Statistical analysis of the relation between metallic microstructures and mechanical properties

This thesis aims at the development of physical relations between the intricate 3D features of metallic microstructures and the mechanical properties of the material. For understanding which are the microstructural determinants of the resultingmechanical behaviour of metals, a deep quantitative characterisation of the microstructure is needed. The main steps of quantitative characterisation of the microstructures are: identification of the phases distribution and their chemical composition, study of the microstructure morphology (geometrical arrangement of grains, grain boundaries, grain orientations, grain size and grain shape). An accurate description of the microstructure features enriched with physical knowledge can lead to new insight into the relation between micro and macro properties. Advanced statistical tools are used to find relations between microstructural and mechanical quantities. Eventually, results coming from the statistical modelling of this relation will lead to the design of new materialswith desired properties.