Institute profile

Traditionally Innovative!

Fraunhofer LBF in Darmstadt is one of the most traditional institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Over 75 years ago, the former “Laboratory for Structural Durability LBF” shaped a completely new area of research that even back then was already economically significant and, up to today, has lost none of its topicality and pertinence. Particularly in the last decade, the institute developed its competence center both in breadth and depth on the basis of experimental structural durability with a great deal of innovation force and high degree of dynamics. Additional market segments beyond the traditional vehicle and mechanical engineering branches of
industry were opened up.

The latest milestone in the development of the „Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF“ was the integration of the renowned German Plastics Institute DKI in 2012. The tried and tested competencies are found today in numerical and experimental structural durability, in smart structures and system reliability and in the area of plastics. Fraunhofer LBF continues to develop these four core competencies
on a technical and organizational level in research divisions of the same name and in a total of 10 departments.

The institute has documented its future plans in a dynamic strategy plan that is checked and assessed by external evaluators on a regular basis. The operative work is critically examined in continuous analyses on customer satisfaction. The management system of Fraunhofer LBF is certified according to DIN ISO EN
9001:2000 and the testing laboratory is accredited according to the requirements of DIN ISO-IEC 17025. This has also led to an extraordinarily high number of customers that has been loyal to the institute for decades.

Partners in the development process

More than 550 scientists, engineers, technicians, administrators and experts from diverse disciplines bring their know-how into interdisciplinary project work and services that extends beyond the boundaries of each subject matter to the advantage of customers and partners. They take up future-oriented topics, develop them to product and process innovations in close cooperation with their customers and thus set new trends.

The Fraunhofer LBF teams offer services along the entire valueadded chain starting with the material and its processing up to the finished component, the complex system, its qualification with regard to safety and reliability, and performance from product design to verification. Particularly in the area of plastics, the institute provides support at an early stage of the value added chain with polymer synthesis and in-depth material
characterization.

Comprehensive material and energy-efficient solutions are developed in the areas of vibration technology, lightweight construction, reliability and polymer technology – tailored to the individual needs of each customer. Fraunhofer LBF reaches a number of different markets with its characteristic, wide-reaching competence and service portfolio, particularly in rail transport technology, ship building, aviation, mechanical and plant engineering, energy technology, building industry, medical technology and the chemical industry.

Shaping the future!

The scientists see themselves as active participants in the innovation processes of their customers, as those who provide impetus and who speed up the process. They increasingly act as strategic partners in the development of the product; they work on, evaluate and realize tailored solutions especially for safety-relevant mechanical systems and vibration-sensitive lightweight structures. They support structured product  development processes in accordance with the “V model”, among others. In addition to the evaluation and optimized design of passive mechanical structures, active, mechatronic-adaptronic function units are developed and prototypically implemented. At the same time, Fraunhofer LBF continues to look forward and further develop the appropriate numerical and experimental methods and testing technologies.

What unites us

For us, a trusting, lasting and successful cooperation within the Fraunhofer team and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and with customers and partners the highest good. This is what the managers and staff of Fraunhofer LBF strive for with great personal motivation and diligence. The basis for this is fairness, transparency and commitment.
The result of our team’s common understanding of quality, openness, tolerance and mutual respect always results in a passion for innovation!