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Michel Rappaz
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office(s):
MXG336
phone(s): [+41 21 69] 32844,32925
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MISSION
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Advanced solidification processes: laser welding and laser treatment, rapid solidification, direction solidification, Bridgman solidification, investment casting, continuous casting, shape casting, coatings. Numerical simulation of solidification processes by finite element/finite volume methods, modeling of microstructure and defect formation using phase field and granular methods, modeling of solid state transformations. Crystallization and processing of organic substances (plastic crystals, food processing).
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BIOGRAPHY
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After a PhD in solid state physics (1979) at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and a post-doc at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Michel Rappaz joined the Laboratory of Physical Metallurgy of EPFL to start an activity on simulation of solidification in 1984. He was nominated Adjunct Professor in 1990 and Full Professor in 2003, time at which he took the lead of the laboratory, renamed then Computational Materials Laboratory.
The main axis of his research is the connection between macroscopic aspects of solidification (heat and mass transfer) with microscopic aspects associated with microstructure and defect formation. Beside experimental investigations and validations, his laboratory (about 20 researchers/PhD students) has developed several new physical modelling tools (cellular automata for grain structure formation, granular models of mushy zone, inverse methods, porosity and hot tearing models, etc). Many of these developments are commercialised by a spin-off company founded by the laboratory in 1991 (Calcom SA), which has joined the French ESI group at the end of 2002. He initiated in 1992 an annual solidification course which has been attended by more than 500 participants from all over the world.
Michel Rappaz has received several awards: the Latsis price in 1990, the Mathweson award of TMS in 1994 and 1997, the Koerber foundation award with Profs Y. Brechet and M. Asbby in 1996, the Sainte-Claire Deville medal of the French Metallurgical Society, the Bruce Chalmers Award of TMS in 2002, the Mc Donald Memorial Lecture award of Canada in 2005. He is highly-cited author of ISI, a fellow of ASM and IOP, a Honorary Professor of Queensland University and has co-authored about 250 papers, one book and several proceedings.
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MAIN PUBLICATIONS
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PROBABILISTIC MODELING OF MICROSTRUCTURE FORMATION IN SOLIDIFICATION PROCESSES., Rappaz M. and Gandin Ch.-A., Acta. Met. Mater. 41 (1993)345-360
A NEW HOT TEARING CRITERION, Rappaz M., Drezet J.-M. and Gremaud M., Met. Mater. Trans. 30 (1999) 449-455
ORIENTATION SELECTION IN DENDRITIC EVOLUTION, Haxhimali T., Karma A., Gonzales F. and Rappaz M., Nature Materials 5 (2006) 660-664
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Full Professor 