develop an integrated, reliable and efficient multiscale methodology for Concurrent Metamaterial-Structure Design employing functionally graded mechanical metamaterials (MMs).

To achieve this scientific goal, the partial objectives (articulated in Working Packages) are: ​

Characterize mechanically 3D SLM-printed metamaterials.

Develop topology-optimized metamaterial cells for strength/density, ductility/density and strength/ductility objectives under different loading conditions.

Develop intermediate continuum surrogate models and related constitutive manifolds for inverse determination of optimal metamaterials.

Develop optimization algorithms for concurrent structure-metamaterial design.

Taking advantage of the unique technological opportunity that the design freedom revolution of 3D-printing (3DP) at microscales is bringing to industry and engineering, the purpose of CoMetaS is to help the European industry and future academic system by generating the needed interdisciplinary and intersectoral network of researchers and engineers capable of developing high-tech, value-added products to increase its technological leadership, critical for high living standards in a global market.

Using 3DP with designed metamaterials, CoMetaS facilitates the technological needed independence and production flexibility of the design and manufacturing industry key in crisis times, as in the recent COVID-19 worldwide emergency. ​

CoMetaS constitutes a multidisciplinary change of paradigm on how engineering structural design has been performed to date, integrating the metamaterial design concurrently with the structural design through double inverse analyses and surrogate continuum models obtained by data-driven techniques.

CoMetaS is a highly multidisciplinary and intersectoral project, involving high-tech companies leading their field and complementary leading academic research groups. CoMetaS is proposed by a stable consortium applying to different calls with a clear scientific and industrial objective, and determination to fulfil its goals. CoMetaS has the right combination of excellence in research, academic training, and industry experience, and high international and intersectoral mobility for fostering innovation-oriented, entrepreneurial, and creative researchers.

CoMetaS involves leading industries in sectors of large added value which are vital for the competitiveness of the European society and important pathways for the careers of ESRs:

The aerospace and defense industry, the automotive ecological industry, engineering software solutions and consultancy, and the biomedical sector. 

Through clearly defined research objectives, CoMetaS promotes high mobility, intersectoral, transnational and transcontinental cooperation by involving 6 academic research groups and 4 technological companies from 5 different countries.