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DIRECTOR’S REVIEW - There is no freeway to the top

Runar
From having been one of the poorest regions in Europe in the 19th century, living conditions in Finland are now amongst the best in the world. This has been achieved by maintaining a GNP growth rate exceeding the OECD average during the past century. In last year’s World Economic Forum ranking of competitive economics, Finland ranked second after Switzerland. Finland also tops the OECD's latest PISA study of learning skills among 15-year-olds, with high performances in mathematics and science matching those of top-ranking Asian school systems in Hong Kong-China, Japan and Korea.
All this is good news and much of the success can be attributed to a high educational level across the population, and a willingness to make use of new technical and scientific findings. The school system, free of charge, has provided society with a skilled work force and knowledgeable consumers.

That this international peak position can be maintained in the future is not obvious. The public sector is, and will be, under high pressure and the educational system cannot escape unaffected. Even if this applies on all levels, the situation is challenging in the technical universities in particular. The number of graduated students per professor, the expenditure per graduated student and the time it takes to graduate are at an alarming level even at the most important technical university in this country, Helsinki University of Technology, TKK. The numbers simply do not match the highest international standards. At the same time we should bear in mind that TKK is able to attract a significant share of the best students in the country.

Slightly more than one half of the TKK funding comes from the Government budget. The rest, the “competed” funding, comes from both public funding agencies like the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes), and the European Union, and also from the private sector, above all, companies. How this funding is obtained depends eventually on the performance of single laboratories and their professors. A system with external funding based on competition is basically good. However, one may ask if the effort needed to continuously apply for and report on contract funding is paying off. Projects often consist of one student only and funding is typically granted for three years. Ambitious professors may have more than ten projects running and administrative issues take most of their time. Is this what we want to stay at the top? Or should they be better supported from internal budget funding so that they can concentrate on teaching and research? This is the case at the technical top universities world wide.

Measures are now being taken to create a new top university in Helsinki. This objective can only be reached with substantially increased funding. First of all adequate resources must be given to keep teaching on a high international level. Furthermore equipment for advanced research must be available in fields relevant for the future.

Having said this, there is also a reason to question if we can provide free studies without time limits in the future without compromising the standard of the education. This is eventually also a political decision.

I wish all of you an enjoyable summer.

Runar Törnqvist


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Nokia and TKK began research cooperation in nanotechnology

At the end of March, Nokia and TKK announced the strategic research cooperation in nanotechnology. The cooperation will be based on the principle of open innovation and Nokia has placed researchers in Micronova and in the Microscopy Center of TKK.
The cooperation will comprise of many member laboratories of the Center for New Materials, TKK; The Laboratory of Physics, The Low Temperature Laboratory and The Laboratory of Micro and Nanosciences, that is located in Micronova. The common research areas include functional and carbon-based nanomaterials, new methods in data processing and data storage, and wireless and intelligent devices.

The researchers from Nokia Research Center will be a part of the research community in Micronova, that comprises of around 100 researchers from TKK. In the beginning approximately 30 researchers from both organizations will be participating in the projects. The cooperation will be based on the principle of open innovation, i.e. on the base of open bilateral exchange of information. Through this, it is possible to achieve a unique commitment and enthusiasm to the research. As the researchers come from organizations based on different working principles, the cooperation will produce new ways to approach things and through that, new innovations.

- Nokia is committed to promote technology research in Finland, and TKK houses a lot of knowledge that can be applied in nanoresearch. The goal of the cooperation is to promote leading edge research and produce world-class publications. The open cooperation with the university benefits the research of both parties, says the head of nanotechnology research, director Tapani Ryhänen from Nokia Research Center.

“The open cooperation with the leading research institutions is essential to the strategy of Nokia Research Center as it allows us to maintain a broad base in our research”, says the director of Nokia Research Center, Bob Iannucci, who is also a member of Micronova’s board of directors.

During the spring, Nokia has announced the beginning of cooperation with e.g. The University of Cambridge and Tampere University of Technology, TTY. Nokia has already joint projects with for example Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, in the USA. The Finnish universities are in tough company.

The cooperation between the companies and universities has been quite challenging in
Finland before, but now ”The third mission of the universities” has been written into the law and this has changed the way of thinking and given the mandate to develop cooperation.
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“Also Nokia’s way of working with the universities has changed. Instead of buying research we do close collaboration and participate in the actual research with the universities”, adds Tapani Ryhänen

“The persistent collaboration with Nokia in the basic research of nanoscience and –technology is a great opportunity for TKK. It focuses additional resources into a strategically important area where the international competition is tough. The cooperation is motivating and opens new possibilities”, says academy professor Risto Nieminen.

“The infrastructure serving the nanoresearch in TKK is still not adequate. UMK has been doing a good job to improve the situation, but there are still challenges to meet. The cooperation with Nokia in nanoscience and –technology emphasizes the importance of developing the infrastructure”, Nieminen continues.

The Nanosystems –collaboration is partially funded by the FinNano-program by Tekes.

Contact information:

Director Tapani Ryhänen
Nokia Research Center
Nano Sciences System Research Center
tapani.ryhanen@nokia.com

Academy Professor Risto Nieminen
Member of UMK Board of Directors
Laboratory of Physics, TKK
risto.nieminen@tkk.fi
Tel. 09 451 3105

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Electric opening of packages takes a step forward – Stora Enso and TKK initiate cooperation to develop CDM-technology

In the future, various consumer packages will possibly be opened by electricity. Stora Enso and the UMK Center for New Materials at the Helsinki University of Technology - TKK - today announced the start of cooperation on electric opening of packages. This cooperation extends the development work initiated by Stora Enso, and aims at new packaging solutions based on CDM (Controlled Delaminating Materials).

CDM is based on electrical delamination of polymers. It is a new solution for opening packages and for applications where several packages are attached together with special glue. The bond is released by a small electric current, which opens the package or detaches the packages from each other. Using this cost effective technology opens up a number of opportunities for packaging consumer goods and totally new distribution solutions, which could save packaging materials and improve convenience, safety and in-store logistics.

New research field for TKK

“Controlled delaminating of adhesives is interesting from both research and consumer perspective. It is a new research field that facilitates completely new applications and services,“ says Doctor Tommi Remonen, who is responsible for CDM development at the UMK Center for New Materials at TKK . He works in the group headed by Academy ProfessorOlli Ikkala, one of the most recognized professors in Finland within the field of material science with several publications in Science and Nature Materials.

The UMK Center for New Materials at TKK is the leading knowledge hub in the research of materials science and technologies in Finland, combining the expertise of altogether 22 laboratories and 600 researchers. “The UMK Center for New Materials provides an optimal research environment for the second generation CDM applications,” says Lars Sandberg, Manager of Package Design at Stora Enso Consumer Boards. In Sweden, Stora Enso is running CDM Centre in Karlstad to provide information on the technology and to develop it further with partners.

“Stora Enso’s decision to select TKK´s Center for New Materials as its Finnish CDM research partner is a recognition of our work in the field of material science. We are happy to have Tommi Remonen working for us, since he has got strong merits and prior experience in CDM from his earlier research work in Sweden,” says Runar Törnqvist, Director for the UMK Center for New Materials at TKK.

Facts & Figures

TKK is the leading university for technology and architecture in Finland, and it also has a high international stature. There are approximately 15,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and over 3,400 members of staff.

Stora Enso is an integrated paper, packaging and forest products company, producing publication and fine paper, packaging board and wood products – all areas in which the Group is a global market leader. Stora Enso’s sales totalled EUR 14.6 billion in 2006. The Group has some 44 000 employees in more than 40 countries. Stora Enso has an annual production capacity of 16.5 million tonnes of paper and board. Stora Enso’s shares are listed in Helsinki, Stockholm and New York.

Photos

CDM CDM
Packages can be attached together with CDM. Packages attached together with CDM can be easily released by a small electric current.
(pic: Stora Enso)(pic: Stora Enso)

For further information

Stora Enso
Lars Sandberg, Manager Packaging Design
Tel. +46 1046 73257
E-mail lars.sandberg@storaenso.com
www.storaenso.com
www.storaenso.com/productnews
www.storaenso.com/cdm

Dr Tommi Remonen
TKK
Tel. +358 9 451 3192, +358 50 437 1657
E-mail tommi.remonen@tkk.fi

Runar Törnqvist, Director
UMK Center for New Materials
TKK
Tel. +358 9 451 6068, +358 50 380 0564
E-mail runar.tornqvist@tkk.fi
www.umk.fi
www.tkk.fi
www.tkk.fi/English/

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The new university invention act – What’s included?

In the universities a lot of new knowledge is produced by the skilled personnel. The new University Act (came into operation 1.1.2007) tries to ensure that the universities can benefit from their know-how also in the commercialization of their research results. The Act will also be used to promote the knowledge about the importance and utilization of the inventions among the universities and their personnel.

The Act aims to clarify the legal questions relating to the utilization of the inventions made in the universities. The scope of the Act covers all the personnel employed by the universities regardless of their position and it should be enforced in all Finnish universities.

“The Act is analogous to the principles previously followed at TKK”, says Minttu Lintera who is working as a lawyer at the Otaniemi International Innovation Centre. “The Innovation centre has administered the processing of the inventions and other immaterial rights at TKK for almost ten years. The processing has been directed by the terms of the research contracts and different agreements concerning the transfer of rights, so in principle out methods will not be changed much. One important change however is that no matter the possible project connection, all the inventions made at TKK must be reported to the Innovation Centre on a form that can be downloaded from our www-pages”, Lintera continues.

The Act has been defined to apply only to patentable inventions, so it does not cover other results of the projects or for example program codes. Due to this, separate agreements must still be made in the projects done with external funding.

The Act divides the research done in the universities into open research and contract research. TKK will administer the rights of the inventions done in contract research or done with other external funding with the Innovation Centre. The university has therefore the right to claim the rights to the invention.

In open research, the inventor can keep the rights to the invention if he has published the invention or declared in writing his willingness to exploit the invention. This must be done within six months. In other cases TKK has the right to claim all the rights to the invention. In these cases the aim is to find the best course of action for the inventor and his unit through negotiations.

All the inventions done in the universities must be declared in an invention report and in all the cases the inventor has the right to reasonable compensation when the university claims the invention. In addition, the Act gives clear time limits for the processing of the inventions and for the decision-making in the universities.
“Before the Act was passed, around 150 invention reports were annually received by the Innovation Centre. This year the number is expected to increase a bit”, says innovation manager Kristiina Heiniemi-Pulkkinen.

TKK’s invention regulation

The board of TKK approved a invention regulation on 23.4.2007. The regulation defines the procedure applied at TKK on the inventions made by the personnel employed by TKK. (WWW: http://hel.tkk.fi/fi/oikeudelliset/Keksintoohjesaanto.pdf)

Thepicture outlining the processing of the innovation report and the reformed invention report form can be found on the www-pages of the Innovation Center http://innovaatiokeskus.tkk.fi/html/innovaatiot.html

TheAct (Laki oikeudesta korkeakouluissa tehtäviin keksintöihin 19.5.2006/369) can be found at Finlex: http://www.finlex.fi

The government is obliged to monitor the functionality of the Act

Parliament included in the Act a statement, where the government is obliged to monitor the functionality of the Act and give a report to the committee of education within three years time after the Act is taken into use. The government must among other things monitor how the universities have fulfilled their obligations after they have claimed the rights in contract research. If necessary, the government must provide new regulations about time limits.

Contact information:

Minttu Lintera
Otaniemi International Innovation Centre, TKK
Legal Counsel
Tel. 09 451 6025
Mobile 050 364 9652

Kristiina Heiniemi-Pulkkinen
Otaniemi International Innovation Centre, TKK
Innovation Manager
Tel. 09 451 5944
Mobile 050 338 0509

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What was said? “Small success stories to the large markets” –seminar 16.4.2007

  • Finland will thrive by changing
  • More funding and teaching resources to the universities
  • Changes in the attitude and more quality for the entrepreneurship
  • Innovations that are based on demand
  • Maintenance of the top know-how

The seminar organized by Micronova and UMK on 16.4.2007 gathered over one hundred attendees. The whole day seminar managed to keep the interest of the audience throughout the day. Below you can find short summaries of the morning‘s presentations. The presentations were also videotaped.

Esko Aho, Sitra

The keynote speaker of the seminar, president of Sitra, Esko Aho pointed out in his talk that Finland can make a decision between two alternatives of which only one will carry into the far future. We can make a short term decision and continue to operate by the strategy selected 25 years ago. With this, we will get on for the next ten years, but what after that? Most probably our success story will come to an end.

We can also try to project the future into the next 10-15 years and think what the situation then will be. In this projection we will need to consider at least the change in the age structure and the big changes in the global environment. In this model, the strength of Finland will be in the strong adaptation potential of the Finnish people, meaning we could be a flexible test market for the world business. Finland is the number one in banking services and similar markets will arise globally also in the health care business. By combining out strong R&D know-how with the possibilities offered by the ICT-industry and with the willingness of the Finnish consumers to adapt to the new technology, Finland has the possibility to be successful in the future also. A nation with a population of only 5 million is an agile one.

According to Esko Aho the structural reformations of the universities are necessary. The content of the research and the teaching of the universities will be emphasized in the ever hardening global competition. However, this competition should not be feared, but taken advantage of. We need more resources – the professor/student ratio is poor when compared with our competitors. We need also a change in the attitude – the transfer of the enthusiasm to the students is necessary, as is maintaining and increasing the level of enthusiasm to the level of our competitors. We also need more cross-disciplinarity, and mobility and cooperation between the public administration, universities and companies. The tuition fees must be established to the students outside the ETA-area – one cannot sell a free thing.
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Finland must also see the possibilities of the Baltic Sea area and utilize them. For example the progress concerning teaching and basic research in Russia has not been utilized enough. Also the Nordic cooperation should be kept fresh.
The video of the talk by Esko Aho (in Finnish):: http://www.ecmedia.hut.fi/i/micronova/Aho.wmv

Matti Pursula, TKK

Rector Matti Pursula pointed out in the opening of the seminar that a national research facility like Micronova requires immense amounts of resources from TKK. However, it is important to focus the actions in order to uphold an adequately equipped environment in order to be able to perform world-class research. TKK is also building a national level microscopy centre. Micronova and the coming nanomicroscopy centre strengthen the status of Otaniemi as the leading research environment in micro- and nanotechnology.

A current problem is that the funding of TKK is not adequate for the procurement and maintenance of the equipment that are necessary in world-class research. This problem touches all the Finnish universities. The program of the government includes increased funding for research and development – the target is 4% of GDP. The teaching in the field of technical universities requires increased funding especially due to the higher price of the equipment needed to maintain the high level of teaching.

For the last 4-5 years, the investments at TKK in equipment have been smaller than the calculated write-offs. In practice this means that despite the investments in national level research centres like Micronova and nanomicroscopy centre, the research infrastructure becomes older and reduced. The aim is to improve the cooperation between the other research institutes in order to utilize the expensive infrastructures better and to avoid overlapping investments.

In the new strategy of TKK, research will be strengthened in the areas of the national top know-how clusters (SHOK). Also the national top university project strengthens the research and teaching in technology, economics and industrial design.

Micro- and nanotechnology will have a significant impact on the materials of the future and forms therefore an important research field. Also new innovations are coming from the research, therefore it is important to possess the know-how in the commercialization; Micronova has the means to provide this also.
The video of the talk by Matti Pursula (in Finnish): http://www.ecmedia.hut.fi/i/micronova/Pursula.wmv

Jouko Suokas, VTT

Technology director of VTT, Jouko Suokas gave a talk emphasizing the innovation partnership. The innovations bring a growth potential for the companies and are therefore essential for their growth. In Micronova, the cooperation between TKK and VTT enables the partnership to reach the critical mass and therefore opens up the possibility for global breakthroughs. The distribution of work is clear; TKK concentrates on the basic research, VTT concentrates on the applied research and the industrial partners take care of the commercialization of the results.

The role of VTT as an innovation partner is to help the companies to develop their global competence in the essential phases of the innovation process. VTT is a technology hub that understands the changing markets. The clients comprise of big international and national companies as well as SME’s. The aim is to develop new products, services and processes together.

In innovation processes it is important to foresee, do strategic research and develop new concepts. The tools applied are market foresight and technology roadmapping. Speed is the key in the global competition – that’s why a new term “connect & development” has been adapted alongside the traditional “research & development”.

The talk by techonology director Jouko Suokas on video (in Finnish):
http://www.ecmedia.hut.fi/i/micronova/suokas.wmv

THE PUZZLE OF SUCCESS – PANEL DISCUSSION


General director Petri Peltonen, Ministry of Trade and Industry - financing and managemet of public activities
Director Veli-Pekka Niitamo, Nokia - international networks and companies
Director Keith Silverang, Technopolis Oyj - new business supoort and international networks
Research Director Hannu Toivonen, Kemira - industry and companies
Vice Rector Outi Krause, TKK - teaching and research
Executive Vice President Jorma Lammasniemi, VTT, Strategic Research – research

The focus areas that arose during the panel discussion

Funding

– Innovations based on demand
– Increased international research exchange
– Tendered R&D Funding
– Strategic national top know-how clusters
– National level innovation strategy
– Increased cooperation

Teaching

– Identification and supporting the ones with real potential
– Increased basic funding
– Focused research- and teaching areas
– Internationally attractive and credible research environments

Business

– Change in the attitude + quality
– Teamwork
– New innovative companies exist, but the quality is not adequate
– Funding for global business

Research

– Utilization of the high level of know-how
– Focused innovation system
– Innovations based on demand
– ICT cross-over technologies
– Utilization of technology in companies
– Increased public R&D funding

International networks and companies

– Global networking with the growing economies of the Asia
– Internalization of the research
– Incentives of the private funding
– Companies must go abroad
– Growth companies important

Industry and companies

– Utilization of the leading position (ICT, forest)
– Maintenance of the top know-how
– Upgrading of the universities to a real level
– Business models and commercialization
– R&D&I

The presentations in the afternoon were concerned with the innovations and research done at Micronova and in the member laboratories of UMK. The presentations were not videotaped, but the Powerpoint presentations (partly also in English) can be downloaded from:
http://www.micronova.fi/events/
http://www.umk.fi/en/events_1604_seminar

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New member of UMK: Radio Laboratory - Seeking for new connections inside and outside TKK

Radio Laboratory, established in 1924, is one of the oldest and nowadays also one of the biggest laboratories within TKK. During its history Radio Laboratory was doing research in many areas of radio science and engineering, from TV technology to radio astronomy, with continuous updates of research focus areas. Now the research is cross disciplinary and strongly networked, but still it is all about radio engineering and electromagnetism.

The main research areas are antennas, microwave devices, and radio wave propagation, and to be more specific: high frequency and microwave techniques in mobile communications, millimetre wave techniques and advanced artificial materials in radio engineering, for example smart antennas and structures. These technologies can be applied for example in mobile phones, in microwave radars and sensors, in reliable weather forecasts and also in medical diagnostics, industrial automation, traffic control and space research.

- For example when trying to solve the problem of small mobile phone antennas, we have to tackle the length of radio waves. How to match 15 to 30 cm waves with a small mobile phone antenna? The antenna has to be packed in a small device and the body of the mobile phone became also antenna, says Professor Sergei Tretyakov from the Radio Laboratory.

Professor Tretyakov has been the leader of a group of several researchers since 2000. His main research field is in the area of artificial materials for all kinds of applications in radio engineering and optics. He tries to develop materials with properties and functionalities that would best suit the need of device designer and open new design opportunities. In this research field there is a lot of collaboration with mobile phone manufactures such as Nokia.

As another application example, traditional satellite antennas are going to look very different from the “dishes” of today. They may become flat and thin and conformal with building walls. Design of such antennas needs layers of materials with very special and very unusual properties, which are not found among any natural materials. In this development work we need a lot of collaboration between experts from different areas, and Radio Laboratory is in close contact with the groups researching material sciences and nanotechnology. One the new exciting research subjects at the moment in Tretyakov´s group is so called super lens. This device would be able to see such small objects which no other lens made of any kind of glass can. One can say that these novel devices would be able to overcome fundamental limitations on resolution of lenses. Also for this goal, the key is in creation of materials with very unusual electromagnetic properties.

- Radio Laboratory is one of the TKK laboratories collaborating with Nokia on open innovation basis. Normally company projects are driven by the need to get the products quickly into the market and thus the time frame is very short. We find it very interesting to start this new visionary way of doing research with Nokia Research Center, states Tretyakov.

Radio Laboratory is very international. Nearly half of its researchers are foreigners. It has also many international collaborators in the academic world as well as in the industry. As an example, international efforts are necessary in developing satellite technology, and thus co-operation with the European Space Agency is very active. Radio laboratory was given for the period of 2002-2007 the status of the National Centre of Excellence in Research. The unit is called: Smart and novel radios´ research unit.

- The main expectation from the UMK membership is the need to be in the heart of this information hub and get all possible benefits from networking. When meeting new colleagues, Finnish or foreign, there is always a great possibility to find something new, says Tretyakov hopefully.

Professor Tretyakov is standing by an installation fabricated by his group. It is used to verify properties of super lenses working at microwave frequencies.

Contact information:

Sergei A. Tretyakov
PhD, Doctor of Sciences
Professor of Radio Engineering
Radio Laboratory, TKK
tel: 09 451 2243
sergei.tretyakov@tkk.fi

http://www.tkk.fi/Units/Radio/index-e.html


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Yet another successful Colloquium on New Materials -season

Colloquium on New Materials - Spring 2007 was brought to a successful conclusion with a talk by prof. Jouko Korppi-Tommola. This season featured 10 high quality talks that attracted weekly on the average over 35 listeners. About half of the audience consisted of students and the other half of more senior researchers and professors. The schedule of the colloquium along with the links to most of the lecture slides can be found at: http://www.umk.fi/en/events_colloquium

Staytuned for the Colloquium on New Materials - Autumn 2007. If you want to receive information about the Colloquium lectures, drop a mail to
mika.koskenvuori@tkk.fi.

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Researchers View

MarjoPääkkö
Marjo Pääkkö is working as a research scientist aiming for Ph.D. at the laboratory of Optics and Molecular Materials, TKK. Her research is focused on characterization of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and creating new potential nanocellulosic materials of it. Due to strong knowhow of the laboratory in conducting polymers, especially in polyaniline, the nanocellulose research has been conveniently combined with polyaniline research. This, naturally, increases the applicability e.g. in so-called intelligent materials.

“We’re developing and exploiting new nanotechnologies to produce materials by increasing the potential use of renewable biomaterials and improving the competitiveness of forestry materials. The idea is to offer tailored applications, such as, intelligent surfaces, templates for sensors, scaffolds for bio-devices and membranes, insulators, reinforcement additives and rheology modifiers. I feel lucky and privileged to have the chance to do research with MFC in close collaboration with the Finnish industry as well as brilliant researchers in TKK and KTH, Kungliga tekniska högskolan, in Stockholm”

Outside the lab, she enjoys work out body logic, listen good music and eat good food. She loves design and furnishing, especially now, when they just bought new home.

Nanochemistry from Renewable Biomaterial for Various Applications

Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) consists of inherently interconnected nanoscale cellulose microfibrils obtained through homogenization process. There exists a growing interest in cellulose beyond its extensively studied classic applications to utilize the nano-scale cellulose I elements for a variety of potential novel applications. Forestry can apply nanoscience to create products such as “smart” packaging, E-paper, advanced engineering and structural composite materials, biomedical products from pulp which have nanofibrillar sturcture. Recently, we introduce a novel and feasible route towards well microfibrillated cellulose by combining for the first time enzymatic treatment with mechanical high-pressure homogenization.1 We can utilize bleached sulphite softwood cellulose pulp straight from the pulp and paper industry and the procedure has several advantages compared the previous methods: (1) milder hydrolysis by enzymatic treatment, (2) reducing the process steps (3) and energy consumption (4), as well as reducing clogging in the homogenizer (5) without aggressive chemicals. Hence, the present nanoscale cellulose microfibrils with diameter of ca. 5-30 nm open several challenging options for materials science in industrially, not only to tune the aqueous properties but totally new applications, such as templates for functional nanostructures.2,3

Read more

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Researcher's view


Juho Talonen defended his doctoral thesis “Effect of strain-induced alpha'-martensite transformation on mechanical properties of metastable austenitic stainless steels”1 in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, TKK, on 1st of June 2007. He received his M. Sc. degree in 2001. Since then he has been working as a research scientist at the Laboratory of Engineering Materials.

“While I was considering my next step after the graduation, professor Hannu Hänninen informed me about a new Fifth Framework European Research project LIGHT&SAFE. The project focused on the potential of austenitic stainless steels to be used in the crash-relevant structures of automobiles. I had never seriously considered post-graduate studies or an academic career. However, the topic and the internationality of the project were so attractive that I decided to take the challenge.”

The Laboratory of Engineering Materials employs around 30 people, including one professor, teaching and research personnel and technical staff. Main research interests of the laboratory comprise material research for energy technology, transportation and process industry and research of demanding welding techniques. The laboratory is headed by professor Hannu Hänninen

Deformation behaviour of austenitic stainless steels

Automotive industry is facing a continuous and increasing demand for improved safety and fuel efficiency. This has led to the extensive use of advanced high strength steels (e.g., DP, CP and TRIP steels) in the car body structures. However, austenitic stainless steels exhibit a superior strength-ductility ratio compared to any of the steel grades. This is mainly attributed to the face-centered cubic crystal structure and low stacking fault energy of the steels, and to strain-induced martensitic transformation that may take place during plastic deformation. Although the cost of austenitic stainless steels is higher than that of conventional automobile materials, a stainless steel part may me cost effective and cause a lower environmental impact if the excellent properties of stainless steel are properly exploited in part design and manufacturing2.

The consortium of the LIGHT&SAFE project comprised several European car and stainless steel manufacturers together with one tool making company, VTT and the Laboratory of Engineering Materials of TKK. Research carried out at TKK included spot weldability, corrosion fatigue of sheet metal joints and life cycle cost (LCC) and life cycle assessment (LCA) analyses. Furthermore, Juho Talonen’s research focused on the physical metallurgy of the austenitic stainless steels, and especially on the interplay between the mechanical properties and microstructural evolution of austenitic stainless steels.

Read more

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Dissertations on materials sciences at TKK – Feb - May -07

Again, the whole spectrum of materials sciences is represented in the dissertations defended at TKK. At least 23 dissertations defended from February – May -07 can be considered to belong into materials sciences. Direct links to the abstracts of the dissertations is provided in this newsletter for improved convenience. List of dissertations

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UMK contact information:

Director

Dr. Runar Törnqvist
Tel: + 358 9 451 6068 or +358 50 3800564
runar.tornqvist@tkk.fi

Scientific director

Professor Olli Ikkala
Tel. + 3589 451 3154 or + 358 50 4100454
olli.ikkala@tkk.fi

Chair of the UMK Board of Directors
Professor Simo-Pekka Hannula
Tel. +358 9 451 2675
simo-pekka.hannula@tkk.fi

Coordinator
Mika Koskenvuori
Tel +358 9 451 3048
mika.koskenvuori@tkk.fi

Communications officer
Aila Blomberg
Tel. + 358 50 541 8830
aila.blomberg@tkk.fi


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