Metallic materials and technology

Head:

Prof Bojan Podgornik

The Department of Metallic Materials and Technology combines three laboratories; the Laboratory for Process Metallurgy, the Laboratory for Vacuum Heat Treatment and Tribology, and the Laboratory for Mechanical Testing. The department’s research and development activities focus on the development, processing, and characterization of both conventional and advanced metallic materials and technologies. A particular strength of the department is its ability to carry out research across the entire material development chain – from alloy and process design to material production, processing, surface treatment, and comprehensive evaluation of final properties.

Research activities include thermodynamic and process modelling, melting, casting and production of metallic materials, thermomechanical and heat treatments, cryogenic treatment, surface engineering, and advanced/additive manufacturing technologies. Comprehensive characterization covers mechanical and fracture-mechanic properties, toughness, creep, mechanical and thermal fatigue, tribological properties, the load-bearing capacity of contact surfaces, as well as effects of hydrogen on the behaviour of metallic materials. In cooperation with the Department of Physics and Chemistry of Materials, these studies are complemented by advanced microstructural characterization, enabling a deeper understanding of the relationships between processing, microstructure, properties, and the mechanisms of damage initiation and evolution.

An important part of the department’s activities is providing R&D and expert support to the Slovenian metallurgical and metal-processing industries. This includes the development of new materials, products, and technological processes, optimization of existing technologies, solving production-related problems, and performing failure analyses and expert assessments. The department also includes the P2-0050 Metallic Materials and Technologies research programme, which is primarily focused on fundamental research in the fields of process metallurgy, metallic materials, heat and surface treatments, surface engineering, and advanced manufacturing technologies.