Oikawa Lab

AboutAbout the lab

Shaping materials while building in their microstructure and performance.

The Oikawa Lab combines metal forming such as rolling and forging with materials science and numerical simulation to study new materials and manufacturing processes.
Formed parts and components (sokeizai) are parts and members given their shape by applying heat and force to materials, and many everyday products are made from them.
The lab controls deformation and flow so that defects that cause failure do not appear, and also controls the internal microstructure of the material so that the required properties are obtained.
It also uses simulations from the atomic scale to the bulk scale to uncover what happens inside a material during processing.

ResearchResearch themes

Using metal forming such as rolling, forging, extrusion, and drawing, the lab works on improving the performance and developing processes for structural materials such as steels, nickel alloys, and aluminum alloys, and for functional materials such as magnetic materials and shape memory materials. Beyond clarifying phenomena through experiments, it makes full use of computer simulations at various scales, aiming to speed up the development of new materials and processes.

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Metal forming↗

Using rolling, forging, extrusion, drawing, and other methods, the lab gives materials shape and performance while suppressing defects. It handles a wide range of materials, including steels and nickel, cobalt, aluminum, magnesium, and zinc alloys.

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Microstructure control↗

The lab seeks to understand recrystallization, precipitation, and phase transformations that accompany processing and heat treatment, and to link this understanding to the design of high-performance materials. Clarifying from a materials science perspective how microstructures and defects change during deformation and heat treatment provides knowledge essential for developing new materials and processes.

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Numerical analysis↗

The lab uses simulations from the atomic scale to the bulk scale to deepen the understanding of phenomena and accelerate process development. In the future, it aims to establish computer-aided methods for designing materials and processes that combine materials property databases with multiscale simulation.

VoicesStudent voices

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