Imagine a spacecraft leaving the atmosphere at top speed on its way into boundless space. It is exposed to extreme temperatures – from the icy cold conditions of space to the searing heat of re-entry into the atmosphere. Every material used in such a spacecraft must be able to withstand these temperatures undamaged. But how…
The rotor of a helicopter is the largest vibration generator. The resulting vibrations reduce the service life of mechanical and electrical components and, like noise, have a major impact on crew comfort and public acceptance. The internal structural design of a helicopter rotor blade not only has to withstand enormous loads, but also contributes significantly…
Hydrogen as an energy source is a promising solution for sustainable andCO2-neutral mobility. The storage of hydrogen as a fuel is an important basis for this. High-pressure tanks are already being used in some applications and are being continuously developed further. For aerospace applications, the storage of hydrogen in liquid form (LH2) is an interesting…
For the first time, we organised the ‘Competition for Innovation’ at the Institute for Lightweight Systems in 2024. The winners of the competition were teams that impressed with innovative technological proposals. These included: the cost-effective and precise production of moulds for fibre composite manufacturing from cardboard, a software solution for the simulation of fibre composites…
The expansion of electricity generation using wind energy significantly contributes towards the climate-neutral energy supply in Germany. Due to the limited area available, future wind turbines will need to be more economical, with an improved degree of utilisation. The development of larger rotor blades is particularly important for this. However, established materials are nearing their…
When we look at how birds fly, we can see that they modify the shape of their wings during flight. They do this because they know that to be more performant, faster and, among others, get their food, they need to adapt to different flying conditions, such as those from variable winds. Aircraft engines consist…
Additive functionalisation is multifaceted and ranges from printing local stiffening ribs to integrating assembly and adhesive aids to introducing electrical conductors into the component. The basic structure of the component can be produced using an established process, such as tape laying for the production of large-area structures. Using fibre-reinforced 3D printing (short and continuous fibre-reinforced,…
Light as plastic, but as resilient as metal – and customisable to boot. These are requirements that are placed on components in a wide range of industries from aerospace to medical technology. But how can the weight of a satellite structure for space be reduced while maintaining the same load capacity? And how can highly…
Increasing sustainability and productivity is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Therefore, in industry, there is a great need for high-precision and flexible systems for additive manufacturing. At our Institute, specially designed CNC robot kinematics with a high absolute positioning accuracy allow precisely controlled path movements in three-dimensional space. In combination with specifically…
The efficient use of energy has never been as important as it is today. In industry, process heat takes up a large share of the energy consumption that industrial plants need to produce all kinds of goods. However, the question “How can we produce more energy efficiently?” can only be answered once it has been…