Press releases

In recent years there have been major changes in the life cycle testing of vehicles or individual components: Thanks to state-of-the-art testing technology today a few hours in the laboratory are sufficient for life cycle testing whereas previously test drives on the road taking a couple of weeks were necessary for this purpose. This development continues as the UC 16 -Users Conference on Biaxial Wheel/Hub Fatigue Testing on November 8th, 2023, in Darmstadt showed. More than 50 scientists and users from Europe and all around the world met at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF in Darmstadt. Thanks to a wide range of development and testing activities in the field of wheel testing and approval, the institute was able to establish itself as a technology leader. Today the testing technology is known and accepted on a worldwide basis. It has been established as the international standard for more safety in vehicle wheels construction. Besides it shortens the development times for new reliable and safety relevant products.

innovations for the technical supply industry Lightweight design makes products competitive and sustainable. Safety and reliable function must be guaranteed in the process. Promising new approaches for sustainable and efficient manufacturing processes with natural fiber-reinforced materials and the lightweight design potential through vibroacoustic metamaterials are shown by the exhibits from the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF in Darmstadt at the "Highly advanced materials for a circular world", November, 14 to 16, 2023 in Jönköping/Sweden, ELMIA Subcontractor, Area: InnoDex, Hall D. The fair is a meeting point for decision makers, constructors and designers of the manufacturing industry in Northern Europe.

The use of recycled plastics is becoming increasingly popular due to its potential to reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste. However, the quality of recyclate materials significantly affects their application. With the exception of slightly damaged production waste, recycled plastics cannot be used in their original form. Usually, they are sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed to form usable granules. However, the recycled material's stability and processing ability for its intended application often require post-stabilization with suitable additives. Fraunhofer Institute of Structural Durabiity and System Reliability LBF has developed new formulations for enhance the quality of new recyclate films. At Plastics World Expo Europe, Essen, June 14-15, 2023, Booth C834, the researchers will give more information.

Elastomeric materials are used in the automotive industry, the construction sector, and many other applications. These are to become more environmentally friendly. The Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF in Darmstadt is bringing together companies to provide insights into the requirements for tomorrow's rubbers in the online workshop "Sustainable Elastomers" on June 20, 2023. Additives and rubber raw materials as well as the analytics and characterization of rubbers will be highlighted. Participants will discuss the challenges of developing and using sustainable additives and fillers, as well as the opportunities and technical approaches to compounding, applying, and recycling sustainable elastomers.

Plastic materials are prone to degradation by atmospheric oxygen. These auto-oxidation reactions occur at ambient temperature already but become especially relevant during melt processing. Adding antioxidants to the polymers results in a pronounced slowing-down of the oxidation processes. Only by this way, the production of the well-known plastic parts by injection moulding, for example, is possible. Developing new plastic grades is accompanied by lengthy experimental procedures to optimize the antioxidant content. Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF see online rheological investigations as a promising method for accelerating the development process.

What doesn't smell good is hard to recycle. This simple rule also applies to the growing volume of plastic waste worldwide. One way to recycle it in an environmentally compatible and climate-friendly manner as high-quality post-consumer recyclates is through improved sorting and reprocessing. Until now, the reduced material quality has considerably limited the reuse of plastic recyclates, and this is mainly due to their odor. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF have developed a new environmentally friendly process on a laboratory scale to remove odors from plastic packaging. Fraunhofer LBF will present the results of the research project at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe PRSE, Amsterdam (May 10 to 11, 2023, Hall 11, Booth P3) and at Plastics World Expo Europe, Essen (June 14 to 15, 2023, Booth C834).

Whether in the industrial environment, in mobility or at home: "Smart services" require data that is processed and evaluated. Altosens GmbH, a Fraunhofer LBF spin-off from Osnabrück founded in April 2022, offers novel cloud-based force sensors that measure forces where this was previously not easily possible. This allows unexpected service operations to be reduced and therefore systems that are difficult to access to be operated more economically. Such a monitoring system can, for example, increase the profitability of wind turbines, especially for offshore turbines, where on-site maintenance is costly due to difficult accessibility. More information is available from the Altosens team in the Startup Area at Hannover Messe, Hall 17, Booth B 65.

With the project "Material and long-term properties in recycled materials", Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF aims to lay the foundations for increasing the proportion of post-consumer recyclates (PCR) for high-quality industrial applications of engineering plastics. The researchers are looking for additional partners to jointly develop fundamental insights into the effect of material composition. Focus is on the feedstocks and the variables influencing compounding (e. g. proportion and condition of virgin material, re-additivation) on the resulting application properties. This is supported by a toolbox with customized analysis methods that visualize fundamental dependencies between molecular parameters and properties. In this way, the project participants obtain the necessary know-how for optimal control of their material flows

The Fraunhofer-Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF and the Fraunhofer-Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST jointly coordinates a Support and Coordinated Action aiming at defining and harmonising a commonly accepted and applied single Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach for zero-emission vehicles ZEV. Both institutes brought together 44 key stakeholders along the full value chain of zero-emission vehicles covering, among others, vehicle and battery manufactures, the supply industry, energy providers and recyclers. This unique initiative is supported by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme and had its kick-off meeting on February 1 in Brussels.

By using cast components, decisive competitive advantages can be achieved along the value chain. The high-quality standard of cast products and the high degree of flexibility offered by. the usable materials and technologies in the foundry industry are unique. On the other hand, there are challenges due to the energy crisis and material bottlenecks, which limit competitive advantages and increase the need for efficiency improvements. In addition to digitalization, efficiency improvements can be driven forward in particular by increased networking of those involved in the development process from industry and research. The international congress "InCeight Casting C8", from March 6 to 8, 2023 in Darmstadt, offers for the second time this interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge and interests with the aim of learning from each other and thus remaining fit for the future with specialist lectures, workshops and panel discussions.