Integral modeling of metallic materials

One of the most dynamic domains of materials science is the integral modeling and simulation of metallic materials. Integral approaches consist of the coupling of computer codes to bridge scale discrepancies among different microstructure levels. Two approaches deserve particular attention in this context, namely, simultaneous (synchronous, direct) integration methods, where interacting simulation levels are simultaneously considered in one computer experiment, and sequential (non-synchronous, indirect) integration methods, which consist of an appropriate transfer of parameters among calculations that are used sequentially. Another way to classify the recent developments in the field of integral modeling and simulation is the distinction between the methods which are discrete both at the macro- and at the micro-level and methods which are discrete at the macrolevel but statistical at the microlevel.