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…
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…
At the beginning of 2022, the DLR Innovation Lab EmpowerAX reached an important milestone in terms of collaboration and technology transfer in the field of fibre-reinforced 3D printing with the signing of a multilateral cooperation agreement by 23 partners of different sizes and from different industries. In order to implement the joint technology transfer after…
Nowadays, more regenerative energy, especially more wind energy, is the order of the day. Above all else, this can be achieved with ever larger wind turbines. Such developments should lead to a decrease in the cost of energy as well as the space required for wind farms. However, wind turbines cannot simply keep growing without…