Mechanical science research with the Dupuy de Lôme Research Institute (IRDL)

ENSTA Bretagne’s mechanical science research teams are part of the IRDL (CNRS joint research unit/UMR 6027): the reference laboratory for mechanical systems and materials engineering in Brittany and at national level. The IRDL conducts partnership-based research in close conjunction with various companies and is also a member of the ARTS Carnot Institute (ARTS stands for Research Actions for Technology and Society).

With 300 members, this is the leading laboratory in the mechanical engineering field in Brittany. It is scientifically organized into 5 research hubs (RH):

RH1 = Composites, biocomposites, nanocomposites,
RH2 = Multi-material assemblies
RH3 = Structures, fluids and interactions
RH4 = Energy systems and thermal processes
RH5 = Material behavior and durability

ENSTA Bretagne’s activities concern research hubs 2, 3 and 5 (in bold above). The industrial challenges are wide-ranging:

reducing the environmental footprint
adapting to changing legislation
harnessing new, more efficient, widely available and affordable materials
increasing in-service durability, etc.

Although the IRDL’s research activities encompass a much wider scope, it has identified three main application areas to which these activities nevertheless make a key contribution and which give it a unique standing in France:

SEA (shipbuilding, offshore, MRE),
TRANSPORT (automobile, aeronautics),
DEFENSE (on sea and on land).

Receiving a very positive rating in January 2016 from the High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES), the IRDL lab was assessed for:
•   its original and ambitious scientific strategy
•   the right balance between upstream and applied research
•   the extensive interaction with businesses
•   the excellent quality of research-led teaching

The IRDL’s research can leverage a wide range of original experimental facilities. On the ENSTA Bretagne campus, this test equipment, and the technical team which prepares the tests, make up the MASMECA technology platform.