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current projects listed:
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Manufacturing process for powder metallurgical aluminum foams with optimized
Microstructure through mechanical alloying

Aluminum foam produced by powder metallurgy is an excellent lightweight construction material with a high
Vibration damping capacity. It is used in a variety of niches, including in
Machine tool assemblies also used in series. The establishment in areas with high
Safety requirements, such as in aircraft construction, on the other hand, were not previously possible. The cause is there
especially in an inhomogeneous foam structure. So far, this can only be influenced to a limited extent and therefore hardly
predictable. This is regrettable, since the enormous potential for lightweight construction is too considerable there
technical and economic improvements would result. In the intended project, the
Production of a preform powder through the process step high-energy ball milling. Using this procedure
it is possible to generate a homogeneous distribution of brittle particles in a ductile matrix. It will therefore
usually also for the powder metallurgical production of particle-reinforced
Aluminum matrix composites are used. The first goal is to develop an industry-standard
Process chain. Furthermore, it must be worked out within which limits and under which boundary conditions
Foams can be produced whose properties are subject to only slight fluctuations. In addition
becomes a significant improvement in properties compared to conventional powder metallurgical foams
aimed at. If the project is successful, SMEs that are involved in the production route of the
can bring in the desired semi-finished products. For foam manufacturers, this includes direct improvement
of products and the associated forward-looking portfolio expansion, the clearest increase in
Competitiveness expected. Processors also benefit from semi-finished foam products as well
End users of the products because of the better predictability and the new product properties
should be able to be developed

Linear joining of profile composite systems with increased Tightness requirements

The aim of the project is to develop and implement a new type of extruded profile concept for
Manufacture of profile composite systems with increased tightness requirements. Especially in the context of
The tightness of assemblies is of fundamental importance to electromobility. Current battery case
with floor groups made of extruded profiles meet the challenge of tightness in the joints
by means of friction stir welding, which, however, entails a time-consuming and costly production.
The solution path to achieve the goals includes, through a targeted, simulation-based
Profile geometry development, the setting of the extrusion parameters and local cooling strategies,
To generate profiles with ideal properties for a downstream, optimized joining process. The
The joining process should be implemented in terms of forming technology, ideally on the basis of a press stroke, so that
the results can be used directly by SMEs from the addressed areas.
After the development of appropriate profile composite systems, the resulting tightness becomes linear
Examines connections and evaluates the results in the context of the manufacturing and joining process. The
Generated knowledge about the interrelationships between the locally available material properties, the
Joining operation and the resulting load-bearing capacity and tightness enable a comprehensive
Process understanding.
On this basis, the potential of electromobility, which among other things is due to the complex
and cost-intensive battery housing production can currently only be used to a limited extent. The
In this way, SMEs receive technological and economic benefits and can increase their
Achieve competitiveness.

Friction-based crack initiation in metal-forming joints of Wrought aluminum alloys

High-strength aluminum materials are used in automotive, rail vehicle and aircraft construction to
to replace existing steel structures with a more efficient lightweight construction. The
Utilizing the strength potential of the materials generates high demands on the
Structural fatigue strength. Recent studies show that the failure of
Connections joined by forming technology are caused by a friction-based crack initiation between the
Joining parts or between the joining part and the joining element is caused. Previous simulation approaches,
which are used to predict damage to base materials, among other things, can be derived from this
Reason cannot be transferred directly. There is a need to identify the relationships
between clamping force-based wear and crack initiation in such materials to
and to offer the opportunity to assess the fatigue strengths of the joints with little testing. The
Lack of knowledge about these fundamental facts is motivation for the one to be applied for
Research project.
With efficient strategies for mapping the mechanisms at work in the case of friction-based failure in the
numerical simulation, SMEs (e.g. manufacturers of joining tools, software simulation companies,
Suppliers of structural parts) will in the future be able to develop forming joints with regard to new
Execute design criteria fatigue-friendly. Through the holistic consideration of the joint
With regard to sampling and load-bearing behavior, the project results therefore lead to a significant
Increase in the competitiveness of SMEs through a significant increase in the efficiency of the assembly process.
In addition, with the help of the application-oriented simulation methods, the problematic high for SMEs can be achieved
Expenditure on the experimental characterization of the fatigue strength of the formed joint
Connections are significantly reduced

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