It is often said that “a nation that is out-computed will be out-competed”, and in no area is this truer than in matters of national security. Whether it be the ability of body armour to protect soldiers against roadside bombs, the stewardship of nuclear stockpiles, of the detection of concealed explosives, the relevance of research on materials is very clear, hence government laboratories in many countries already take materials simulation very seriously.

Examples of materials modelling being undertaken by research groups in TYC in this area include:

  • Response of structures to impact and blast
  • Armour design for improved combat survivability
  • Phase diagram and thermodynamic properties of metals at extreme conditions
  • Molecular processes in the detonation of high explosives