MRSEI-ATHOR

MRSEI-ATHOR aims to comfort the preparation of an European Training Networks (ETN - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks action) in the field of refractory materials. This project is called ATHOR (Advanced THermomechanical multiscale mOdelling of Refractory linings). Refractories are ceramic materials that constitute the linings for high-temperature furnaces, reactors and other processing units. In addition to being resistant to thermal stresses and other physical phenomena induced by heat, refractories must also withstand physical wear and corrosion by chemical agents. Refractories are more heat resistant than metals and are required for high-temperature applications (typically above 1000°C). They are unique because only these specific materials can sustain the operating conditions of high temperature applications for material elaboration such as steel-making, glass making and so on. ATHOR is an innovative, collaborative and interdisciplinary ETN project that targets the development of high-end engineering technologies in the fields of material’s science and numerical simulations. This project also aims to train young promising European students in an international training program at the frontier between academic research and industrial innovation, thanks to an intensive close cooperation between the academia, raw materials suppliers, refractories producers and consumers. The partnerships involves currently 5 academic beneficiaries and 7 private partner’s organisations. Starting from the material's characterization, all the main significant properties will be addressed, including fracture behaviour, tension and compression creep behaviour, corrosion and thermal shock resistance. The interdisciplinary aspect of the problem will be covered by the use of a multiscale approach, investigating the influence of micro, meso and macro characteristics of the problem on each other. To connect the many aspects of the topic, the researchers (between 13 and 15 ESRs PhD students recruited) will take advantage of the most sophisticated numerical tools and of the newest experimental developments, in order to enhance the knowledge on these materials but also to develop models that will give a help to the design of lining configurations for a given lifespan in critical operational conditions. The current financial situation of the Europe's steel industry urges for costs reduction, and this project can give a substantial contribution through the design of more robust and reliable refractory linings. This project is deeply committed to provide a combination of research and training activities which will comfort Federation for International Refractory Research and Education (FIRE) initiative, and the place of France in this network that drives pre-competitive research both by academic and industrial partners over the world. In its first version for 2016 call in January, ATHOR proposal has already obtained a Total Score of 90.4/100 while the "Retain List Threshold" for ETN projects for ENGINEERING topics was 93/100. If the reviewers of ATHOR v1 have already pointed out numerous strengths within the proposed project, we still have significant work between the partners during the coming months to address the well identified weaknesses for the future call in January 2017. MRSEI-ATHOR, in this particular context, will help us a lot, in one hand to reinforce our partnership (may be one pertinent additional academic beneficiary and one to two additional private partner’s organisations) and, in the other hand, to organise different workshops in order to improve the excellence of the proposed research programme. Currently, the MRSEI-ATHOR consortium involves already 9 participants located in six different countries of the European Union (France, Germany, Austria, Portugal, United Kingdom and The Netherlands) and ATHOR v2 will most probably involve up to 15 participants.