Michel Rappaz

Expertise SolidificationCastingModellingMicrostructuresAlloys Mission 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). After a PhD in solid state physics (1978) at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and a post-doc at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Michel Rappaz joined the Institute of Materials of EPFL in 1981. After two years in an engineering company, he came back to EPFL in 1984 where he was nominated Adjunct Professor in 1990 and Full Professor in 2003. He retired from EPFL in 2015 and is now Emeritus Professor and independent consultant for several industries and research centres. His main interests are in phase transformations and solidification, in particular the coupling of macroscopic aspects of heat and mass transfer with microscopic aspects of microstructure and defect formation. Among his diverse achievements, one can mention in particular the development of cellular automata for grain structure predictions and of granular models for hot tearing formation in castings, the coupling of Finite Element method with microscopic models of nucleation and growth, the application of the phase field method to the understanding of various microstructures, the discovery of quasicrystal mediated-nucleation in alloys, and many other studies both fundamental at the microstructure-defect level and more applied at the level of processes. Some of the software developments have been commercialized by a spin-off company founded by his group in 1991 (Calcom SA), now part of the French company ESI. Michel Rappaz initiated in 1992 an annual postgraduate course on solidification which has been attended by more than 900 participants from all over the world. He is presently collaborating closely with another spin-off company started from his group, Novamet SàrL. Michel Rappaz has received several awards, in particular the Mathewson co-author award (1994) and author award (1997) of the American Mineral, Metals and Materials Society (TMS), the Koerber foundation award jointly with Profs Y. Bréchet and M. Asbby (1996), the Sainte-Claire Deville Medal (1996) and the Grand Medal (2011) from the French Materials Society, the Bruce Chalmers Award of TMS (2002), the Mc Donald Memorial Lecture award of Canada (2005), the FEMS European Materials Gold Medal (2013) and the Brimacombe Prize of TMS (2015). He is a highly-cited author of ISI, a Doctor of Science (Dr Hc) from McMaster Univ. (2019), a fellow of ASM, IOP and TMS, and has co-authored more than 200 publications and two books. ResearchDirected and co-directed PhD theses 2015 C. MondouxMesoscopic Modeling and Experimental Investigations of the Last-Stage Solidification of Globular-Equiaxed Grains in Metallic Alloys: Application to the Al-Cu System2015 A. DurusselInfluence of Zinc Anisotropy on Solidification Microstructures: Experimental Results and Phase-Field Simulations2014 G. KurtulduInfluence of Trace Elements on the Nucleation and Solidification Morphologies of Fcc Alloys and Relationship with Icosahedral Quasicrystal Formation2013 H. Meidani (co-directed with A. Jacot)Phase-field modeling of micropore formation in a solidifying alloy2013 Shan Jin (directed: Ch. Leinenbach, co-directed: M. Rappaz)Characterization and modeling of Au-Ge based high temperature lead-free solder systems2013 M. Sistaninia (co-directed with J.-M. Drezet)Granular dynamic calculations of hot tearing formation2012 J. VallotonPhase competition in peritectic Cu-Sn alloys during solidification at low speed in a diffusive regime2012 L. Deillon (co-directed with A. Hessler, CIME-EPFL)Soudure par interdiffusion dans les systèmes Au-In et In-Ni : application à des composants microélectroniques2011 J. FriedliInterfacial Energy Anisotropy and Growth Morphologies in Aluminium-Zinc Alloys2011 J. Vannod (co-directed with A. Hessler, CIME-EPFL)Laser Welding of Nickel-Titanium and Stainless Steel Wires : Processing, Metallurgy and Properties2010 A. MariauxTexture Formation in Hot-Dip Galvanized Coatings : Nucleation and Growth of Anisotropic Grains in a Confined Geometry2010 M. FelberbaumPorosity in Aluminium Alloys : Visualization, Characterization, and Modeling2009 M. Salgado-OrdoricaCharacterization and Modeling of Twinned Dendrite Growth2009 D. FavezSoudage laser or-acier : Métallurgie et procédé2008 F. GonzalesEtude des morphologies de solidification dans les alliages aluminium-zinc2008 F. Kohler Peritectic solidification of Cu-Sn alloys microstructure at low speed2007 V. MathierTwo-phase modelling of hot tearing in aluminium alloys using a semi-coupled method2007 S. VernèdeA granular model of solidification as applied to hot tearing2006 L. Lach (PhD done in industry, co-directed with R. Parker)Modelling Vapour expansion in extruded cereals2004 P.-D. GrassoStudy and modelling of hot-tearing formation2003 Th. CampanellaStudy and modelling of grain refinement by electromagnetic stirring in continuously cast Cu-base alloys2002 Th. KaempferModelling of macrosegregation using multigrid techniques2002 Ch. PéquetModelling of micro- and macroporosity formation using multigrid techniques2001 A. SémorozStudy of nucleation and growth in Al and Zn coatings deposited by hot-dipping2000 Th. JalantiModelling of macrosegregation in continuously cast Al ingots2000 X. DoréModelling of microsegregation in Al-base alloys1998 S. HenryStudy of feathery grain formation in Al alloys1997 Ph. RoussetStudy of crystallisation of cocoa butter and of its components1997 A. JacotModelling of solid state transformation during induction heating1996 J.-M. DrezetThermomechanical modelling of continuously cast Al ingots1995 Ch. CharbonStochastic modelling of eutectic grain structure formation1994 C.-A. GandinStochastic modelling of dendritic grain structure formation1993 Th. ImwinkelriedModelling of DS and SX turbine blades1989 Zou JieModelling of gray cast iron solidification1988 Ph. ThévozModelling of equiaxed dendritic solidification Teaching & PhD Past EPFL PhD Students Jean-Marie Drezet, Alain Jacot, Philippe Rousset, Sylvain Henry, Tuomas Jalanti, Xavier Doré, Alain Sémoroz, Thomas Kämpfer, Christel Pequet, Thomas Campanella, Piero Daniele Grasso, Laurent Lach, Vincent Mathier, Stéphane Vernède, Frédéric Kohler, Denis Favez, Frédéric Claude Denis Dreyer, Mario Alberto Salgado Ordorica, Milan Felberbaum, Aurèle Mariaux, Jonathan Friedli, Jonas Vannod, Jonas Valloton, Léa Deillon, Hossein Meidani, Meisam Sistaninia, Shan Jin, Güven Kurtuldu, Alexandre Durussel, Christophe Mondoux