Development, characterization & evaluation of light metals, composites and high temperature alloys
In order to speed up development times, reduce manufacturing costs and the weight of aerospace components and to increase functionality and performance, research is being conducted into metallic materials and structures. This includes the development, characterisation and evaluation of light metals and high-temperature alloys. Experimental methods as well as modelling and simulation tools are used, with a focus on multiscale, multidimensional methods
Additive manufacturing of metallic components
In addition to process development for existing alloy systems, the R&D work also includes the development of new alloys that are specifically geared towards the metallurgical conditions of powder bed-based metal melting using a laser beam (PBF-LB). The focus here is on alloys for use in the aerospace industry, particularly for engine and structural applications.
Interface research for cohesive joining processes and hybrid materials
The focus is on the process and properties of adhesive joining of metals with polymers. This includes structural bonding of material composites, for example fibre composite plastic-metal laminates.
The joining zones of soldered joints and metal matrix composites are also part of the research work in this area.
Rapid alloy development
In this area, data-centred methods such as machine learning are developed and applied to the development of new alloys and the analysis of existing ones. This accelerates the development process and the characterisation of lightweight and high-temperature alloys for the aerospace industry.
Lifespan and damage tolerance of aerospace materials and structures
With a focus on material mechanics and service life assessment, the mechanical behavior of metallic materials and structures at sample and component level is investigated and evaluated using experimental, microstructural and numerical methods. In addition, data-centric methods, robotic systems and models for reliability assessment and service life prediction for aerospace components are developed and applied in the context of multidisciplinary optimization.
Fatigue and fracture mechanics
With the help of experimental, numerical and microanalytical methods, the mechanical behavior of metallic materials and structures in aerospace is characterized. The use of this experimental data in suitable models enables the prediction of fatigue crack behaviour. In addition to classic material mechanics tests, structural mechanics tests are also carried out on simplified structures representing airplane fuselages.
The following video shows a crack propagation test on a simplified fuselase structure under biaxial loading. A neural network trained using Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) / Artificial Intelligence (AI) tracks the local damage development. The collected and analyzed data contribute to the digital process chain of the hybrid product development and certification process, for example in the application of numerical simulation models for service life estimation.
Testing Infrastructure: Investigating damage tolerance of aerospace materials and structures
Your consent to the storage of data ('cookies') is required for the playback of this video on Youtube.com. You can view and change your current data storage settings at any time under privacy.
Testing Infrastructure: Investigating damage tolerance of aerospace materials and structures
Efficient models for the prediction of material and component behaviour are developed and applied within the framework of multidisciplinary optimisations for the prediction of service life and reliability assessment of aerospace components.
Friction stir welding
The mechanical behavior of friction stir welded connections is investigated using materials mechanical methods and correlated with the microstructure of the joined material.
If you would like to know more about our department, metallic and hybrid materials in general or are interested in a possible collaboration, please do not hesitate to contact us!
Biaxial testing of a cross sample
The biaxial testing machine can be used to characterise the crack propagation behaviour under complex multi-axial loading. Testing is carried out on a simplified sample geometry of an aircraft fuselage. Specific load-time histories or load spectra can be set axis-specifically. The investigated crack propagation mechanisms can be scaled to component level and thus contribute to the approval and further development of materials, structures or production processes for aircraft fuselage structures.
The robotic HR-DIC measuring system for crack propagation experiments
The extension of existing test setups with high-resolution and robot-controlled camera systems enables deeper insights into the interaction between microstructure and local mechanics in the investigation of fatigue cracks.
