SD - Structural Design
The SD research group is concerned with structural simulation, lightweight design and acoustics as well as the research field of non-exhaust emissions. Within the scope of the research activities, strength and vibration analyses are considered with their manifold interactions in the overall vehicle system. Contacts, plastic effects, non-linear coupling points, thermal boundary conditions and friction effects, user-specific service life, installation space and costs play an important role. Optimizations for lightweight solutions can be evaluated holistically in the life cycle of emission balances.
Depending on the task, project support is provided from concept to series production, embedded in the development process of the complete vehicle. Special know-how is available in the areas of chassis, brakes, drive systems, support and frame structures as well as special and off-road vehicles.
Numerous industrial software packages (including Abaqus, Ansys, Permas, Beta CAE) as well as customized solutions are available for the analyses. Model matching and verification can be performed using in-house test bench and road tests.
Research focus:
- Brake dust and particles
- Brake noise and vibration
- Composite materials: component design and development of simulative methods
- Development and research of innovative vehicle structures
Methods:
- Simulative
- Contact mechanics in time and frequency domain
- Dynamics: Nonlinear vibrations
- Damping mechanisms, local energy dissipation
- Flexible multibody systems
- Friction excited vibrations, stability limits
- CFD analyses, particle flow
- Experimental (in-house laboratory)
- Component and system tests
- Particle measurements (non-exhaust emissions): Brake and tire particles
- Operational deflection shapes, stability analysis of non-linear vibrations
- Experimental modal analysis
- Competence in destructive testing of structural components (in cooperation with external testing laboratories)